Confessions from a Holiday Camp ** (1977, Robin Askwith, Anthony Booth, Bill Maynard, Sheila White, Doris Hare, Liz Fraser, Linda Hayden, John Junkin, Lance Percival, David Auker) – Classic Movie Review 6,876

The gang is back for the 1977 sex comedy film Confessions from a Holiday Camp, the fourth and final saucy outing, revealing what Timmy Lea (Robin Askwith) and Sid Noggett (Anthony Booth) get up to at Mr Whitemonk (John Junkin)’s holiday camp Funfrall. 

‘Holiday Campers Exposed! The Funniest Take Off Of the Season!’

The Confessions gang is back for the 1977 British sex comedy film Confessions from a Holiday Camp, the fourth and final amusingly smutty outing, this time revealing about what Timothy ‘Timmy’ Lea (Robin Askwith) and his brother-in-law Sidney Noggett (Anthony Booth), now entertainment officers, get up to under the nose of former prison officer Mr Whitemonk (John Junkin), the new owner of typical British holiday camp Funfrall, who is running it in strict disciplinary fashion.

The invaluable Liz Fraser returns from the previous episode, Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976), this time playing Mrs Antonia Whitemonk, with John Junkin playing her husband Mr Whitemonk, both giving outstanding comedy turns. And the series co-stars are all present and correct too: Bill Maynard as Mr Lea, Doris Hare as Mrs Lea, and Sheila White as Rosie Noggett.

The script is limp, and the production is lame, but the film is really quite likeable none the less, and fans of sex comedies and saucy Seventies nostalgia are certainly reasonably well taken care of.

The cast are Robin Askwith as Timmy Lea, Anthony Booth as Sidney Noggett, Bill Maynard as Mr Lea, Doris Hare as Mrs Lea, Sheila White as Rosie Noggett, Linda Hayden as Brigitte, Lance Percival as Lionel, John Junkin as Mr Whitemonk, Liz Fraser as Mrs Antonia Whitemonk, Colin Crompton as Roughage, Nicola Blackman as Blackbird, Nicholas Bond-Owen [Nicholas Owen] as Kevin, Caroline Ellis as Gladys, Sue Upton as Renee, Penny Meredith as Married Woman, Mike Savage as Kevin’s Dad, Janet Edis as Kevin’s Mum, Deborah Brayshaw as Go Cart Girl, Kim Hardy as announcer, David Auker as Alberto Smarmi, John Bryant as young man, Charlie Stewart as Piper, Carrie Jones as bikini girl, Julia Bond as bikini girl, Betty Hare as mourner, Winifred Braemar as mourner, Margo Field as Mrs Dimwiddy, Marianne Stone as waitress, Leonard Woodrow as the chaplain, Lauri Lupino Lane as the mayor, Ingrid Bower as holiday maker, Robert Booth as holiday maker, Michael Segal as holiday maker, and Matt Kilroy as chauffeur.

Producer Michael Klinger was originally not happy with Christopher Wood’s script, based on his novel, writing as Timothy Lea, noting what he considered a number of problems with his screenplay.

The film was released in North America in 1978 under the new title of Confessions of a Summer Camp Councillor [Counsellor].

It was shot by Ken Hodges in Eastmancolor. It was shot at a holiday camp out of season during February and March – at the Mill Rythe Holiday Village on Hayling Island in Hampshire, England, with the railway station scene filmed at Havant Train Station, Havant, Hampshire, England.

The title track ‘Give Me England’ is performed by scrumpy and western band The Wurzels, arranged and conducted by Ed Welch and produced by Bob Barratt. It was released as a single and on an album of the same name.

It is the last film in the series that began with Confessions of a Window Cleaner in 1974 and continued with Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975) and Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976). A fifth and sixth film were planned, Confessions of a Plumber’s Mate and Confessions of a Private Soldier, with filming set to begin on Plumber’s Mate at the end of February 1978. But in November 1977 Columbia Pictures cancelled plans for more Confessions films after the studio president David Begelman was replaced by a successor who had no interest in financing low-budget, profitable British films.

Confessions from a Holiday Camp is directed by Norman Cohen, runs 88 minutes, is made by Swiftdown Productions, is released by Columbia Pictures, is written by Christopher Wood, based on his novel, writing as Timothy Lea, is shot in Eastmancolor by Ken Hodges, is produced by Michael Klinger, Norman Cohen and Greg Smith, and is scored by Ed Welch.

It has a UK 18 certificate thanks to several sex scenes involving occasional nudity.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6,876

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