Spikeopath The 23rd film in the Carry On series and the fourth (and last) of the medical themed adventures. Sid Carter (Sid James) leads a gang of thieves who plan to break into Finisham Hospital and steal a load of contraceptive pills to sell abroad. But where are they kept? Sid decides to send his son Cyril (Kenneth Cope) in undercover disguised as a nurse...They probably seem like cheap gags now, but much mirth is mined from the scenarios set up by a man undercover as a female nurse. Cue him having to share a room with a foxy babe (Babs Windsor), having to fight off the attentions of the randy Doctor Prodd (a brilliant film stealing Terry Scott) and him getting involved with medical issues he has no idea about (yikes this is a maternity hospital!). Elsewhere Joan Simms portrays a human eating machine that is three weeks over due, while her poor railway worker husband (Kenneth Connor great as always) goes insane in the waiting room. Kenneth Williams is the hypochondriac hospital manager and the wonderful Hattie Jacques gets great scenes in a film thats title and script acknowledges her work in the medical Cary On films.Briskly paced by the ever reliable Gerald Thomas, "Matron" is one of the more likable and funny Carry On entries of the 70s. 7.5/10

ianlouisiana Although it's visiting mostly familiar territory,"Carry on Matron" manages to bring a certain degree of freshness to what might have been a weary rake - over of old hospital gags already well mined by the Carry On team. Somehow Mr Williams and Miss Jacques manage to imbue their expertly played dialogues with all the enthusiasm of an ingenue in her first West End role on a night when the producer is in.Even the most dire pun is polished with evident relish and delivered with aplomb and every appearance of spontaneity - their art skilfully hidden behind a facade of silliness. These two fine actors provide virtually all the enjoyment to be had from the movie.Mr Sid James is relatively subdued as the leader of the gang aiming to steal a consignment of contraceptive pills from the Finisham Maternity Hospital.Only whilst posing as "Dr Zhivago" does he have the opportunity to unleash his rather strange talents.Mr Kenneth Cope as his son makes a rather winsome nurse but is not bold enough to be comfortable in this style of comedy.Mr Bernard Bresslaw,on the other hand,has boldness enough for both of them - which is not necessarily a good thing. The received wisdom is that "Carry On" movies did not travel well into the era of Fiona Richmond,Robin Askwith and Mary Millington,and generally I agree with it.But "Carry on Matron" has a defiant innocence that appeals far more than the knowing soft porn that was soon to evolve as BBFC began to lose its grip - an event not universally welcomed.

w22nuschler This is one of the last great Carrt On films. Sadly, this Jackie Piper's last Carry On film. She was my favorite female character in the series along with Angela Douglas. She has a much smaller part as a nurse and we don't get to see her out of her clothes which is a shame. Still this is one solid film. Sid James plays the head of a gang trying to steal "The Pill" from the hospital. He is helped by his son, played by Kenneth Cope, Bernard Bresselaw, who is always good & another bald gentleman. Sid is probably at his best when he plays the heavy. He cases the joint and tells Jackie Piper he is an expectant father. He takes off and plans for his son to dress up as a nurse to get the plans of the hospital and the location of the pills. Kenneth Williams plays the head of the hospital and Hattie Jacques plays the Matron very well. Terry Scott is not great here, he plays a sex starved doctor. Joan Sims also has a very solid role as an expectant mother who is in no rush to deliver. She likes eating more than having a child. Sid's son runs into Terry Scott and his womanizing ways, but he gets the plans. He also helps deliver a baby along the way. Sid puts on a disguise and drives up in an ambulance. He has Bernard dressed up as an expectant mother. The son is still dressed as a nurse. They can't find the keys to the door, so they blow it off. There is a real exciting chase scene to end the film. They must give the pills back, but they let them go because of the scandal it would cause for them letting in his son as a nurse. Solid film with a little too much sex talk and too little of a part for the lovely Jackie Piper.

Smalling-2 A gang of thieves plan to make their fortune by stealing a shipment of contraceptive pills from Finisham maternity hospital and make one of them disguised and infiltrated the hospital.The last excursion into the often-used hospital territory, and one with bright moments and performances, though it goes over the top in a very laborious way.