Just before he died Dick Emery in a television interview lamented his forays into film were not successful, commercially and critically and it was now too late.

Emery died several months later. Ohh... You are Awful is now a rare chance to see Dick Emery's comic creations as his shows are so rarely repeated.

This is a saucy caper comedy with Emery playing chirpy con man Charlie Tully who is always on a swindle which includes persuading the son of a wealthy Italian family that marriage to Princess Anne is available at a price or a dowry.

With the aid of his womanising friend Ronald Fraser they swindled £500,000 out of the Italians who have hotfooted to the Mafia for revenge.

Charlie gets arrested at the Airport as he tries to sell a bulldog to some American tourists when he meets up with Fraser after his release from prison all he knows that Fraser deposited the money in a Swiss bank account before the Mafia henchmen knock Fraser off.

Charlie needs to track down some tattoos on some ladies Fraser has had in recent months which is actually on their rear and will tell Charlie the actual bank and account number. As he tries to track down the ladies he also falls foul of a local cockney gangster.

Emery gets to play his famous comedy characters such as Mandy and Lampwick during his quest.

For non Emery fans this would just be a dated British comedy with plenty of Carry On innuendo. Some of it really feels icky. Ronald Fraser looks revolting with all those poor tattoos supposedly with the names and phone numbers of his conquests.

Only in the mind of a desperate casting agent would Fraser ever be regarded as a ladies man. Derren Nesbitt who plays the cockney gangster would had been more suitable in that role.

Emery is having a hoot playing his comedy characters but really it is not funny enough despite a decent story.

Ooh... You Are Awful, but I like you! This was the catchphrase of the comedian Dick Emery. Emery became a household name in 1960s/70s British light entertainment. There was a time when the likes of Emery and Mike Yarwood seemed to constantly be on the radio or television, doing their thing. Chances are that if you were watching, listening and enjoying back then, then there's a good chance you will like this film outing for Emery.

Plot involves a con-man caper scenario where Emery plays Charlie Tully, who along with his side-kick Reggie Peek (Ronald Fraser),manages to con half a million pounds out of two Italians. But circumstances lead to Charlie doing a short stint in jail and after Reggie is killed, Charlie has to locate the bank account number where Reggie stashed the cash. The number, as it transpires, has been tattooed over the derrières of four beauties once involved with Reggie. Cue Charlie having to use his cunning number of disguises to reveal the special code. But others are on his tail as well...

It's as corny as it sounds, a little bit of innuendo here and there, some nudity and cheeky asides, while Emery gets to run through his various characters in search of the golden bottoms! It's a hard sell to anyone not familiar with the work of Emery and the era of British film it was made in, but it's a fun enough romp, even if it's instantly forgettable once over. 6/10

Over the years, many television comedians have tried to make the jump into movies, with varying degrees of success. Morecambe & Wise made three vehicles, but never seemed to find the right one. Peter Cook and Dudley Moore fared somewhat better with 'Bedazzled' ( 1967 ),but went downhill from there. More recently, Harry Enfield came unstuck in 'Kevin & Perry Go Large', and the less said about Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson's 'Guest House Paradiso' the better.

In 1972, Dick Emery starred in this racy comedy, written specially for him by his regular writers, John Warren and John Singer. It cast him as 'Charlie Tully', a Cockney con man with a unique talent for getting the rich to part with their money. They believe everything he says.

With his friend Reggie Campbell-Peek ( Ronald Fraser ),they swindle £500,000 out of an Italian millionaire by pretending to be representatives of the British Royal Family. Naturally, said millionaire is not happy and calls on the Mafia.

Charlie is arrested at Heathrow Airport and months later emerges from jail to find Reggie has deposited the money in a Swiss bank. Before he can tell him more, he is killed when part of a building collapses on him.

Not only is the Mafia after Charlie but also London gangsters headed by Sid Sabbath ( Derren Nesbitt ),an outfit which, according to Charlie 'makes the Kray Twins look like The Beverley Sisters'.

Charlie tracks down four of Reggie's old girlfriends, each of whom has a portion of the name of the bank and account number tattooed on her posterior. Each murder attempt on Charlie is thwarted by the 'London Family', who want him alive long enough to find out where the money is...

I have fond memories of the first time I saw this. It was December 1974 and, as a traditional end-of-term treat, we got a film at school. I don't know who selected this, obviously someone must have thought it would be cosy family entertainment. The draughty dinner hall was full of red faces ( mostly the teachers ) which got redder as the film, with its cartoon violence, female nudity ( including Liza Goddard ) and over-ripe innuendo, progressed. Of course we dirty-minded kids loved every wicked minute of it!

Warren and Singer's inventive script gives Emery full rein to display his talents for multi-characterisation ( old favourites such as 'Mandy', 'Lampwick', 'Hettie The Spinster' appear. Pity room was not found for 'The Rev. Chislet' and 'Bovver Boy' ),and is helped by Cliff Owen's glossy direction. Christopher Gunning's music is good too, at times you can pick out snatches of the 'Poirot' theme to be!

The excellent supporting cast included Ronald Fraser, Pat Coombs, Derren Nesbitt, Cheryl Kennedy ( nice bum, Cheryl ) and Norman Bird amongst others.

Yes, its dated and sexist, but still good fun. The only negative point would be the somewhat flat ending in which Charlie, dressed as a priest, tries to sell the Sistine Chapel to a couple of American tourists. I would have liked something more akin to the finale of 'The Italian Job'. It is strange though that this film did not lead to others for the star. He resumed his television series, and stayed with it until his death in 1983.