Jail Birds

This film was made around the time of the outbreak of war.Hence the characters carrying their gas masks and the sign at the end pointing towards air raid shelters.This is a feeble farce made by Butchers,one of the oldest established film distributors.Hawtrey plays a prison convict who manages to escape with two others.With one of them he participates in a show in drag.A forerunner of his drag appearance in Carry on Regardless.Alas much of the comedy material consists of broad music hall humour.Lots of throwing water and porridge and paint over each other.I suppose if the audiences were easily amused in those days they would have gone away happy.Now it is more interesting as a historical record of an era long gone.