The Beauty Jungle [Contest Girl] *** (1964, Janette Scott, Ian Hendry, Ronald Fraser, Edmund Purdom, Kay Walsh) – Classic Movie Review 11,686)

Director Val Guest’s 1964 British drama The Beauty Jungle [Contest Girl] stars Janette Scott as a cute Bristol typist who goes in for a beauty contest at a Butlin’s holiday camp and, helped by a local reporter (Ian Hendry), decides to enter beauty contests as a full-time career and reaches the heights only to fall in showbiz’s cruel swings and roundabouts.

An interesting, busily-plotted tale is slightly harmed by having no surprises up its sleeve, but the world of the Sixties beauty contest is atmospherically caught, and all the performances and Guest’s direction are very capable.

Scott is as bright as a button and so is Laurie Johnson’s music in this well-crafted Sixties movie, with a good cast. It looks pretty sharp too, shot by Arthur Grant in Eastmancolor and CinemaScope.

American poster for The Beauty Jungle (known in the US as Contest Girl).

Sid James appears as a Butlin’s judge.

Also appearing are Aliza Gur as Miss Perù, Arlette Dobson as Miss America, Donna Pearson as Miss Sweden, Sandy Sarjeant as Miss Spain and Barbara von der Heyde as Miss Germany.

The former Miss World Rosemarie Frankland makes her screen debut in a guest appearance.

Norman Hartnell, Lydia Russell, the Duchess of Bedford, Stirling Moss, Linda Christian, and Joe Brown all appear as themselves judging the Rose of England at the Talk of the Town, where Lionel Blair appears as Talk of the Town producer.

The cast are Ian Hendry as Don Mackenzie, Janette Scott as Shirley Freeman, Ronald Fraser as Walter Carey, Edmund Purdom as Rex Carrick, Jean Claudio as Armand, Kay Walsh as Mrs Freeman, Tommy Trinder as Charlie Dorton, Norman Bird as Mr Freeman, Janina Faye as Elaine, David Weston as Harry, Peter Ashmore as Lucius, Sid James as Butlins judge, Jacqueline Jones as Jean Watson, Jackie White as Barbara Lawton, Jerry Desmonde as Swimming Pool MC, Alan Taylor as TV Commentator, Eve Eden as Angela Boynton, Lionel Blair as Talk of the Town Producer, Francis Matthews as Taylor, Nikki Peters as Cora, Raymond Young as Miss Globe host, Margaret Nolan as Caroline, Paul Carpenter as American Tourist, and Donald Hewlett as Advertising Man.

It is written by Robert Muller and Val Guest, who also produces.

It is shot at Weston-super-Mare, including the now-demolished lido, Butlin’s holiday camp at Minehead in Somerset, Butlin’s Bognor Regis camp, and the Redcliffe area of Bristol.

The holiday camp queen beauty contest was filmed at Butlin’s holiday camp at Minehead in Somerset over three days at the end of the 1963 season. But this scene must have been re-shot as it shows the sunbathing lawn at Butlin’s Bognor Regis camp.

Guest had planned a beauty contest movie back in the 1940s and finally got to make it.

The saxophonist leading the band playing the twist is Tubby Hayes.

 © Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,686

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