An American pilot's honeymoon in London is interrupted by the appearance of his first wife - who insists they're still married.
In the early 50s, British cinema faced the problem of what to do with Diana Dors. Clearly the public were interested in her - at least if the acres of newspaper headlines were any guide - but the industry at the time preferred its female stars to be nicely spoken, well behaved and, above all, sexless. Diana Dors certainly couldn't manage the last two of those so finding a vehicle for her talents was a struggle. Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary was part of that struggle.
It began life as a stage farce and was adapted for cinema by Talbot Rothwell. He would, of course, go on to write some of the best of the Carry Ons but here he seems to do just a simple opening-out exercise. There's an opening scene set at an airport (with lots of shots of a shiny new US Military aircraft), a quick jaunt out into the fog-bound street and a few scenes relocated to other rooms in the hotel, but it's clear that this farce was staged on one sitting-room set.
Director Maurice Elvey does his best to keep things going, but he's defeated by the low-budget restrictions of the material. He gets competent performances out of his cast but none of them raise their game sufficiently to make the script fly. Dors can't make much of her character's lack of consistency, which wouldn't be a problem if the action moved faster, but there's far too much space allowed for the audience to wonder "why did they do that?" at vital moments in the proceedings. Even her physical charms remain covered for most of the film in a plain suit that could have done with another fitting.
British cinema never really solved the Dors Problem.
Script: Talbot Rothwell (o.a. E V Tidmarsh)
Director: Maurice Elvey
Players: Bonar Colleano, David Tomlinson, Diana Decker, Sidney James, Macdonald Parke, Audrey Freeman, Hubert Woodward, Lou Jacobi, Eileen Sands, Warren Stanhope, Peter Butterworth, C Denier Warren, Michael Nightingale, Charles Stanley
