The Belles of St. Trinian's (3 Stars)

When I watched the new St. Trinian's films recently I promised that I would compare them with the old films, which I haven't watched for more than 40 years. Today I'm watching "The Belles of St. Trinian's", which was released in 1954.

The story begins with the Sultan of Makyad sending his daughter Fatima to England for a good education. That's her on the right in the picture above. He selects St. Trinian's because it's in Barchester, the town where he keeps his racehorses. He's planning to place his horse Arab Boy in the upcoming Cheltenham Races.

The fourth form (Year Nine) girls find out that Arab Boy is certain to win despite being a 10/1 outsider. They pass on this information to the headmistress, Miss Fritton, who bets the whole of the school's cash reserves in order to pay off the school's debts. The headmistress's brother, Clarence Fritton, wants his own horse to win, so he arranges for the sixth form girls to steal Arab Boy before the race. The fourth form girls hear about the plans and try to steal the horse first.

The school seems to be made up of only two groups, the fourth form and the sixth form. Where are all the others? The fourth form girls are young and rebellious, while the sixth form girls are sexually precocious.

Clarence Fritton's daughter Arabella – in the reboot she's called Annabelle – offers a gratuitous upskirt view. The new films don't offer treats like this. It's a pity it's only in black and white. She's played by the 17-year-old New Zealand actress Vivienne Martin, appearing in her first film. Over the next 40 years she appeared in many television shows, including the Benny Hill Show and Eastenders.

The sixth form girls flirt with the jockey. That's Arabella again on the left. He thinks he's in for a treat, but they tie him up and knock him unconscious with a mallet.

Look who else is spending time with the sixth form girls. On the left is the South African actor Solomon Cohen, better known as Sid James, six years before his first Carry On film.

Another famous actor in a minor role is Roger Delgado, who went on to play the Master in "Doctor Who".

This was also the first film appearance of Barbara Windsor, who was 17 at the time. I watched carefully, but I couldn't recognise her. If anyone can point her out to me, please leave a comment.

Despite the film being saucier than the new films, it's not so enjoyable overall. The story concentrates more on the teachers and other adults than the schoolgirls themselves. I also don't like the idea that the school is divided, the fourth form following one adult and the sixth form another. They should be united against the world.

When the new St. Trinian's film was released in 2007, the cast of "The Belles of St. Trinian's" got in touch with one another for a reunion. Many of them had not seen one another for 53 years. It was intended to be a yearly event, but based on what I've found online the last time they met was in 2014. Here are seven of the naughty schoolgirls photographed on the 60th anniversary of the film. What beautiful ladies they've become! I wish I had seven photos from the original film to compare each girl then and now.