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''Operation Lovebirds'' (original title ''Slå Først Frede'') is a 1965 Danish ''Film/JamesBond'' spoof movie, starring Creator/OveSprogoe, Morten Grunwald and Poul Bundgaard and directed by Erik Balling. The same team would go on to make the hugely popular ''Film/OlsenBanden'' movie series, that in many ways can be seen as a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Operation Lovebirds''.

Frede Hansen (Grunwald) is a happy-go-lucky novelty salesman, who is mistaken for a secret agent by the evil and mysterious Dr. Pax and TheDragon, the murderous Eastern European Kolick (Bundgaard). Real secret agent Schmidt from Danish Intelligence (Sprogøe) recruits Frede, hoping to use him as a decoy to flush out Dr. Pax. The mismatched duo start a race against time to find Dr. Pax and stop him, their only lead being the beautiful Swedish pigeon trainer Sonja (Essy Persson) and her [[TitleDrop lovebirds]].

''Operation Lovebirds'' won the Bodil Award (the most prestigious Danish film award) in 1966 for Best Picture, and Poul Bundgaard won the Bodil for Best Actor in a supporting role for his portrayal of the sinister Kolick, who gradually [[VillainousBreakdown breaks down]] because of his constant failure to kill Frede.

Received a sequel in 1966 by the same director and with much of the same central cast, named ''Relax Freddie'' (''Slap af, Frede!'').
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!!This film provides examples of:
* ActionSurvivor: Frede. And ''how''. He kills more [[{{Mook}} mooks]] by accident that Schmidt does on purpose.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Dr. Pax only has three interests in life: money, power and pigeons.
* AwesomeButImpractical: Frede's pistol, that can fire both forwards and backwards. He can never remember which setting is which.
* BigBad: Dr. Pax
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: The good agents wear white cottoncoats, Dr. Pax's men wear black leather coats.
* TheDragon: Kolick
* {{Expy}}: Schmidt is basically Creator/SeanConnery's Film/JamesBond turned up to eleven.
* HavingAGayOldTime: Frede calls the gun Schmidt gives him a "bøsse", a Danish term for gun that is today almost exclusively used in its other meaning, a gay man.
* HeelFaceTurn: Sonja.
* HeroicBSOD: Happens to Schmidt after [[spoiler: he discovers that Dr. Pax is really his boss]].
* MadnessMantra:
--> '''Kolick:''' PLEASE LET ME KILL YOU!!! PLEASE LET ME KILL YOU!!!
** And later:
---> [[spoiler:'''Schmidt:''']] Bang ... bang ... bang ... bang..bang..bang..bangbang..bangbangbang..
* MoodWhiplash: Kolick's first scene, where he stabs a {{Mook}} [[YouHaveFailedMe who has displeased Dr. Pax]], is very grisly, in contrast to the light-hearted tone of the rest of the film.
* MoreDakka: Kolick's last attempt to eliminate Frede. [[spoiler: It doesn't work.]]
* NoNameGiven: Schmidt's superior is only referred to as "Sir".
* OhCrap:
** Frede, after taking a sip from a drink that Sonja had probably poisoned.
** Dr. Pax, [[spoiler: after realizing that he accidentally put ''homing pigeons'' in his pigeon-controlled rockets.]]
---> '''Dr. Pax:''' They ''always'' come back!
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Frede gets very angry, when Schmidt admits that he does not know how to get them out of Kolick's death trap, and gives a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that reduces Schmidt to despair:
-->'''Frede:''' What do you mean "You can't"??? Who the Hell do you think you are, you were the one who got me into this bloody mess in the first place! I was just going to go home to Odense and then YOU came along with all your crap about playing Superman and all your bullshit! When all is said and done you're fucking useless ...\\
'''Schmidt:''' BE QUIET, MAN! BEHAVE YOURSELF!!!
* RedRightHand: Kolick has a prosthetic right hand with a built-in switchblade.
--> '''Frede:''' That's very ... handy.
* SeriousBusiness: A stylish look is very important for a secret agent:
-->'''Schmidt''': You will of course receive all necessary equipment. First of all you will need some decent clothes.\\
'''Frede''': (''"what's wrong with my clothes" look'')\\
'''Schmidt''': Three sets at least, plus a white tuxedo.\\
'''Frede''': A white tuxedo?\\
'''Schmidt''': Indispensible!
* ShoutOut: Frede snorkeling over to Dr. Pax's island base in his white tuxedo is a ShoutOut to the famous opening of ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' where Film/JamesBond emerges from the sea and removes his scuba gear to reveal a white tuxedo underneath.
* TitleDrop: The Danish title is dropped by Schmidt, the international by Dr. Pax.
* TruthInTelevision: There was an actual WWII project (named, of course, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pigeon Project Pigeon]]) that was trying to build a pigeon-guided glide bomb.
* TuxedoAndMartini: One of the earliest parodies of the genre. See also SeriousBusiness above.
* VillainousBreakdown: Kolick gets several of these, as he tries, and fails to eliminate Frede.
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