History Film / CarryOnSpying

** Harold tries to pass himself off as a BellyDancer, despite his obviously male physique.

* IveGotAnXAndImNotAfraidToUseIt: Bind threatens STENCH agents on the train that he's got a pistol, but his trousers fall down instead.
* IdiotHero: Simpkins and Bind, although they're portrayed as better than Harold and Daphne.

* IronicNickname: Bind's code-name is "YellowPeril", which is a racist phrase for the threat/fear of Eastern Asians, but he's obviously not Asian and he's not a threat to anyone.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Kenneth Williams' character's name has been spelt both "Sim'''p'''kins" and "Simkins" on many different occasions.

** Eric Pohlmann and John Bluthal's roles were intended to be the comic answer to Creator/SydneyGreenstreet in ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' and Creator/PeterLorre in ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon1941''.

* StealthInsult

* AllThereInTheScript: We don't get to know Simpkins' first name, but the back of the DVD in "The Complete ''Film/CarryOn'' Collection" boxset gives it as "Desmond".

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: If Dr. Crow hadn't boasted to the enemy that a research lab had been bombed, BOSH wouldn't have intervened and the STENCH plan would've run smoother and quicker.
* NonFatalExplosions: Milchmann's delivery, in which he chooses to stand in the same lab with the exploding milk directly behind the scientist that adds the liquid to his experiment. The entire building nearly blows up, resorting to the department of the explosion's source.

* OrientExpress: Simpkins suspects that STENCH agents would be on the plane waiting for his team that's travelling back to England, so the group take the train. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard And so did the STENCH agents]]...

* PaperThinDisguise: Carstairs wears a lot of these in order to relay messages to the four newcomers. Half of them are too obvious to be convincing, yet the newcomers don't recognise him when he holds the Fat Man at gunpoint in the fun-house. Naturally, he is unarmed and knocked unconscious by the group.
* ParodyNames: Several, from James Bond films to films noirs. See the ShoutOut section of this page for more information.

** Despite Agent Simpkins claiming that pulling the chain is a £10 fine, at the time it was only a £5 fine.
* PoliceAreUseless: Unintentionally invoked by the Director of BOSH, who hires the worst and inexperienced secret agents to solve the case.

** Eric Pohlmann and John Bluthal's roles were intended to be the comic answer to Creator/SydneyGreenstreet in ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' and Creator/PeterLorre in ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon''.

Along the way, they meet master of disguise Agent Carstairs (Creator/JimDale) and mysterious Lila (Laye), who both cause a stir in the story, especially upon the introduction of the Fat Man (Eric Pohlmann) and Dr. Crow (Judith Furse).

->'''Bind''': Just now somebody tried to shoot me.

->'''Bind''': In the schnitzelstrausse.

->'''Charlie''': Just now somebody tried to shoot me.
->'''Desmond''': Shoot you? Where?
->'''Charlie''': In the schnitzelstrausse.
->'''Desmond''': Ooh, sounds like it might've been very ''painful''.

* AbandonedWarehouse: After reading a letter from a cigarette packet that was meant for the STENCH agents, Harold, Desmond, and Charlie sneak to a warehouse, thinking that they're going to meet up with Carstairs.

* TheAce: Carstairs is probably the best BOSH agent there's ever been, however, he's no match for the idiocy of Desmond's group.

* AndAnotherThing: As with ''Film/CarryOnJack'' (however, this time, the man is ''actually'' dying), [[ActorAllusion Harold and Charlie]] mishear a dying Milchmann, so he briefly comes back to life to correct them, before dying for real.
* BetaCouple: Although not together, Harold and Daphne argue less than Charlie and Desmond, and are much smarter than they are.
* BettyAndVeronica: A downplayed one with Harold (Betty) and Charlie (Veronica, albeit a subverted, idiotic one) to Daphne's Archie. Charlie, being the James Bond expy, is the complete opposite of the character he's a reference to, but had no chance with Harold being in the way (and being much smarter than him) anyway.

* BondJamesBond: Since he's supposed to be a parody of James Bond (an idiotic parody, to be specific), it's unsurprising that Charlie Bind[[note]]His name was supposed to be James Bind, but the James Bond movie series lawyers were against it[[/note]] has this as an introduction to Desmond.

* BridgeBunnies: Female STENCH agents in their headquarters walk past Desmond's team as they're shown around. Charlie [[EatingTheEyeCandy can't stop leering and making sexual jokes about them under his breath]].

* TheChanteuse: Lila, the nightclub singer that Desmond later meets on the train, making him suspicious.

** Charlie -- codename Yellow Peril.

* ConspicuousTrenchcoat: Charlie is wearing one once the group leaves the restaurant, probably because was in a cyclist disguise and wanted to keep warm.
* ConveyorBeltODoom: [[spoiler:Desmond's group gets stuck on STENCH's factory conveyor belt, which leads to a welding room and a furnace.]]

* DeepCoverAgent: [[spoiler:Lila, who spends her first appearance as a travelling restaurant entertainer and points a pistol to Dr. Crow's head when they're torturing Desmond's gang.]]

* TheDitz: Daphne is in a way, but shows more common sense than leader Desmond and supposed "hero" Charlie Bind.
* DoorRoulette: In a hotel, Desmond opens a wardrobe door in the middle of a conversation, notices that a woman is in there, and slams it shut after apologising. He does a DoubleTake, opens the door, and discovers that the woman isn't there.
* TheDoorSlamsYou: In the restaurant, Carstairs is close to stealing the secret formula from Milchmann, but meets this fate by the power of Desmond.

* EatTheEvidence: Desmond forces Charlie to eat the formula sheet on the train before the STENCH agents could catch up with them. To make it less obvious, the group share out bowls of soup to eat in case they get caught in the act.

* EveryoneKnowsMorseCode: In prison, Harold knocks against pipes to contact a prisoner that might be sitting next door. When the prisoner next door taps back, Charlie translates the tapping as "Stop that tapping! I'm trying to sleep!"

* FemmeFatale: Nightclub singer Lila is supposed to be this, but only gets the chance to flirt with Desmond once when they're on the train.

* GainaxEnding: A bizarre one in itself. [[spoiler:After eventually making Dr. Crow surrender, the agents (and Lila) use an elevator, which leads them to the office of the Director of BOSH, where the Director of BOSH and Carstairs are fretting. Desmond reassures them that Dr Crow has been arrested, and that STENCH has been detonated because he pressed a button to self-destruct the place. Upon realising that STENCH's headquarters is ''directly underneath'' BOSH, Desmonds immediately realises what he's done, and there is an explosion, filling the room with smoke, ending the movie. It's not clear whether BOSH has been blown sky high as well or whether anyone had a chance of making out alive.]]
* GenreBlindness: After Daphne reads out the STENCH secret message to Desmond's group (see the ReadingTheEnemysMail section below), the table are immediately given martinis (by a STENCH agent disguised as a waiter) that are "compliments from the kitchen", and no one sees it as suspicious, choosing to celebrate on their first task being so-called completed. Unsurprisingly, the drinks are drugged this time (see the SlippingAMickey section below).

* HisNameIs: Milchmann's howls of pain when Desmond's group find him parody this trope when the group assumes the groaning is the name of his leader.
* HumanDoorstop: Desmond stands on Charlie so that he can open the warehouse window.

* IveGotAnXAndImNotAfraidToUseIt: Charlie threatens STENCH agents on the train that he's got a pistol, but his trousers fall down instead.
* IdiotHero: Simpkins and Charlie, although they're portrayed as better than Harold and Daphne.
* InNameOnly: Charlie Bind is ''nothing'' like the [[Film/JamesBond agent he's meant to be]] in this movie's universe. Instead of being a womanizer that gets the job done, Charlie has [[MummysBoy mommy issues]], is incompetent when he's not around his teacher Desmond (who's equally as incompetent), and is {{genre blind|ness}}. He doesn't even [[DidNotGetTheGirl get with Daphne]] or any foreign women on the team's travel, despite being a man who's probably in his early twenties.

* IronicNickname: Charlie's code-name is "YellowPeril", which is a racist phrase for the threat/fear of Eastern Asians, but he's obviously not Asian and he's not a threat to anyone.
* LastSecondWordSwap: Upon first meeting Harry, Daphne, and Charlie, Simpkins consistently addresses them as "men". Harry politely points out that Daphne is a woman, making the use of the term "men" seem inapt, but Simpkins points out that as far as the espionage business is concerned, there is no difference between men and women, as they all take the same risks, they all eat the same food, and use the same... password (no, not bathroom, which is what he seems about to say).

* MissionControl: The Director of BOSH and his partner Cobley become this, even though they appear in this briefly when Desmond's team go to Algiers.
* MummysBoy: Charlie is seen writing a letter to his mother before he holds back the STENCH spies on a train.
* NewcomerSavesTheDay: Even though new recruits Harold, Daphne, and Charlie are almost as incompetent as their more experienced superior, Simpkins, they end up foiling STENCH's plot and delivering Doctor Crow into the hands of British Intelligence by sheer luck.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Too many times to count when it came to Desmond and/or his students. It was enough to irritate (and later hospitallise) Carstairs.

* OhCrap: [[spoiler:When Desmond realises that he's not only self-destructed STENCH's headquarters, but BOSH as well.]]

* OrientExpress: Desmond suspects that STENCH agents would be on the plane waiting for his team that's travelling back to England, so the group take the train. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard And so did the STENCH agents]]...

* PubliclyDiscussingTheSecret: Desmond threatens his group to be anonymous in the restaurant, but being ... [[IdiotHero how]] [[{{Hypocrite}} he is]], he immediately breaks cover when the waitress shows him around the table by sitting with Harold and Daphne and they loudly discuss what they've discovered, within earshot of all the STENCH agents nearby.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The heroes come across as this. The idiotic self-centered Desmond, the absent-minded so-called "hero" (considering how he's named after James Bond) Charlie, the decent-but-ditzy Daphne and the OnlySaneMan Harold.
* ReadingTheEnemysMail: In the restaurant, Desmond loudly moans about how the cigarettes that a waitress is trying to sell him are probably drugged by STENCH agents, and picks a packet of cigarettes that contains the message that was meant to be shared between the STENCH members. When Daphne reads it to the table, she suggests that it's a message from Carstairs as the room fills with STENCH agents facepalming and frowning.

* {{Ruritania}}: Algiers where Desmond's team go to look for the Fat Man.

* ShoePhone: Desmond's group have different household items to talk to each other with. Desmond has a watch, Daphne has a purse, and Harold uses a toy snake.

** Desmond says "Stop messing about!" at one point, which was a Creator/KennethWilliams catchphrase from the popular ''Series/HancocksHalfHour''.

* SuspectIsHatless: Desmond asks the Director for information about The Fat Man. All he and the team are given is that The Fat Man is [[CaptainObvious an obese male]].

* WardrobeMalfunction: This happens to Charlie when he tries to stop the enemy on the train journey back to the airport. It works though -- it does stall them for a long enough time to get Desmond two carriages down.
* WeDoNotKnowEachOther: Desmond reminds Harold and Daphne that "mum's the word" and they don't know each other, but when being shown around by a waitress that points to a table on the other side of the room, Desmond immediately spots Harold and Daphne, snapping at the waitress that he shouldn't be sitting by strangers because "we don't know each other". Regardless, once the waitress walks out, Desmond sits at his apprentices' table.
* WhamLine: In Algiers, Desmond's group follow the Fat Man to a building named a "fun-house", leading the men of the group to make several snide remarks and in-jokes in front of a clueless Daphne. When she asks them what happens in a "fun-house", the men briefly go quiet and change the subject.

* YourMom: When trying to rescue Harold and Daphne from inside the funhouse, Charlie is told by Desmond to insult the doorman's father in order to get the door open. When Charlie does, the doorman thinks it was a description and offers to let the two men who knew his father inside, but Charlie refuses, claiming that he should "come out here and hear what I have to say about your mother."

-->'''Charlie Bind''': Looks more like hind-quarters to me!

** The Fat Man being Film/TheThirdMan (however, it can also be argued that his name is also a shout out to Film/TheThinMan).

** Eric Pohlmann and John Bluthal's roles were intended to be the comic answer to Creator/SydneyGreenstreet and Creator/PeterLorre in ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon''.

* GagBoobs: Carstairs, when he disguised as a prostitute. His "breasts" were the size of basketballs.

** Carstairs' prostitute disguise, which wouldn't have been too bad if not for the giant GagBoobs.

* BareYourMidriff: Daphne and Harold's showgirl costumes in the funhouse.

Along the way, they meet master of disguise Carstairs (Creator/JimDale) and mysterious Lila (Laye), who both cause a stir in the story, especially upon the introduction of the Fat Man (Eric Pohlmann) and Dr. Crow (Judith Furse).

** One of Carstairs' disguises is a [[BuxomIsBetter big-breasted]] prostitute.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

-->'''Desmond Simpkins:''' Oh, Vienna! Lovely! I've always wanted to see Vienna before I die.
-->'''BOSH Director:''' With a bit of luck, you'll do both.

''Carry On Spying'' is a 1963 film and the ninth ''Film/CarryOn'' film, a take on spy flicks (particularly ''Franchise/JamesBond'') and FilmNoir. It stars Creator/KennethWilliams, Creator/BarbaraWindsor (in her first film in the series), Creator/BernardCribbins, Creator/CharlesHawtrey, Eric Barker, and Creator/DilysLaye. Notably this was the last black and white film in the series, and sparked much controversy during production between many film studios because of certain plotlines and names.

* FiveManBand: [[TheLeader Desmond Simpkins]], [[TheLancer Charlie Bind]], [[TheChick Daphne]], [[TheSmartGuy Harold]] and [[TheBigGuy the Director of BOSH]]. [[spoiler:And [[SixthRangerTraitor Lila]].]]

''Carry On Spying'' is a 1963 film and the ninth ''Film/CarryOn'' film, a take on spy flicks (particularly ''Franchise/JamesBond'') and FilmNoir. It stars Creator/KennethWilliams, Creator/BarbaraWindsor (in her first film in the series), Creator/BernardCribbins, Creator/CharlesHawtrey, Eric Barker, and Dilys Laye. Notably this was the last black and white film in the series, and sparked much controversy during production between many film studios because of certain plotlines and names.

** One will find that most of the conventions are from FilmNoir, from the cigarette packet in the nightclub having a message inside it, to Dilys Laye as the {{femme fatale}}, who doesn't actually get many chances to flirt and mostly spends time trying to get away from the protagonists because of how obnoxious and incompetent some of them are.

* IncrediblyConspicuousDrag: It's clear that many of Carstairs' disguises (in drag or not) are simply Carstairs wearing an exaggerated costume (such as the giant GagBoobs for the prostitute, the long beard for the drifter), but Desmond and his students still have no clue who they are talking to and once meeting him without his disguise, they believe that he's a thief and try to kill him.

Although claimed to be a ''Franchise/JamesBond'' parody (and in at least some respects marketed as one), it mostly takes plot devices from ''Film/TheThirdMan'' as well as other films noirs. It's the tale Agent Desmond Simpkins (Williams), and his trainees Agents Daphne Honeybutt (Windsor), Charlie Bind (Hawtrey), and Harold Crump (Cribbins) at a supposed SpySchool being reluctantly recruited by the Chief (Barker) to go and search for a missing formula that is said to have been stolen by a villainous company called STENCH, or, the Society for the Total Extinction of Non-Conforming Humans.

** Harold climbs out of a sewage manhole in Vienna, similar to a scene in ''Film/TheThirdMan''.