Film / Are You Being Served?

A wild, saucy, wonderful romp on the Costa Plonka.

Mr. Rumbold: But what shall I say?

Mrs. Slocombe: Just tell them we're British an' they're spoilin' our 'oliday!

— Cuthbert Rumbold and Betty Slocombe during a discussion over what to do about the revolutionary uprising that the Grace Brothers staff have caught themselves stuck in the middle of.

Are You Being Served? is a 1977 film based on the '70s BBC sitcom of the same name.

It stars all the original cast from the early years of the show (John Inman, Mollie Sugden, Frank Thornton, Trevor Bannister, Wendy Richard, Arthur Brough, Nicholas Smith, Harold Bennett, and Arthur English), along with Guest Stars Karan David, Glyn Houston, and Andrew Sachs.

Grace Brothers Department Store is being refurbished, and so the store's ancient owner Young Mr. Grace (Bennett) is sending each department off on holiday during the break. The film follows the staff of the ladies' and gentlemen's department – Mr. Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries (Inman), Mrs. Betty Slocombe (Sugden), Captain Stephen Peacock (Thornton), Mr. Dick Lucas (Bannister), Miss Shirley Brahms (Richard), and Mr. Ernest Grainger (Brough) – who are joined by floor manager Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold (Smith) and maintenance man Mr. Harry Harman (English).

The staff travel to Spain to relax in the Don Bernardo Palace Hotel on the Costa Plonka. Despite warm welcomes from the owner, Don Carlos Bernardo (Sachs), the hotel is not up to everyone's standards and they are forced to sleep outside in "tentyhouses". Once settled into the hotel, the staff manage to find themselves tangled in their own personal troubles - love letters end up being passed to the wrong recipients, Mr. Humphries ends up catching the eye of pretty waitress Conchita (David) and Mrs. Slocombe tries to have it "continental style" with Captain Peacock, and that's not even mentioning the start of a revolutionary uprising, led by Cesar Rodriguez (Houston), a terrorist with a crush on Mrs. Slocombe.

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Tropes Featured in the Film:

• Actor Allusion: The casting of Andrew Sachs as a Spanish hotel owner was to capitalize on his fame as Spanish hotel worker Manuel in Fawlty Towers.
• A-Cup Angst: Mr. Lucas remarks a mannequin in the store has small breasts when trying to flirt with Miss Brahms.
• Adaptation Expansion: While based on the show's Screen-to-Stage Adaptation, Young Mr. Grace was completely absent from the play and only added into the film. Mr. Harman (filling Mr. Mash's role) was also given more to do.
• Adaptation Name Change: While still playing Young Mr. Grace's secretary, Penny Irving's character is now called "Miss Nicholson" rather than "Miss Bakewell".
• Afraid of Needles: Mrs. Slocombe doesn't want to get her inoculations because she hates needles:
  Mrs. Slocombe: But the mere sight of a needle makes me pass out, I can't even knit!
• Ask a Stupid Question...: Occurs when Captain Peacock spots Mr. Humphries in his swimming gear:
  Captain Peacock: Been for a dip?
  Mr. Humphries: Well, I haven't been sitting in the cocktail bar with this lot on.
• Ass Shove: When Mr. Humphries uses a deflating balloon to measure the emir's inside leg, it ends up being quite pleasurable for him.
• Ate the Spoon: The tea Mr. Harman serves Mr. Rumbold is quite... strong, to say the least:
  Mr. Harman: Here, have the Indian.
  Mr. Rumbold: Am I supposed to leave it for two minutes to brew?
  Mr. Harman: Hah, I shouldn't do that - it take the pattern awf the cup!
• Bad Habits: Mr. Humphries disguises himself as a nun to escape Cesar:
  Captain Peacock: What a charming, old-world sight.
  Mr. Lucas: Hey, you see the one at the back - I seem to recognise the walk.
  Mr. Humphries: Peace be with you, sisters.
• Badge Gag: Mrs. Slocombe produces a photograph for her passport that unfortunately quite matches the Elderly Blue-Haired Lady she is now (she's sticking her head through a hole in a life-sized photo of a buxom bathing beauty). Unfortunately, Cesar gets hold of the photograph and falls in love with her.
• Bait-and-Switch Comment: Mrs. Slocombe's reaction after witnessing the Lifebelle Inflatable Swimsuit's inflating breasts:
  Mrs. Slocombe: I have never seen such anything like it in my entire life. (Beat) I wonder if they give staff discount...
• Big Damn Heroes: During the climax when the staff is caught in a shoot-out between the revolutionaries and the Spanish government, Young Mr. Grace comes to their rescue smashing through a wall in an armoured car.
• Big Damn Movie: In the series, all the plots were about petty conflicts or accidental misunderstandings among the Grace Brothers staff, nothing on the level of getting caught in the middle of a Spanish revolution and perused by terrorists.
• Bigger Is Better in Bed: A misunderstanding of how big a cubit is results in Mr. Humphries and Mr. Lucas thinking a visiting emir has a large penis.
• Bloodless Carnage: A revolutionary is shot down, before getting up and running off without a drop of blood to be found.
• Borrowed Catchphrase:
  • Mr. Lucas jokingly uses Mrs. Slocombe's frequent misuse of "unanimous in that" at her expense:
    Mrs. Slocombe: It's free holiday, I'm stayin'.
    Mr. Lucas: And she is unanimous in that.
  • Mr. Lucas also takes Mr. Humphries' camp "I'm free", to try and get Conchita to sleep with him.
• Bratty Half-Pint: An annoying child prods Captain Peacock with a balloon in the store.
• Breast Expansion: One of the items that Ladies' Intimate Apparel sells is the Lifebelle Inflatable Swimsuit, which has inflating breasts. It comes in handy when Mr. Humphries is pursued by Cesar while disguised as Mrs. Slocombe, as he is startled by the sight of the "breasts" expanding rapidly allowing Mr. Humphries to make his getaway.
• Brief Accent Imitation:
  • Mr. Humphries copies the nasal voice of the speaking clock to try and fool Captain Peacock into thinking Mr. Lucas has arrived at work on time.
  • Mr. Humphries also puts on a docker's deep voice when telling Mr. Lucas a story about a fancy-dress party he was trying to get to.
  • Mr. Lucas copies Mr. Humphries' voice to try and trick Conchita into sleeping with him.
• Buffy Speak: Miss Brahms calls the bug in her tent a "wiggly-wiggly thing".
• Business Trip Adultery:
  • Captain Peacock hopes to get close to Miss Brahms on the staff holiday as his wife will be staying at home.
  • Mr. Harman gets the wrong idea about Mr. Rumbold's plans for the staff holiday:
    Mr. Harman: Oh, er, would it be in order to ask if you're taking your good lady wife with you?
    Mr. Rumbold: No, as a matter of fact, she will be staying at home.
    Mr. Harman: Oh, I see. Hopin' to cop a bit o' spare when y'get there.
• Butter Face: Cesar has this reaction after seeing a photo of Mrs. Slocombe sticking her head through a hole to make it look as if she had a glamorous body:
  Cesar: The face, oh, ay-ay... but the body, heh? Ay-ay-ay!
• Buxom Beauty Standard:
  • Mr. Harman remarks that the inflating breasts of the Lifebelle Inflatable Swimsuit could be used to attract Robert Redford's attention on the beach.
  • When looking at a pamphlet, Mr. Harman admires some rather large "bristols" on display.
  • When telling Cesar about Mrs. Slocombe and Miss Brahms, Carlos makes sure to point out their "big booby-doos".
• Camp Gay: While Mr. Humphries is his usual self, the film also introduces us to Mr. Henry, a hairdresser with more than enough flamboyance to rival him.
• Chekhov's Gun:
  • The Lifebelle Inflatable Swimsuit is shown off at the start of the film for a few gags, then becomes relevant again in the latter half of the film when Mr. Humphries uses it to disguise himself as Mrs. Slocombe.
  • When the staff arrive at the hotel, they notice a large balloon advertising it. In the climax, they attempt to use it to spread the message that they're trapped in the middle of the revolutionaries' attack. It, and the also-previously set-up fact that the toilet locks from the outside, also ends up being used to subdue Cesar when he is locked in the toilet, which is then dragged off into the sky.
• Chekhov's Gunman: Right before the revolutionaries begin their attack, Mr. Rumbold mentions he has to go pick up Young Mr. Grace from the airport but can't once the gunfire starts. At the climax of the film, guess who comes to the rescue with a tank?
  Young Mr. Grace: It was very difficult to get a taxi around here.
• Comically Missing the Point: When Mrs. Slocombe hears the dinner specialty is "big octopussy":
  Mrs. Slocombe: They've never boiled their cat?
• Composite Character: Much like how he had replaced him in the show, Mr. Harman fills Mr. Mash's role from the play the film was based on.
• Crossdresser: Carlos mistakes Mrs. Slocombe for a man in drag:
  Carlos: Eh, the ladies... are brothers? Ahh, yes, I am hearin' about this. He he he. You are the Eengleesh, er, drag show, yes? With the female impressionations. Er, yes, now I look, I can tell. Uh, those are the false booby-doos, oh very funny. Ah-he-he-he.
  Mrs. Slocombe: Get off! I would have you know these are real "booby-doos", and I object to being ravaged!
• Diagonal Billing: John Inman, Mollie Sugden, Frank Thornton, and Trevor Bannister are billed this way in the opening credits. When Inman and Sugden are billed, Inman's face is in the top left corner of the screen with his name in the bottom left corner, while Sugden's name and face are on the top right and bottom left corners respectively. Then when Thornton and Bannister are billed, Thornton's face is in the bottom left, his name is on the top left, Bannister's name is in the top right, and his name is in the bottom left.
• Dirty Coward: Carlos decides to help the revolutionaries after Cesar threatens him with a gun:
  Cesar: You make up your mind, Carlos. You are with them, or you are with us.
  Carlos: Is that loaded?
  Cesar: Of course.
  Carlos: I am with us.
• Disguised in Drag: Mr. Humphries disguises himself as Mrs. Slocombe when Cesar catches him in her tent. After he gets out safely, he then disguises himself as a nun.
• Double Entendre:
  • Mr. Lucas and Mr. Humphries discussing trousers being sewn up:
    Mr. Lucas: Oh, what, no, you're not sewin' them up!
    Mr. Humphries: Oh, didn't your mother do it for ya when y'were a little lad?
    Mr. Lucas: No, did yours?
    Mr. Humphries: Oh, yes. I used to keep my conkers in there.
    Mr. Lucas: I 'spose she sewed 'em up to stop you playin' with your conkers.
    Mr. Humphries: No, she sewed them up to stop other little boys playin' with me conkers.
  • Captain Peacock asks Mrs. Slocombe how she would like her breakfast, while she thinks he's asking about sex:
    Captain Peacock: Oh, by the way, as we're abroad, would you fancy it English or continental?
• El Spanish "-o": Mr. Lucas does so when trying to get Conchita to deliver a love letter to Miss Brahms:
  Mr. Lucas: You speak-ee English?
  Conchita: A leetle teety beet.
• Faint in Shock:
  • Mrs. Slocombe remarks her fear of needles is so bad that even the sight of a needle makes her pass out.
  • Mr. Humphries nearly does when he is bit by some novelty chattering teeth Mr. Lucas had hidden in a mannequin's underwear.
• The Film of the Play: The film was based on the Screen-to-Stage Adaptation of the series that came out the year prior, though Young Mr. Grace's role was omitted entirely and Mr. Mash had less to do than Mr. Harman in the film.
• First-Name Basis: Mr. Rumbold switches to one with Captain Peacock once he doesn't have authority over him:
  Mr. Rumbold: Ring the bell, Peacock.
  Captain Peacock: I hope you're not going to continue to order me about. We are on holiday, you know.
  Mr. Rumbold: Yes, of course, I'm sorry. Ring the bell, Stephen.
• Foreign Queasine:
  • Mr. Grainger has a low opinion of Spanish food because he doesn't like how much garlic they use.
  • All of the staff refuse to eat Carlos' "big octopussy", so he sulks and arranges for them to eat the English menu (which he finds disgusting himself) - eggs, sausages, beans, and chips.
    Carlos: Will you be taking the wine or the brown ale?
    Captain Peacock: The wine, please.
    Carlos: Thank 'eavens.
• Funny Foreigner: The emir who comes to Grace Brothers to buy a pair of trousers. Mr. Humphries and Mr. Lucas aren't allowed to touch him, so they have to use balloons to measure his inside leg.
• Garlic Is Abhorrent: Mr. Grainger doesn't like Spanish food as he believes there is too much garlic in it.
• Gasshole:
  • Mrs. Slocombe and Miss Brahms mistake a deflating balloon for the emir farting:
    Mrs. Slocombe: It's supposed to be a sign of good manners in their country...
    Miss Brahms: He's bein' polite for a very long time...
  • Captain Peacock mistakes a deflating lilo for Mrs. Slocombe repeatedly farting:
    Mrs. Slocombe: I seem to have a slow leak.
    Captain Peacock: Sounded like a quick one to me.
• Goofy Print Underwear:
  • Mrs. Slocombe's bloomers have the Union Jack printed on them:
    Mrs. Slocombe: Ooh, I 'ope I 'aven't forgotten me passport.
    Mr. Harman: Don't worry, if you show that lot at customs what you're showin' us, I'm sure they'll know you're British.
  • Conchita wears knickers that say "OLÉ!" on them.
• Gratuitous Spanish:
  • Mr. Lucas shouts "Olé" when trying to show Miss Brahms how he'll put the moves on her in Spain.
  • Mr. Harman tells a hotel worker "gracias" after he carries his bags for him, although his accent makes it sound more like "grassy-arse".
  • Mrs. Slocombe says "Muchas gracias" to Carlos after he compliments her body.
• Groin Attack:
  • When Mr. Humphries is on the phone to his mother, she hears Conchita's voice in the background and asks who she is, so Mr. Humphries lies that she is the hotel porter - a former bullfighter who has a high voice after an accident.
  • A statue of a urinating cherub has its penis shot off, to the horror of Mr. Lucas:
    Mr. Lucas: Thank God that wasn't me.
    Miss Brahms: Oh my Gawd, they shot off his waterworks!
    Mr. Grainger: Not Mr. Lucas? Not in the prime of his life?
• Gypsy Curse: When Mr. Humphries annoys a gypsy by not purchasing more of his goods, he is cursed by him:
  Gypsy: I have put a curse on chu!
  Mr. Humphries: Ha-huh! You're too late, love.
• Harmless Lady Disguise: To hide from Cesar, Mr. Humphries disguises himself both as Mrs. Slocombe and as a nun.
• I'll Pretend I Didn't Hear That: When Captain Peacock tries to wave off Mr. Harman's insolence:
  Captain Peacock: Would you please hurry about your business and get back to the storeroom?
  Mr. Harman: You've got no authority over me, so get stuffed.
  Captain Peacock: I didn't hear that.
  Mr. Harman: "You've got no authority over me, so get stuffed"!
• Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: No matter how slow or large some of the Grace Brothers staff are, none of them manage to get shot during the climactic gunfight.
• Incompatible Orientation: Conchita tries to make moves on the Camp Gay Mr. Humphries:
  Conchita: I'm sorry, I want to sleep with Mr. Humphries. He will make me happy.
  Miss Brahms: Yes, you'll be lucky.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: When Mrs. Slocombe sees a mannequin's crotch moving on its own, her first reaction is to take a large swig from Captain Peacock's flask. When Mr. Humphries is told of it, he needs a drink too.
• Ironic Name: The hotel is called the Don Bernardo Palace Hotel, but the Grace Brothers staff are required to sleep in tents as their rooms aren't ready yet.
• Just Plane Wrong: When the staff board the plane, it has wing-mounted tanks, however, they disappear when the plane takes off.
• Lame Rhyme Dodge: When Mr. Grainger insults a rude German, the German hears him and Mr. Humphries has to try and cover up what he has said:
  Mr. Grainger: Boche basket!
  German: Uh, was war das?
  Mr. Humphries: He said, "What a posh basket".
• Last-Second Photo Failure: Mrs. Slocombe's attempts to take a passport photo in the photo booth all end with her taking an absolutely dreadful photo.
• Love Dodecahedron: Mrs. Slocombe wants Captain Peacock, who wants Miss Brahms, who is also being chased by Mr. Lucas, while Carlos wants Conchita, who wants Mr. Humphries, who ends up catching the eye of Cesar after he is mistaken for Mrs. Slocombe.
• Malaproper: Carlos' English is rather spotty, for example, he says "pentyhouse" and "tentyhouse" when he means to say "tent":
  Carlos: My English spelling so bad whenever I'm wanting tea, I'm having a pea.
• Mistaken for Gay: Mr. Humphries believes that Captain Peacock is gay when Conchita gives him a love letter intended for Miss Brahms.
• The Movie: The film was the movie version of the hit British sitcom Are You Being Served? and came out between the fifth and sixth series of the show.
• No Full Name Given:
  • We don't get to know Conchita, Pedro, Harry, or George's surnames.
  • The same can be said for Miss Nicholson, Mr. Henry, and Captain Constantine's first names.
• One-Steve Limit: One of Mr. Humphries' transgender friends is called Harry, which was revealed to be Mr. Harman's first name in the Series 5 episode "The Old Order Changes", prior to his name being changed to Beverly in the Series 9 episode "Monkey Business".
• Out-of-Context Eavesdropping: Mr. Harman hears Mrs. Slocombe and Captain Peacock talk about her removing her earrings and Captain Peacock putting money into a photo booth and gets the wrong idea:
  Mrs. Slocombe: There! Now I've taken 'em off, now you put it in.
  Captain Peacock: Don't be surprised if you have to wait a minute or two before anything happens.
  Mr. Harman: (Beat) I'll call back later.
• Plot Hole: Despite the fact that all the staff needed to go to the toilet during their dinner, only Mrs. Slocombe and Captain Peacock end up using it, with no mention of the others needing to go after that.
• Potty Emergency: The sound of pouring wine at dinner makes all the staff need to race for the toilet:
  Mrs. Slocombe: Captain Peacock, 'ave you got your phrasebook?
  Captain Peacock: Yes.
  Mrs. Slocombe: What's Spanish for "Where is the little girls' room?".
• Punny Name: The film is set on the Costa Plonka, which sounds like "plonker" - British slang for a stupid person.
• Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Captain Peacock briefly believes Mr. Lucas is dead when he sees a cabinet he was hiding in get riddled with bullet holes, but his distress quickly goes away when Mr. Lucas emerges unharmed from the other side.
• Rhymes on a Dime: Mr. Harman makes a crack about Mr. Rumbold hoping to "cop a bit of spare when he gets there" in regard to his wife staying home from the staff holiday.
• Right in Front of Me: Mr. Rumbold doesn't realise Carlos is the manager of the Don Bernardo Palace Hotel when he wants to complain about the mix-up with the rooms:
  Mr. Rumbold: Now see here, I want to see the manager.
  Carlos: I am the manager.
• Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: Mr. Grainger makes no effort to hide his hatred for the Germans in the hotel, calling them slurs and flicking the V-Sign at them:
  Mr. Grainger: Damn Krauts! I didn't fight on the beaches to be made to look a monkey!
• Sexless Marriage: Mr. Grainger and his wife haven't had sex in years:
  Mr. Grainger: I had to pick up my... passport. I've never been abroad before, you know, and... for some reason, they held it up.
  Captain Peacock: Whatever for?
  Mr. Grainger: Well, my wife filled in the application for me, and where it said "Sex", she put "August 3rd, 1953". She's got a memory like an elephant. (Beat) Come to think of it, she's got everything like an elephant.
• Sexy Secretary: Miss Nicholson, who was clearly only hired by Young Mr. Grace for her looks seeing as it takes her over a day to type out a letter for him.
• Shirtless Scene: Mr. Humphries is shirtless upon returning from his swim, and later when he dresses in Mrs. Slocombe's clothes.
• Shot in the Ass: The sister gives Mrs. Slocombe injections in her bum when she requires her inoculations for the holiday:
  Mrs. Slocombe: Oh, it's typical, isn't it? All these pamphlets talk about is "sun", an' "sea", an' "sex". They never mention a jacksie full o' vaccine!
• Shout-Out:
  • Mr. Harman comments Robert Redford being attracted to large breasts.
  • Mr. Humphries once dressed as Batman for a fancy-dress party:
    Mr. Humphries: Anyway... I said to 'im, "I'm Batman, pow", said "I'm Robin, poof".
  • When Carlos mistakes the Grace Brothers staff for brothers with the surname "Grace", Mr. Lucas remarks Mr. Humphries is the "Amazing Grace", referencing the hymn of the same name.
  • Captain Peacock tells Miss Brahms that in her dinner dress, she looks just as moving as The Mona Lisa:
    Miss Brahms: Oh yes, she got big knockers an' all?
  • Carlos thinks Mrs. Slocombe has a figure like Raquel Welch.
  • After witnessing a revolutionary get shot, Mr. Humphries remarks that it's just like The Guns of Navarone.
• Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer: Nicholas Smith, Arthur English, Andrew Sachs, and Karan David all appear in the film's trailer, but aren't listed with the film's other stars. Furthermore, Harold Bennett and Glyn Houston don't appear at all!
• Skewed Priorities: When the Grace Brothers staff get stuck in the middle of the revolutionaries' gunfire, all Mrs. Slocombe can complain about is that they're spoiling her holiday.
• Stiff Upper Lip: When told of the uprising beginning, the Grace Brothers staff initially try to remain at the hotel and finish their breakfast. Of course, they change their tune once the bullets start flying.
• Tablecloth Yank: Mr. Grainger attempts this, but only ends up dragging everything on the table to the floor.
• Tagline: "They're free!! Ready to serve you on the big screen!".
• Tyop on the Cover: The Videolog VHS release misspells Wendy Richard's last name as "Richards".
• The Un-Smile: Mrs. Slocombe puts on a shocking smile when taking her passport photo:
  Mrs. Slocombe: Is this expression alright?
  Captain Peacock: The authorities don't like you smiling. (Beat) I must say I agree with them.
• Verbal Backspace: Captain Peacock has to backtrack after making a comment when seeing Conchita's knickers:
  Captain Peacock: Yes, uh, I'm rather looking forward to seeing the pantyhoses, er, the-the pentyhouses.
• Voiceover Letter: When Captain Peacock reads Mrs. Slocombe's love letter, it is all heard in his mind.
• V-Sign: Mr. Grainger uses one on some annoying Germans.
• Wardrobe Malfunction: Mr. Harman accidentally sucks off Miss Brahms' knickers with his vacuum cleaner while hoovering the mannequins:
  Miss Brahms: 'Ere, whatcha think you're playin' at?
  Mr. Harman: What're you goin' on about? I bet it ain't the first time you've lost your knickers in the tube.
• With Us or Against Us: Cesar warns Carlos that if he isn't on the side of his revolutionaries, then he is against them. Carlos only agrees to be on Carlos' side as Carlos is brandishing a loaded gun at him.

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