Carry on Spying (1964)

A top secret chemical formula has been stolen by STENCH (the Society for the Total Extinction of Non-Conforming Humans), and so Agent Simpkins and his three trainees are hot on the trail, ... See full summary »

Director:

Gerald Thomas

Writers:

Talbot Rothwell (original screenplay), Sid Colin (original screenplay)

Stars:

Kenneth Williams, Barbara Windsor, Bernard Cribbins

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kenneth Williams	...	Desmond Simkins
Barbara Windsor	...	Daphne Honeybutt
Bernard Cribbins	...	Harold Crump
Charles Hawtrey	...	Charlie Bind
Eric Barker	...	The Chief
Dilys Laye	...	Lila
Jim Dale	...	Carstairs
Richard Wattis	...	Cobley
Eric Pohlmann	...	The Fat Man
Victor Maddern	...	Milchmann
Judith Furse	...	Doctor Crow
John Bluthal	...	Head Waiter / Doctor Crow - voice
Renee Houston	...	Madame
Jack Taylor	...	Thug
Tom Clegg	...	Doorman

Storyline

A top secret chemical formula has been stolen by STENCH (the Society for the Total Extinction of Non-Conforming Humans), and so Agent Simpkins and his three trainees are hot on the trail, chasing the villains across the world. There are gadgets galore, and disguises are compulsory if the heroes are to win the day from The Fat Man, Dr Milchman and Dr Crow!

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Plot Keywords:

carry on | spy comedy | woman with a gun | cigarette smoking | woman wears underwear | 

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Taglines:

They're at it again- O.O.Oh!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

Carry On Line

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1964 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Agent Oooh!

Filming Locations:

Archive, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Peter Rogers Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Algeria scene was introduced by a scenery that features a tower with a man in it. It is very similar to the scene that was used to introduce the pre-credit scenes in some of the Pink Panther films. The only difference is that it was not accompanied by a Muslim ceremonial chanting and it was shot in black and white.

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Goofs

When Crump points out the cherries in their champagne cocktails at the Café Mozart, his and Daphne's cherry sticks vary in position between shots.

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Quotes

[Daphne Honeybutt and Charlie Bind arrive at the villains' secret lair]
Daphne Honeybutt aka Agent Brown Cow: It must be their headquarters!
[Charlie Bind ogles a female technician who is bent over some equipment]
Charlie Bind: Looks more like their hindquarters.

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Alternate Versions

A scene - apparently now lost - shows Agent Bind stopping to feed money into a fruit machine as the other recruits are escaping the fun house. It would seem that all existing prints of "Spying" now fade out just before this occurs but there is anecdotal evidence suggesting that this full version had been shown on British TV at least once during the 70s.

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Connections

Followed by Carry on Matron (1972)

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Soundtracks

TOO LATE
by Alex Alstone and Geoffrey Parsons
Sung by Dilys Laye (uncredited)

User Reviews

More Ealing than Carry On, more Harry Lime than Bond

Although not "Carry On" at it's best, this is a very entertaining addition to the series. Although touted as a Bond spoof this has much more in common with British spy movies of the 40's - "The Third Man" is often referenced. Only at the end do we get the Bond-esque action, and this is where it all goes wrong. The climatic sequence is not only very silly (even by Carry On standards) but also lazy. Barbara Windsor makes her series debut here and is a joy to watch. Williams does his "silly man" character from the Hancock shows rather than the usual "Snide" persona, and Bernard Cribbins is as loveable as always. If you want a James Bond spoof or a classic Carry On, don't come here. If you want a silly comedy in the Ealing Studios vein then this might well be your cup of tea.