Stars: Kenneth Williams, Barbara Windsor, Charles Hawtrey, Bernard Cribbins, Dilys Laye

Director: Gerald Thomas

Summary: A send-up of the James Bond movies with agents Desmond Simpkins and James Bind, who do battle with the crime syndicate STENCH.

In CARRY ON SPYING, when a top-secret formula is stolen by STENCH (the Society for the Total Extinction of Non-Conforming Humans), Agent Simpkins (Kenneth Williams) and his gadget-toting crew embark on a hilarious mission to foil the bad guys.

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Reviewed by: davybozal24-7
Posted on April 2, 2006 7:30 PM

It's panic stations at the British Operational Security Headquarters ,
or B.O.S.H. for short , when top secret formula ' X ' is stolen .
The Chief ( Eric Barker ) and his assistant ( Richard Wattis ) are
dismayed to discover that the only available agent is the whining
fool Desmond Simkins ( Kenneth Williams ) . Keen to follow the clues to Vienna , Simkins is joined by new recruits Charlie Bind
( Charles Hawtrey ) , Harold Crump ( Bernard Cribbens ) and
Daphne Honeybutt ( Barbara Windsor ) as he tracks down the
notorious Fat Man ( Eric Pohlmann ) . But the real enemy is the
mysterious Dr. Crow ( Judith Furze ) . Very funny .

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While the later chapters of the Carry Onseries have received fairly constant exposure, some earlier examples such as 1964's Spyingremain relatively unseen. Given the brash production and ensemble playing of the more well-known films, this black and white version of the Carry Onworld seems oddly low-key in comparison. Four of the soon-to-be-regular cast are in attendance--Barbara Windsor, Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale, Charles Hawtrey--and there are many signs of a formula in development (the double entrendres, bad puns, Windsor's ill-fitting clothing). Of course, with its obsession with sex and bodily functions it's all very English and parts have dated horribly, not least the casual racism of some of the secondary characters, but fans of this most unique of genres will find much to tickle their fancy. And don't they look so young?

On the DVD:Given the long history and colourful characters of the series, there must be scope for much behind the scenes and documentary footage, but this disc is totally bereft of any extras bar scene selection. There is also little to add to the original black and white film stock, although the soundtrack, chock full of humorous instrumentation, sounds pretty good. --Phil Udell

Aspect Ratio:	1.66 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Interactive Menus, Scene Access
Subtitles:	None
Year:	1964
Release Date:	August 27, 2001
Runtime:	84 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 038041
Keywords:	Comedy, General, Carry, Spying, Wide, Screen
Genre:	Comedy