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Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice? (1979) movie poster

Timeline

Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice? (1979) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
1979 · 86 mins · Italian
Directed by
Marino Girolami
Starring
Danila Trebbi, Alvaro Vitali, Mario Carotenuto, Lory Del Santo, Franco Caracciolo, Giulio Massimini

Two detectives are hired to determine whether a wealthy industrialist is cheating. To infiltrate his home, they assume the disguises of a flamboyant gay butler and a female cook, allowing them to move freely through the mansion and observe the household’s private interactions while gathering evidence of any illicit affairs.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Events in order (12)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Movies like Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice?
  5. 5 Every angle

12 events in order · contains spoilers

Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice? Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice? (1979) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. A seductive client's hire

    A private investigator is hired by a seductive woman to determine if there are other women in her husband's life. He accepts the assignment and begins outlining the scope of the inquiry. The client aims to protect her marriage, while the investigator senses a complex motive behind the request.

    Where
    Private investigator's office
  2. Infiltration plan

    To gather information without arousing suspicion, the duo decide to pass themselves off as staff—Diogenes the butler and Carlotta the cook. They position themselves as trusted servants to observe the husband and his household. The plan hinges on blending into the mansion's social order.

    Where
    Husband's mansion
  3. Inside the house with the staff

    The investigators gain entry inside the house, along with the rest of the servants. They mingle with cooks, maids, and other personnel, setting the stage for covert surveillance. The tension comes from maintaining their disguises while keeping the client's secret safe.

    Where
    Husband's mansion
  4. The task with three women

    Both detectives begin courting the three women who are part of the household dynamics, hoping to uncover any romantic entanglements. The pursuit is complicated by rival emotions and the intricacies of servant life. The investigation tests their ability to stay inconspicuous while gathering clues.

    Where
    Mansion
  5. The gardener's menace

    The other investigator contends with an abusive gardener who acts as a sex maniac, adding danger and tension to the stealth operation. This subplot complicates the mission and forces the team to navigate threats within the property. It also highlights the moral ambiguity of their undercover roles.

    Where
    Garden
  6. The hidden life of the husband

    During shadowing, the duo discovers that the husband is not the conventional businessman he presents himself as. He is homosexual and enjoys wearing women's clothes, and he has a relationship with a transvestite, a former boxer known as Lazio. The discovery reframes the motive behind the client's desire for trust.

    Where
    Husband's residence and social circle
  7. The double-deal plan

    Convinced by a double-deal arrangement, the investigators coordinate with the wife to receive double compensation from both spouses. They pretend not to have seen anything, allowing the ruse to continue while securing payment. The scheming escalates the tension and moral compromise.

    Where
    Husband's mansion
  8. Keeping up appearances

    The detectives maintain their disguises and keep up appearances to avoid suspicion while the affair and deception unravel around them. They carefully manage conversations and observations to avoid tipping off the household. The balancing act tests their discipline and professionalism.

    Where
    Husband's mansion
  9. Return home after the job

    Having completed the surveillance and negotiations, the two detectives return to their own home, briefly sharing a ride with the household's staff. The success of their mission hinges on the quiet exit and avoiding any fallout with the client or the husband. They carry the impression of a job well done.

    Where
    Return home
  10. A twist on the road

    On the way back, the detectives give a lift to two Finnish women who are, in reality, two men in disguise. The deception continues into their travel, and the disguised pair rob them of all their money and the car. The incident marks a brutal end to the day’s work and introduces a sudden financial loss.

    Where
    Road near the mansion
  11. The robbers' escape

    The robbers vanish after the theft, leaving the investigators stunned by the quick turn of events. The once lucrative job ends with a loss and a shaken sense of security. The case closes with unsettled questions about trust and payment.

    Where
    Road
  12. Aftermath and reflection

    With the money and car stolen, the investigators face the consequences of their deception and the unpredictable dangers of undercover work. They must reckon with their choices and the impact on their client's fate and their own future cases. The timeline closes on a note of ambiguity about justice and profit.

Last updated: February 18, 2026 at 23:46

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Timeline questions answered

Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice? Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice? (1979): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does the husband wear women's clothes?

The husband Cesare Beltramelli is revealed to be a homosexual who enjoys wearing women's clothes as part of his private life. This discovery surprises the investigators who were originally hired to find evidence of him cheating with other women, only to uncover his secret relationship with a transvestite named Lazio, who was formerly a boxing middleweight champion.

  • Cesare Beltramelli
  • crossdressing
  • homosexuality
  • Lazio
  • transvestite
Q2

Why do the investigators agree to take money from both spouses?

After discovering the husband's secret life, the investigators devise a scheme to get paid twice. They negotiate with Cesare Beltramelli, who offers them a substantial payout in exchange for the investigators pretending they never saw anything. Meanwhile, they've already made a deal with the seductive wife who promised payment for exposing her husband's infidelity. By keeping quiet and playing both sides, they attempt to collect from both parties.

  • double payment
  • bribery
  • Cesare Beltramelli
  • investigation
  • money
Q3

Who is Lazio and what is his connection to the husband?

Lazio is a former boxing middleweight champion who is in a romantic relationship with the husband Cesare Beltramelli. The investigators discover this relationship when they uncover that the husband is actually homosexual and involved with this transvestite, which completely shifts their understanding of the original investigation into alleged infidelity with women.

  • Lazio
  • boxing champion
  • relationship
  • transvestite
  • secret affair
Q4

Why are the Finnish women actually men?

On their way home after completing the job, the two detectives pick up two women who claim to be Finnish. In a twist of ironic justice, these women turn out to be two men in disguise who rob them of all their money and their car. This farcical ending underscores the film's theme of deception and misdirection, showing that the investigators themselves become victims of the same tactics they used.

  • Finnish women
  • robbers
  • disguise
  • robbery
  • car theft
Q5

Why do the investigators disguise themselves as butler and cook?

The investigators need to infiltrate the Beltramelli household undetected to gather evidence of the husband's infidelity. By posing as the butler Diogene and the cook Carlotta, they gain access to the mansion's inner workings and can observe the husband closely without raising suspicion. This allows them to move freely among the household staff while maintaining their covert surveillance.

Foreshadowing: The infiltration plan is established early as the investigators decide to pass themselves off as household staff.

  • disguise
  • butler
  • cook
  • infiltration
  • investigation
Q6

Why does the wife hire investigators if she already knows about her husband's secrets?

The wife Danila Trebbi hires the private investigator under the pretense of wanting to know if her husband keeps other women. However, given what the investigators ultimately discover about the husband's homosexuality, the wife's true motives remain ambiguous. She may have suspected the truth but needed confirmation, or she may have been testing the investigators while already having some knowledge of the situation.

  • Danila Trebbi
  • wife
  • motivation
  • investigation
  • client
Q7

What makes the gardener such a threat to the investigators?

The gardeners is portrayed as an abusive sex maniac who poses a real danger to the investigators while they maintain their cover. This subplot adds tension and comedic danger to the operation, as the investigators must deal with this threatening individual while simultaneously trying to gather evidence and maintain their disguises.

  • gardener
  • threat
  • danger
  • sex maniac
  • household staff
Q8

Why do the investigators pursue the three women in the house?

As part of their investigation into the husband's potential infidelity, both detectives begin courting the three women living in or connected to the household. Their goal is to uncover any romantic entanglements the husband might have by getting close to these women. However, this aspect of the mission becomes complicated by their own romantic entanglements and the complexities of servant life in the mansion.

Foreshadowing: The investigation involves both detectives beginning to court the women as part of their surveillance operation.

  • three women
  • courting
  • investigation
  • surveillance
  • household
Q9

What happens to the investigators' earnings from the job?

After successfully completing their investigation and securing payment from both the husband and the wife, the investigators lose everything on their way home. The two Finnish women they pick up turn out to be two men in disguise who rob them of all their money and steal their car. This ironic twist leaves the investigators empty-handed despite their successful deception.

  • money
  • car
  • robbery
  • loss
  • earnings

Movie threads

More Movies Like Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice?, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice? tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Disguised Investigators like in Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice?

Bumbling detectives use elaborate disguises, creating chaotic farce and mistaken identities. Find more movies like Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice? where undercover operations and silly disguises fuel a comedy of errors. These films feature bumbling sleuths, farcical scenarios, and playful deception.

  • disguise
  • farcical
  • mischievous
  • bumbling
  • undercover
  • comedy of errors
  • Tone: playful, irreverent, mischievous
  • Pacing: steady, farcical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread typically follow amateur or professional investigators who must go undercover, often assuming outlandish personas. The plot is driven by the tension of maintaining their cover amidst a series of escalating mishaps and near-exposures, culminating in a chaotic but ultimately successful (or cynically amusing) resolution.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared foundation in humorous espionage and mistaken identity. They prioritize playful absurdity over genuine suspense, creating a lighthearted viewing experience centered on the fun of deception and the inevitable unraveling of carefully constructed lies.

Playful Farce with a Cynical Twist like in Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice?

Lighthearted and silly comedies that end with a wry, unexpectedly somber note. Discover movies similar to Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice? that mix silly farce with an unexpectedly downbeat or ironic ending. If you liked the blend of humor and cynicism, you'll enjoy these stories.

  • silly
  • irreverent
  • farcical
  • playful
  • cynical
  • wry
  • Tone: light, playful, with a cynical edge
  • Pacing: steady
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a buildup of escalating, low-stakes comedic scenarios—often involving deception, sexual farce, or social blunders. The story maintains a steady, entertaining pace before delivering a final twist that undercuts the characters' successes or highlights the futility of their efforts, adding a layer of wry commentary.

Why they belong together: This thread connects films that share a specific tonal blend: the primary experience is one of light entertainment and farce, but they are distinguished by an ending that refuses a purely happy resolution. This creates a unique, memorable vibe that balances humor with a touch of world-weary realism.

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Similar movies to Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice?: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

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Every angle

Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice? (1979) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice? in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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