Half Fast

Fast and Loose (1954) is, I suppose, a typical English comedy of a certain type - I'm not sure what type.

It stars Brian Reece as a loving but slightly dotty husband, who is supposed to be travelling up to a country house party with his wife, but he misses the train. He meets an old friend, Kay Kendall (Genevieve), who is also going to the same party. So they decide to travel together, which is perfectly innocent, but gets progressively more dicey as they get lost, stuck, wet, and have to pretend to be married to get the only room at an inn.

The humor (or humour) is in Kendall's brazen teasing and Reece's flummoxed naiveté. There are are number of regional types to help out, in particular a motorcycling vicar, but this isn't really a comedy of manners. It isn't a sex comedy, because there really isn't any - far too prim. It is far too gentle to be a screwball, even though the situations are similar.

In mysteries, there is a genre called "cozies" - where the murder takes place in a picturesque cottage, and it is investigated by a spinster or vicar, with much taking of tea. I'm going to designate this as a cozy comedy, unless anyone can give me a better suggestion.