game . nicotine . fisticuffs . be move in a descending spiral of iniquity . so say the head of st. swithen upon inspect the master common at nutbourne . the faculty and student of st. swithen have be order to share facility at nutbourne to avoid german bomb during world war ii . then there the master library . the diary of samuel pepys . abridge . well and that something to be thankful for . what up here . the memoir of casanova . wasn not that the book we catch jessica james read in the closet . decameron night . well and really . what ever else this place may or may not be and it no place to bring carefully nurtured girl . yes and a terrible mistake have be make by the ministry of education . nutbourne be a school for boy . st. swithen be a school for girl . and what make this one of the best post wwii british comedy and nutbourne head master be wetherby pond . play by alastair sim and while st. swithen head mistress be muriel whitchurch . play by margaret rutherford . st. swithen . say pond . you do not mean to say that yours be a school for boy and girl . he ask one of the early girl . only girls she say cheerfully . do this mean and sir and ask one of nutbourne teacher and that we be to expect 100 young girl . it mean that not only have the ministry make a mistake in send a school here at all and but that it be guilty of an appal sexual aberration . margaret rutherford miss whitchurch and a positive and immovable a a battleship and intend to make the best of it and by briskly take over nutbourne if possible . alastair sim pond be exasperate up to his big bald head and be determine to salvage his school . in the meantime and there be 100 young girl and 170 young boy to be feed and place find for them to sleep ( along with all their teacher ) . the cook and caretaker and totally put upon and walk out . miss whitchurch and her girl and however and be up to the cooking task . come now and angela and she say to one girl who be try to stir something in a big pot and haven not you make porridge before . yes and but no one ever have to eat it . that a defeatist attitude and my dear . stir it well and do not shilly shally . thing be hardly go well when pond discovers four governor from a school he hop to lead be arrive at any moment to see for themselves how well lead nutbourne be . and miss whitchurch learn that four wealthy and influential parent have just arrive to see how their daughter be do in the new boy free and they be tell facility . the only solution . miss whitchurch and pond and their teacher and their student and concoct a split second shifting of class to give the allusion that nutbourne have no girl and that st. swithen have no boy . after the parent inspect a dorm and leave for a class and the girl in the bed duck under and the boy who would be hide under leap up into the bed and just a the governor walk in . the boy be observe at rugby and and as soon a the governor turn their back and the goal post be take down and net for lacrosse be put up and and just then the parent walk over to observe the girl . one parent spot her daughter in a science class and then moment later see her in a choir practice and then moment later . there angela again and she say to miss whitchurch . why so it be and she reply and hustle the parent out to avoid the governor who be approach just around the corner . the child quite ubiquitous . when we leave nutbourne and everything have be discover . the student be mill about . the teacher be daze ( except for two who be kiss . ) the education ministry have just send several more busload of student . the parent be speechless but the governor be not . be wait for an explanation and one say sharply . pond hold his head and shudder . can not you see i be try to think of one . the film move from one complicate and ridiculous situation after another and brace by a very funny script and two hugely comedic performance by rutherford and sim . sim droll exasperation and rutherford implacable determination be so well match that it a shame this be the only movie they ever make together . joyce grenfell and a gossage and st. swithen tall and awkward and lop sport teacher give them some competition . if you keep your eye open and you will also find some amusing reference director frank launder work in and include a gong at nutbourne that look just like a midget version of j. arthur rank and a faint echo of the zither theme from the third man and a shot stolen from david lean oliver twist and except this time the little boy walk up hold his porridge bowl and say and please and sir . i do not want anymore . frank launder and his partner and sidney gilliat and be responsible for some of the best film produce in britain during the thirty and forty and fifty . they write and produce and direct and sometimes do one and sometimes the other . in one way or another they be responsible for such first rate film a green for danger ( with a masterly droll performance by sim ) and i see a dark stranger and the lady vanishes and night train to munich and wee geordie and the belle of st. trinian and the rake progress and many others . with the happy day of your life and launder write and direct while both produce . it one of their best .