(British?) comedy with subtle physical comedy. Man’s umbrella takes woman’s purse

My parents were watching a movie on television when I was a kid, so this was probably in the mid-70s. The movie was probably 1960s. (It might have been a TV show, but I don’t think so.)

I only remember one scene. I vaguely remember a very polite (British?) gentleman tipping his hat and bowing to a lady. As he did his umbrella snatched a purse from (another?) lady.  It’s possible that it wasn’t even an umbrella that caused it. He might have just done something with his hands. (It was an accident, I think. He wasn’t trying to steal her purse.)

I think what appealed to me was the talent and practice it must have taken for the actor to accomplish the shot.

That is the only scene I saw, but my parents explained to me that his character was always doing things like that. (Maybe even in other movies.)

In my mind I’m thinking of either Peter Sellers, (the subtle Peter Sellers, not the “over-the-top” “Pink Panther” Peter Sellers,) or Alec Guinness from the Ealing Studios era. The comedy reminds me a lot of Monsieur Hulot, but I’m almost certain it was in English.

I think it was in color, but the colors were very muted, again like the Ealing Studios look.

4 thoughts on “(British?) comedy with subtle physical comedy. Man’s umbrella takes woman’s purse

    1. Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately “The Magic Christian” is not it. But it is definitely one I’ll watch in full some time, it looks like fun!

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