It's in the Bag! (1945 film)

1945 film by Richard Wallace
  • 21 April 1945 (1945-04-21)
Running time
87 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget$1 million[1]

It's in the Bag! is a 1945 comedy film featuring Fred Allen in his only starring film role. The film was released by United Artists at a time when Allen was at the peak of his fame as one of the most popular radio comedians. The film has been preserved by UCLA Film & Television Archive.[citation needed][2] The film is loosely based on the comic novel The Twelve Chairs (1928) of Ilf and Petrov, later filmed by Mel Brooks as The Twelve Chairs (1970). The team of screenwriters included Jay Dratler, Alma Reville, and Morrie Ryskind. Allen's encounter with Jack Benny in the film is notable as at this time they were involved in a famous 'feud', which ran for over a decade.

Plot

A flea circus ringmaster, Fred Floogle, has strange encounters as he searches for his inheritance, hidden in the seat of one of five chairs.

Cast

  • Fred Allen - Fred F. Trumble Floogle
  • Jack Benny - Jack Benny
  • Don Ameche - Don Ameche
  • William Bendix - William Bendix
  • Victor Moore - Victor Moore
  • Rudy Vallee - Rudy Vallee
  • Binnie Barnes - Eve Floogle
  • Robert Benchley - Parker
  • Jerry Colonna - Dr. Greengrass - Psychiatrist
  • John Carradine - Jefferson T. Pike
  • Gloria Pope - Marion Floogle
  • William Terry - Perry Parker
  • Minerva Pious - Mrs. Pansy Nussbaum
  • Richard Tyler - Homer Floogle (as Dickie Tyler)
  • Sidney Toler - Detective Sully
  • George Cleveland - Busby - Hotel Manager
  • John Miljan - Mr. Arnold
  • Ben Welden - Monty - Bookie

Uncredited character actors alphabetically:

Alternate version

There is an alternative version of the film where Allen's voice periodically breaks in on the action with wisecracks a la the opening credits. This version obscures some of the on-screen dialogue, including the punchline. This version has aired on AMC.[citation needed]

Reception

At the time of its release in 1945, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that, aside from Mr. Allen's comments on the credits at the beginning of the film, which were superlative spoofing and recommended to everyone, it was a "dizzy, bewildering picture...this rat's nest of nonsense defied the sober description of a comparatively rational mind". [3]

A favorable (3 stars out of 4) review by Leonard Maltin states "Story similar to The Twelve Chairs with flea-circus promoter Allen entitled to inheritance; plot soon goes out the window in favor of unrelated but amusing episodes, including hilarious encounter between Allen and Benny."[4]

References

  1. ^ "Indies $70,000,000 Pix Output". Variety: 3. 3 November 1944. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  2. ^ Search Engine&tab=Articles_books_more_slot&query=any,contains,It%27s in the bag&offset=0 "It's in the bag! / Jack H. Skirball presents ; screen treatment by Lewis R. Foster and Fred Allen ; screen play by Jay Dratler and Alma Reville ; Walter Batchelor, associate producer ; produced by Jack H. Skirball ; directed by Richard Wallace". UCLA Library Catalog. Retrieved November 25, 2021. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  3. ^ "Movie Reviews - The New York Times". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "It's in the Bag! (1945) - Overview - TCM.com". Archived from the original on 2013-06-09.

External links

  • v
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  • e
Films directed by Richard Wallace
  • v
  • t
  • e
Characters
Adaptations
TV
  • Rabe, Pilz und dreizehn Stühle (1972)
  • The Twelve Chairs (1976)
  • Mein Opa und die 13 Stühle (1996)
Stage
  • The Twelve Chairs (operetta)
Sequel