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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Lewis R. Foster (screen treatment) and
Fred Allen (screen treatment) ...
more
Release Date:
21 April 1945 (USA) more
Plot:
The ringmaster of a flea circus inherits a fortune...if he can find which chair it's hidden in. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
Witty and edgy--but strays far from the novel more (10 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Fred Allen | ... | Fred F. Trumble Floogle | |
| Jack Benny | ... | Himself | |
| William Bendix | ... | Bill Bendix | |
| 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 the Bookie |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
The Fifth Chair (Australia) (UK)
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
87 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Approved (PCA #10575) | UK:U | Sweden:15
Company:
Fun Stuff
Quotes:
Eve Floogle: You mean last year's diamonds? Oh no, we don't bother with them. You see, we just throw them out. They get so shabby, you know. more
Movie Connections:
References The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939) more
Soundtrack:
The Curse of an Aching Heart more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (10 total)
Message Boards
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |

Fred Allen was--with the possible exception of his "rival" Jack Benny--the biggest star in the history of radio. He was Letterman to Benny's Leno--an acerbic smartaleck who practically invented topical humor/current political events satire. While he had numerous small film roles and cameos (and later starred in TV's "What's My Line?"), "It's In The Bag" was Fred Allen's only starring role in a motion picture, and it was a good one.
The plot--Allen gaining, then losing, then frantically trying to recover an inheritance hidden inside one or more mystery chairs--is just a skeleton on which to hang the movie's wry jokes, strange interludes and satirical jabs at Hollywood stars. A trainload of radio and film comedians appear in this movie, including Jack Benny (with whom Allen shared a longtime "feud" that was as successful--and as manufactured--as anything the World Wrestling federation ever produced). Author and bon vivant Robert Benchley makes a strong appearance here, and Richard Wallace's steady direction manages to keep up with the comic mayhem.
Allen's irreverent humor, wild tangents and complete disregard for film conventions (including the sacred fourth wall) inspired Mel Brooks, who, drawing from its source material, made a version of "It's In The Bag" as his second feature, "The Twelve Chairs"--although literary purists who love the original darkly satiric Russian novel by Ilf and Petrov, take note: you will likely hate both these movies with a fiery passion. Even faithful Russian screen adaptations of that extraordinary book have failed to capture its greatness, and "It's In The Bag" doesn't even try--it's merely a sardonically humorous sendup of 1940s Hollywood in general and Mr. Allen in particular. It's no intricate Russian literary classic, but if you love vintage Hollywood comedies with an edge, you won't be disappointed.