It's in the Bag! (1945)

Director:

Richard Wallace

Writers:

Lewis R. Foster (screen treatment) and
Fred Allen (screen treatment) ...

Release Date:

21 April 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

The ringmaster of a flea circus inherits a fortune...if he can find which chair it's hidden in.

Plot Keywords:

Chair | Flea Circus | Heir | Penthouse | Inheritance

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Fifth Chair (Australia) (UK)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Approved (PCA #10575) | UK:U | Sweden:15

Company:

Manhattan Productions

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.

Movie Connections:

References The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939)

Soundtrack:

The Curse of an Aching Heart

Witty and edgy--but strays far from the novel

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.