It's in the Bag! (1945)

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

Director:

Richard Wallace

Writers:

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

Stars:

Fred Allen, Jack Benny, Don Ameche

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Wealthy Frederick Trumble makes an eccentric new will, secretes much of his wealth in a chair, then, within seconds, is murdered. The new heir, Fred Floogle, runs a flea circus. Of course, the reputed $12 million inheritance goes to his family's heads...then proves to consist of five chairs, which the disgusted Floogle sells just before discovering their secret. Packed with wisecracks, strange cameos, and nothing-sacred, anything-goes digressions.

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | screwball comedy | flea circus | heir | penthouse | 

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Taglines:

Fred's Bagged The Best For His Merry 12 Million Dollar Murder Mystery!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Screen Director's Playhouse" broadcast a 30-minute radio adaptation of the movie on February 17, 1950 with Fred Allen reprising his film role.

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Goofs

When Parker is showing the Floogles his son's mousetrap he shows how the entry teeter board works by moving it. After a cut to the Floogles and back to Parker, he's moving the teeter board the same way again.

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Quotes

Homer Floogle: Dad, you wanna buy a Delicatessen in the Bronx?
Fred F. Trumble Floogle: No, we are not making any foreign investments.

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Crazy Credits

Before the final card at the end of the movie, Fred Allen breaks the fourth wall one more time and says to the audience "Folks, you've got to come back to the next show, immediate seats on the inside."

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Connections

Version of 13 stolar (1945)

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Soundtracks

The Curse of an Aching Heart
(1913) (uncredited)
Lyrics by Henry Fink
Music by Al Piantadosi
Sung by Don Ameche, Victor Moore, Rudy Vallee and Fred Allen

User Reviews

Irreverent and Provocative Though Not Perfect

Fred Allen made a living hurling brickbats and biting the hands that fed him, and one may surmise that his only starring role in a major motion picture would push the envelope. "It's in the Bag" does so, sometimes with breathtaking efficiency -- it's like a whole different world opened up in this film apart from typical 1940s screwball comedy, a negative, street smart and cynical attitude more in line with the comedic tone of later eras. But if you want to laugh, you might do better with a more typical screwball comedy of the period than with "It's in the Bag," as its episodic and composite construction as a film doesn't maintain a consistent level of hilarity, and parts of it are more confusing than funny. Fred Allen is terrific, and one wishes he'd been more interested in appearing in films, though his best work is unquestionably found in his radio programs; his deadpan mug, though, is effective in movies even though he had "a great face for radio." Binnie Barnes, Robert Benchley, John Carradine and William Bendix all stand out in this piece, and in the main "It's in the Bag" is definitely worth seeing at least once for its value as a dark, non-conformist alternative to American film comedies of the 1940s. However, it's a little too long, has too many moving parts and Fred Allen seems aware of that, stating in his ad-libbed annotation of the opening credit for producer Jack Skirball, "It's his picture."

Details

Official Sites:

Grapevine Video [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 April 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fickle Fortune

Company Credits

Production Co:

Manhattan Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1