It's in the Bag (1945)
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Based on the popular Russian novel The Twelve Chairs, this stars Fred Allen as flea-circus impresario Fred Floogle. Learning that he's inherited $12 million from his uncle, Fred also discovers that the money has been stuffed in one of thirteen chairs that he's sold at auction. The rest of the film goes off on any number of hilarious tangents, each tied-in ever so tenuously to the plot. Included is an episode at the movies (Fred and his wife Binnie Barnes are continually escorted up several balcony steps and out several alleyway doors), a visit to Floogle's radio cohort Mrs. Nussbaum (Minerva Pious), a brief misadventure with Jack Benny (this time Benny has a hat-check girl in his hall closet, so that he can collect tips from visitors), an impromptu barbershop quartet session with Fred, Rudy Vallee, Don Ameche and Victor Moore, and a confrontation with the dreaded William Bendix mob (Bendix isn't really a gangster; he simply inherited the mob from his mother). Also weaving in and out of the proceedings are John Carradine as a crooked attorney, Robert Benchley as Fred's pompous in-law-to-be, Sidney Toler as a popcorn-munching detective, and Jerry Colonna as Fred's live-in psychiatrist. Two versions of this film exists, one without Fred Allen's ongoing voice over narration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Complete Cast:
- Fred Allen - Fred Floogle
- William Bendix - Himself
- Robert Benchley - Parker
- Gloria Pope - Marion
- Minerva Pious - Mrs. Nussbaum
- Sidney Toler - Detective Sully
- John Miljan - Arnold
- Emory Parnell - Mr. Buddoo
- John Carradine - Pike
- Walter Tetley - Elevator Operator
- Jack Benny - Himself
- Binnie Barnes - Eve Floogle
- Jerry Colonna - Dr. Greengrass, Psychiatrist
- William Terry - Perry
- Dick Tyler - Homer
- George Cleveland - Hotel Manager
- Ben Welden - Monte
- Don Ameche - Guest
- Rudy Vallee - Singer
- Victor Moore - Singer
- Director(s):
- Richard Wallace
- Writer(s):
- Alma Reville, Jay Dratler, Fred Allen
- Producer(s):
- Jack H. Skirball
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