Frank Cullen Other reviewers have explained the plot, so I'll simply tell you that I find this film funny and one of my top-rated movie comedies of all time (Blazing Saddles, Some Like it Hot, Olsen & Johnson's Hellzapoppin, Radio Parade of 1935, most of the film comedies starring Monty Python, Alastair Sim, Margaret Rutherford, Alec Guinness and almost all the classics by Chaplin, Keaton, Langdon, Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy, Marx Brothers, W. C. Fields, Mae West and Mel Brooks. During what seems in retrospect a scant decade following WWII, English language movies along with some stage plays, literature, network radio and early live television appealed to an American public better educated and verbally literate than generations before and after. In comedy of that fleeting era, there was frequently an absurdist streak and occasionally some commentary and deconstruction of the very medium in which it appeared. It's in the Bag is a good example of wit, absurdist comedy and deconstruction. An independent production built around the twin poles of a satiric Russian novel and acerbic comedian Fred Allen, it attracted co-stars willing to work for less than their usual salaries: Jack Benny, Binnie Barnes, Don Ameche, Robert Benchley, Rudy Vallee, Victor Moore, William Bendix, John Carradine, Sidney Toler and Jerry Colonna. The result is a series of scenes encountered by Fred Allen as he follows the trail of his missing chairs, one of which conceals a fortune. The script (written by Fred Allen, Morrie Ryskind, Lewis Foster, Jay Dratler & Alma Reville (Hitchcock's swife) is tight, clever, stuffed with incident and characters (most of them spoofing their on-screen personas). Directer Richard Wallace is efficient and compatible wirth the material and performers, and cinematographer Russell Metty was one of filmdom's finest and a favorite of Orson Welles, Stanley Kubrick, Don Siegel and Stweven Spielberg.

MartinHafer Today, Fred Allen is practically forgotten. But, back in the heyday of radio, he was quite the star. Unfortunately, he never made much of a name for himself in movies or TV--mostly because he truly had a face for radio. In other words, he had a very sour and definitely unattractive visage--though he was very clever and funny.The film begins exceptionally well. That's because Allen comes out and begins talking during the credits. He makes a lot of wisecracks about them and says quite correctly that no one really cares about all these people!! And then, he says that the only reason that a lot of the folks were in the film was because they were family and friends of the producer! It's all very cynical--the sort of stuff that you might expect from Fred Allen.The plot is a variation on the Russian story by the same name by Ilf and Petrov. This story has been made in LOTS of different countries lots of different times. I've seen the Cuban version as well as Mel Brooks' famous version of the story. This Fred Allen one, however, is much further removed from the story than most--retaining only a bit of the original story. Most of it is new material--and the 5 (not 12) chairs seem more like a plot device--around which all the gags are written. And the film is jam-packed full of gags--ones that sometimes seem incredibly random! Several famous folks guest stars appear as themselves--including Jack Benny, William Bendix and Don Ameche. Character actors such as John Carradine, Sidney Toler and Jerry Colonna also appear in the film.The film begins with a rich old guy dying--and someone helped him! Soon Fred learns that he's the sole heir and suddenly everybody loves him. However, when the will is read, he learns that the estate is bankrupt and all he'll get are five chair. He soon sells them--and almost immediately learns that there is $300,000 stuffed inside--as well as evidence to convict the folks who swindled the old man out of his $12,000,000. So, Allen and his family rush out to find the chairs...right? Well, no...there are LOTS of little vignettes that appear along the way that make it seem like a very leisurely search, that's for sure! Not all of them are all that funny, but they come so quickly that it seems to work anyway--and they are quite goofy. Trips to psychiatrists, the movie theater and fist fights. It's all very silly and a bit stupid--but on balance I think it's worth seeing.

Larry Stauch The plot is so goofy that there is no need to make sense out of it. The self-deprecating humor that many of these performers show is one of the qualities that makes makes this film work. It's refreshing to see what real comedy was like before the present day comics started screaming filth at the public. Jack Benny was so funny. He had a way of laughing that makes me laugh just thinking about it. Nobody does that today. This little window to the past shows amazing wit. The delivery of the actors lines are quick and designed to leave the viewer in stitches from one scene to the next. Warner Oland was perfect as the inspector without the Charlie Chan guise which allowed him some very funny lines. John Carradine is fantastic as the crooked lawyer as well. This one is a personal favorite.

M. C. Brennan (penelopedanger) 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.