This star-studded comedy, inspired by the Russian tale "The Twelve Chairs" (I am familiar with the 1970 Mel Brooks version, but have yet to check out the 1962 Cuban adaptation or, for that matter, the 1936 George Formby vehicle KEEP YOUR SEATS, PLEASE – both of which I also own), was one other movie apparently favoured by famed British critic Leslie Halliwell. The nominal lead here is once-renowned radio comic Fred Allen in one of his infrequent screen appearances: he demonstrates an agreeable self-deprecating humour throughout, right from the entertaining 'opening credits' sequence – with every name that crops up being indiscriminately given the put-down by Allen!He plays the owner of a flea circus, with a demanding family to support and an expensive gambling habit to feed, who suddenly comes into a 12-million dollar fortune – bequeathed to him by an uncle. Immediately, he goes up in society (literally lodging in the penthouse of a swank hotel) – amassing a lot of credit in the process (including a 25,000-dollar stake in an elaborate mouse-trap patent invented by Robert Benchley, father to his daughter's intended), only to learn when the actual hearing of the will takes place (by way of crooked solicitor John Carradine) that all that has been left to him are five chairs and a phonograph record! The latter, however, reveals that a considerable pile from the booty – that which had not yet been pilfered by Carradine and his associates – was hidden in one of the chairs…which Allen had his geeky son sell off to an antique dealer, whose shop is burnt to the ground soon after! So begins a chase to retrieve the furniture, which in the interim has been acquired by a number of people…In the meantime, Allen's 'memory expert' son is suffering from a bout of amnesia following the near-escape in the afore-mentioned fire, so eccentric psychiatrist Jerry Colonna is roped in to treat him…but he is more successful at satiating his appetite, since he goes so far as to establishes himself in their home! Besides, a relaxing outing at a movie theatre – showing the fictitious but hilariously-named "Zombie In The Attic" – is likewise turned into an absurd situation, as Allen and wife (Binnie Barnes) are referred by a variety of ushers from one floor to the next in search of an alleged seating-space! The film eventually assumes an episodic form, with the pace faltering slightly depending on the scene: a Jewish lady's decision to obtain an extra chair for her large family's annual gathering; Allen's real-life sparring partner on the airwaves Jack Benny, appearing as himself, and to whom the protagonist pretends to be the President of his meagerly-populated fanclub…but whose surreal abode is equipped with hat-check girl and cigarette vending machines, where guests have to pay for every service they may require!; in his quest, the star also has to impersonate a singing waiter – as part of an ensemble that incorporates 'washed-out' actors Don Ameche, Victor Moore and Rudy Vallee!; finally, he ends up at the lair of gangster William Bendix, but who is revealed to be a softie underneath and a vitamin freak to boot! Following all of this with interest and increasing confusion is ageing cop Sidney Toler (then nearing the end of his extensive stint as Charlie Chan!)…The movie ultimately proves a minor classic of its era – much in the style of HELLZAPOPPIN' (1941), starring the similarly forgotten team of Olsen & Johnson! – and, though recently allowed a new lease on life via Olive Films' BluRay edition, I watched it myself by way of an old but, under the circumstances, perfectly serviceable "VHSrip"

It's in the Bag! (1945)I watched this for the bizarre reason that I wanted to see William Bendix in a film I'd never seen. And here this presented itself.And Bendix does finally show up in the last twenty minutes. And he plays himself, William Bendix. I didn't imagine he ever had that kind of star power.But more interesting are the other characters, or actors, who make their own appearances as themselves, and who are far and away the bright spots in a patchy and silly movie. Jack Benny, for one, is great to see being Jack, but not just as a stand up comedian. And throw in brief appearances by Don Ameche, John Carradine, and Rudy Vallee to give it a little more fun. Finally, use the quirky, very 1945ish style of Fred Allen in his only feature film role to hold the whole thing together, from talking to the camera intro through all the various comings and goings, famous and not.But don't get me wrong. This is a horrible experience as a movie, in all. It's downright stupid, which isn't a word I use in reviews. A better word might just by corny, but that gives too much credit to the crude way the movie is directed and mashed together into an apparent cohesiveness. It's not cohesive, so enjoy the bits. In fact, you might just fast forward to the parts with the actors you recognize and get some little rushes from that, including the last long section where a kind of crime is enacted, including some campy thugs and a fake out that will certainly fake you out.Okay, so Hitchcock's wife helped with the screenplay. Not something to brag about, probably, though there are a lot of laughs here. In fact, if it's gags you want, hang in there, because there is a steady stream, including some classic Allen schtick. Good enough for Mel Brooks to do a kind of remake of it in 1970 ("The Twelve Chairs"). This wasn't enough for me, totally, but you know if you like this kind of humor before going into it.And I did get my William Bendix fix, however, which was worth it.

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.

For anyone who is considering a career as a comedian, It's In The Bag should be required viewing. For the rest of us it gives us many laughs and it's the one and only opportunity to see Fred Allen's talents on full display.Allen's brand of absurdist humor has influenced so many people right down to today. You can see traces of his influence in Rowan&Martin's Laugh-In, the Mighty Carson Art Players from the Tonight Show and even Monty Python's Flying Circus and may be most of all the work of Mel Brooks on the screen. Because the cinema of necessity a tightly controlled script is in order, one aspect of Allen you don't see was his quick wit with an ad-lib. Some even consider him faster with a quip than Groucho Marx.The premise for this film is that Fred is the financially strapped owner of a flea circus, owing everybody in town including bookie Ben Welden and barely supporting wife Binnie Barnes and children Gloria Pope and Richard Tyler. A long unheard of uncle however is murdered and the uncle left Allen a set of five chairs. Our genius of a hero sells them off before a phonograph record from his late uncle tells him that $300,000.00 is hidden in one of the chairs together with clues as to who murdered him. Of course the perpetrators are shadowing Allen's every move as he seeks to retrieve the chairs from their new owners and find his fortune in the lining. The whole thing is an excuse for several skits as Allen goes on his quest for the chairs. One of the chairs was sold to Minerva Pious who is Mrs. Nussbaum and a regular on Allen's radio show. She happened to sell the chair to one Jack Benny. Benny's character as a miser has become so ingrained in the American culture that even today people who've heard the name know that about him and can appreciate the cheap jokes. What they might not realize is that Jack Benny and Fred Allen engaged in one of the great famous radio feuds so that dimension of the scene with Fred Allen might be lost.Another couple of chairs goes to a nightclub where folks like Don Ameche, Rudy Vallee, and Victor Moore are picking up some extra money as singing waiters. Another goes to William Bendix, head of the criminal Bendix gang. Bendix is terrific burlesquing his own tough guy image and John Carradine who played many a sinister role on screen looks like he's having a ball playing a crooked lawyer.Even Jerry Colonna is in this film, on loan from Bob Hope's radio show playing a zany psychiatrist. There is so much in It's In The Bag packed into less than 90 minutes you can hardly stop for breath.This film is a rare comic treat and should never be missed when broadcast. Demand TCM acquire this film and broadcast it.