It's in the Bag! (United Artists) (1945)

Benchley Lectures Again! Robert Benchley, who creates laughs out of such prosaic subjects as “How To Sleep,” has done it again, and this time with a lecture on—of all things—“How to Catch Mice.” Supporting Fred Allen in the radio star’s film comedy hit, “It’s In The Bag,” now playing at the Theatre through United \ Artists release, Benchley intro- ' duces an intricate mouse-catching I machine. His description of the device, in scenes with Allen and j other members of the cast, is said I to surpass for sheer humor his now- ' classic film monologues of “How ; To Sleep” and “The Treasurer’s I Report.” Besides trapping rodents, Bench- ; ley goes after insects, especially fleas, in his role of professional pest exterminator in “It’s In The Bag.” This makes him an arch tsnemy, throughout the picture, of Allen, who essays the role of a professional flea trainer, j The Allen-Benchley feud in “It’s vlh The Bag” is reminiscent of the long-standing public squable of Al¬ len and Jack Benny. But for good naeasure, and to keep their word- battle raging, Benny appears as guest-star in Allen’s new picture. Also in “It’s In The Bag,” a Jack H. Skirball production for United Artists, are such stellar personalities as Don Ameche, Wil¬ liam Bendix, Victor Moore, Rudy Vallee, Binnie Barnes, Jerry Co- lonna, John Carradine, William Terry and Sidney Toller. Toots'Von Zell! Harry Von Zell, noted radio announcer, makes his screen debut in Fred Allen’s sensation¬ al new comedy, “It’s In The Bag.” Von Zell makes his film bow as proprietor of a night-club, and he and Allen, who are friends of long standing, have several amusing scenes together. “It’s In The Bag” is now play¬ ing at the .Theatre through United Artists release. Carradine Continues Villainous Career John Carradine is presented in one of his most villainous and col¬ orful characterizations in the Fred Allen comedy extravaganza, “It’s In The Bag” now at the . Theatre through United Artists re¬ lease in which he plays the role of a Shakespearean shyster who swindles Allen out of millions. Carradine is one of a great com¬ edy cast which includes Jack Ben¬ ny, Don Ameche, William Bendix, Victor Moore, Rudy Vallee, Rob¬ ert Benchley, Binnie Barnes, Jerry Colonna and, of course, the hilari¬ ous Mr. Allen. William Terry and Gloria Pope, two handsome newcomers provide the considerable romantic interest in the hilarious comedy hit, “It’s In The Bag,” Fred Allen starrer now playing at the.Theatre through United Artists release. Miss Pope and Mr. Terry lend their talents in support of Jack Benny, Don Ameche, William Bendix, Victor Moore, Rudy Vallee, Robert Benchley, Binnie Barnes and Jerry Colonna, all of whom, along with Mr. Allen have leading roles in the comedv. 9B—2 Col. Scene (.30) Binnie Returns For Comedy Binme Barnes, who announced her retirement a year ago, has re turned to the screen as Fred Allen’s wife in the comedy sensation of the season, “It’s In The Bag” now at the . Theatre through United Artists release. Miss Barnes, in private life the p. wife of Major Mike Frankovich, of the U.S. Transport Command, had promised her husband to give up her career in deference to home and children. She changed her mind for two reasons. First, the role opposite Allen in “It’s In The Bag” was too . tempting to turn down. Second, * according to Binnie, “with your husband off to the wars, it’s best to keep as busy as you can—and that’s what I’m doing. And when the war is over, and Mike returns, I shall . keep my promise and retire per¬ manently from public life.” After completing her role as Fred Allen’s wife in “It’s In The Bag,” Binnie referred to the assign¬ ment as “the darndest experience I ever had.” The popular actress schooled in the fine art of conven¬ tional picture-making, declares she was in a constant state of confu- jm sio-n while the film was being made. Allen’s clowning was not confined — to the script and comedy feuds . '' raged constantly from early re¬ hearsals to the last day of produc¬ tion. “It’s In The Bag” has what Miss Burnes calls, “the wisest collec¬ tion of wisecrackers ever assem¬ bled under one studio roof.” Most of Allen’s comedy antagonists have violent, hand-to-hand scenes with the famous radio star with Binnie appearing as the “not so innocent” bystander. Lovely Binnie Barnes is caught in a marital whirlpool as Fred Allen’s wife in the comic’s hilarious com¬ edy-mystery “It’s In The Bag,” now playing at the . Theatre through United Artists release. 28A~1 Col. Scene (.15) Greatest Comedy Of Season Has Greatest Comedy Cast! (Prepared Review) No commodity is more welcome these days than a good rip-snorting comedy and that is exactly the sort of enter¬ tainment to be found in “It’s In The Bag,” which opened yesterday at the . Theatre, through United Artists re¬ lease. The hilarious highlights of a dozen Fred Allen radio shows seem to be pack-jammed together in an incredibly fast moving plot which has lurid dramatic suspense and more comical situations than one can remember. Allen, of course, dominates the show. It is his picture. He wrote a greater part of the funny ma¬ terial. Consequently the show has that quality of originality so fa¬ miliar to admirers of the Allen radio programs. And true to the Allen way of doing things, all the other stars in the picture play important roles. The lengthy se¬ quence with Jack Benny, for in¬ stance, is an integral chapter of the story and an all-time comedy classic. ^ Don Ameche, William Bendix, Victor Moore and Rudy Vallee all appear in substantial parts, as do Binnie Barnes, Robert Benchley and Jerry Colonna. The mad plot, ingeniously contrived to empha¬ size every performance, deals with six chairs, one of which contains a fortune belonging to Allen. When the chairs become hopelessly lost, Allen stages a desperate search. Naturally he recovers the money. Meanwhile though, the chase be¬ comes one of the most hilariously frantic adventures ever concocted by Hollywood’s comedy scribes. It would be difficult to say which incident is the most comical as the pursuit takes Allen through Jack Benny’s apartment, a movie thea¬ tre, a nightclub and a gangster’s hideaway. Along the route Allen encounters, among other charac¬ ters, the famous “Mrs. Nussbaum” of broadcast fame. A bright romantic thread which runs throughout the story intro¬ duces two comparative newcomers, William Terry and Gloria Pope, a vivacious new blonde who regis¬ ters a definite and appealing per¬ formance. Talented Binnie Barnes, appearing as Allen’s wife, is out¬ standing in the cast while Jerry Colonna’s psychiatrist role is one of the film’s most uproarious ele¬ ments. Youg Dickie Tyler, John Carradine and Sidney Toler con¬ tribute much to the picture’s mer¬ riment. Produced by Jack H. Skirball, “It’s In The Bag” was directed by Richard Wallace- from a screen¬ play by Jay Dratler and Alma Reville. Lewis R. Foster and Fred Allen wrote the screen treatment and Morrie Ryskind served as com¬ edy collaborator. New Stars Bow In Hit Comedy Two new and promising screen personalities are presented to the public for the first time in Fred Allen’s sensational comedy, “It’s In The Bag,” now at the . Theatre through United Artists release. They are Gloria Pope, 18- year-old Tulsa, Oklahoma, beauty, and Dickie Tyler, 12-year-old ac¬ tor-sensation from the stage. Miss Pope, who appears as Al¬ len’s daughter in the film, is a former student of Chevy Chase, exclusive girls’ school near Wash¬ ington, D.C. She was discovered for pictures by Producer Jack H. Skirball while she was vacation¬ ing in Los Angeles. On the strength of film tests, and in competition with experienced actresses, she was awarded the enviable role with Allen in “It’s In The Bag.” Dickie, who plays the part of Allen’s precocious son, was signed for his auspicious film debut after he created a sensation as the “nasty young Nazi” in the stage-show, “Tomorrow, The World,” appeared in “Life With Father” and other New York stage productions. Both Gloria and Dickie give out¬ standing performances as members of Fred Allen’s screen-family, and their film futures are already assured. Besides introducing these new¬ comers, “It’s In The Bag” pre¬ sents one of the greatest arrays of established stars ever assembled in one picture, including Don Ameche, Binnie Barnes, Robert Benchley, William Bendix, Jack Benny, John Carradine, Jerry Co¬ lonna, Victor Moore, William Ter- rv, Sidney Toler and Rudy Vallee. Allen's New York Skips Old Skyline New York City is the locale of Fred Allen’s new comedy film, “It’s In The Bag,” now at the . Theatre. Script of the Allen story, however, does not in¬ clude the familiar skyline, the Statue of Liberty, or the 8th Ave¬ nue pawn shops. Grant’s Tomb is mentioned once in the dialogue, but most important pictorially is Fred’s own idea of a 42nd Street Flea Circus. Allen appears as proprietor of the flea show and his chief enemy, an insect exterminator, is portray¬ ed by Robert Benchley. Other cele¬ brities in the vastly comical movie are Jack Benny, Don Ameche, Wil¬ liam Bendix, Victor Moore and Rudy Vallee. It’s In The Bag” was directed by Richard Wallace. It was produced for United Artists by Jack H. Skirball. TOP COMEDY FROM A TO B. Mr. A is, of course, Fred Allen and Mr. B, none other than his old feud mate^,^ Jack Benny. Both comedians resume their fun-filled duel of wits in Fred’s hit picture “It’s In The Bag,” playing at the . Theatre through United Artists release. The flowers (not a peace offering, by. the way) are an integral part of the action. Besides Mr. A and Mr. B the comedy also offers Don Ameche, William Bendix, Victor Moore, Rudy Vallee, Robert Benchley, Binnie Barnes, and Jerry Colonna. 3C—3 Col. Scene (.45) Tlie almost legendary Mrs. Nuss¬ baum pf the Fred Allen radio show (Minerva Pious) and the equally legendary Rudy Vallee dis¬ cuss food in this scene from the roaring comedy hit, “It’s In The Bag,” starring Fred Allen and now playing at the . Theatre through United Artists release. 18A—1 Col. Scene (.15) Allen and the “An all-star benefit” is the way Fred Allen refers to the celebrated cast of his Jack H. Skirball comedy, “It’s In The Bag,” to be shown at the.Theatre on . through United Artists release. Such noted guest performers as Jack Benny, Don Ameche, William Bendix, Victor Moore and Rudy Vallee lend their assorted talents to the film. Since each of these stars was busy with numerous other assignments at the time the picture was being made, getting them to the studio whenever they were needed proved a difficult but not insurmountable problem. The shooting schedule was so well or¬ ganized tha.t no conflicts arose. But one unforeseen and preposter¬ ous hitch did develop. “Everything was going very smoothly,” says Allen, “until the sixth week of shooting. We had used a Hollywood Indian in the picture, a guy who probably works eight days a year in good years. He had a bit part in the scene and our director, Dick Wallace, wanted to reshoot that sequence. He noti¬ fied the leading players and gave the order for the crew to put up the set. But no one thought of notifying the Indian until the morn¬ ing of shooting. Then it turned out that he wasn’t available. He’d Movie Indian suddenly gotten two days .work in a Western. We had to hold up the picture for forty-eight hours waiting for him to finish playing with cowboys and come over to play with us.” From Rags to Riches! “It’s In The Bag,” Fred Allen starrer, now playing at the . Theatre through United Artists release is a good example of the kind of realism insisted on by producers for Hollywood films. In the picture a “rags to riches” sequence required the use of a whole set of clothes, jewelry and decoration to mark the change from poverty for Fred Allen and family to un¬ dreamed of wealth. For this scene producer Jack H. Skirball borrowed a “million dollar” collection of jewelry, furs and clothes and had a guard stationed to watch that no part of the “prop” collection disap¬ peared ! Benny, Allen Laugh Feud Continues! Fred Allen’s long-standing and much-publicized feud wth Jack Benny is resumed with a vengeance in Allen’s new starring film comedy, “It’s In the Bag,” playing at the Theatre through United Artists release. The picture is a Jack H. Skirball production The traditional antagonists had it out on thfe screen four years ago in “Love Thy Neighbor” and they still take verbal cracks at each other over the air lanes. “It’s In The Bag” is Allen’s first film since their co-starring venture, and having shared in com¬ posing his own new screenplay, he unleashes on Benny with no punch¬ es spared. Benny plays himself, and Allen is manager of a flea circus in “It’s In The Bag.” Fred visits Jack at the latter’s apartment, flatters him by posing as president of the Jack Benny Fan Club of Nutley, N.J., then ribs him mercilessly for his legendary penny-pinching. The sit¬ uations throughout the laugh-pro¬ voking sequence are all part of the plot, and keep audiences doubled up in laughter when seen and heard on the screen. While shooting these scenes in Hollywood, the famous feudists de¬ parted from script and exchanged considerable repartee. Referring to that recent overseas jaunt, Fred said that when Benny played his violin, three Japs came out of the trees and gave themselves up. The gainers in this particular feud, are, of course, the cash cus¬ tomers who spend many hilarious hours watching the two in action. But Benny and Allen aren’t all the picture has to offer. Beside the two top wits the cast includes Don Ameche, William Bendix, Vic¬ tor Moore, Rudy Vallee, Robert Benchley, Jerry Colonna, Binnie Barnes, John Carradine, Gloria Pope, William Terry and Sydney Toler. “It’s In The Bag” was directed by Richard Wallace, one of Holly- Bay State Home To Comedy Trio The State of Massachusetts has a very special interest in the new comedy production, “It’s In The Bag,” now playing at the. Theatre, through United Artists release. Three illustrious sons of the Bay State, Fred Allen from Cambridge, Robert Benchley from Worcester and Jerry Colonna from Boston take part in the extraordin¬ ary film which has Allen as its steller performer. New York State has two repre¬ sentatives in the large cast. They are William Bendix and John Car¬ radine, both born in Manhattan. New Jersey’s famous Victor Moore of Hammonton, is one of the film’s guest stars. Midwesterners in the picture are Jack Benny of Waukegan, Illinois, Don Ameche of Kenosha, Wiscon¬ sin, Sidney Toler of Warrensburg, Missouri and Gloria Pope who hails from Oklahoma City. Rudy Vallee carries the Ver¬ mont banner and from the Pacific Northwest comes young William i'erry of Eugene, Oregon. Adding International color to the group is Binnie Barnes whose birthplace was London, England. “It’s In The Bag,” produced by Jack H. Skirball for United Art¬ ists, is conceded to be one of the season’s outstanding funfilms. Al¬ len himself, contributed much of the comical screen material. Page Nineteen