It's in the Bag! (1945 film)

It's in the Bag!
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRichard Wallace
Written byIlya Ilf (novel Dvenadtsat Stulyev)
Yevgeni Petrov (uncredited) (novel Dvenadtsat stulyev)
Lewis R. Foster (treatment)
Fred Allen (treatment)
Jay Dratler
Alma Reville
Morrie Ryskind (special contribution)
Produced byGeorge R. Batcheller Jr.
Walter Batchelor
Jack H. Skirball
StarringFred Allen
Jack Benny
William Bendix
Don Ameche
Rudy Vallee
Jerry Colonna
Robert Benchley
John Carradine
Sidney Toler
Victor Moore
CinematographyRussell Metty
Edited byWilliam Morgan
Music byWerner R. Heymann
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • 21 April 1945 (1945-04-21)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1 million[1]

It's in the Bag! is a 1945 comedy film featuring Fred Allen in his only starring film role. The film was released by United Artists at a time when Allen was at the peak of his fame as one of the most popular radio comedians. The film has been preserved by UCLA Film & Television Archive.[citation needed][2] The film is loosely based on the comic novel The Twelve Chairs (1928) of Ilf and Petrov, later filmed by Mel Brooks as The Twelve Chairs (1970). The team of screenwriters included Jay Dratler, Alma Reville, and Morrie Ryskind. Allen's encounter with Jack Benny in the film is notable as at this time they were involved in a famous 'feud', which ran for over a decade.

  1. ^ "Indies $70,000,000 Pix Output". Variety: 3. 3 November 1944. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  2. ^ Search Engine&tab=Articles_books_more_slot&query=any,contains,It%27s in the bag&offset=0 "It's in the bag! / Jack H. Skirball presents ; screen treatment by Lewis R. Foster and Fred Allen ; screen play by Jay Dratler and Alma Reville ; Walter Batchelor, associate producer ; produced by Jack H. Skirball ; directed by Richard Wallace". UCLA Library Catalog. Retrieved November 25, 2021. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)