In Society (1944)

NOTES: A vaudeville episode, "The Language Scene", with Lou Costello and Sid Fields, was shot but deleted from the movie before release. Because of Universal's practice of splitting receipts (the movie was invariably double-billed), In Society does not figure on any champion money-making lists, even though it was a tremendous success in America and Australia, earning a fortune for the studio. The title is sometimes erroneously cited as Abbott and Costello in Society, or even Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Society. PRINCIPAL MIRACLE: Abbott and Costello rated 8th place in the annual poll of top money-making stars for 1944, voted by circuit and independent exhibitors throughout the United States. COMMENT: One of the most enjoyable of the Abbott and Costello series. Some genuinely funny sequences and routines are given a lift by an excellent support cast, and are leavened with some really attractive musical interludes. Marion Hutton makes a bright, bouncy heroine, Ann Gillis has a sexy song, and it's always a pleasure to see Arthur Treacher. And by the humble standards of Jean Yarbrough, the direction even has a modicum of pace, polish and style.OTHER VIEWS: Both Abbott and Costello are in fine form, taking full advantage of some superior material, much of it deriving from classic burlesque, such as the Floogle Street (here called "Bagel Street") routine involving the infamous Susquehanna Hat Company. The various strands of humor plus the song breaks have been put together with professional precision. The movie is always attractive to look at - and I don't mean just because of all the girls - and, as said above, it boasts a most appealing lead in Marion Hutton. - G.A.

This film definitely rates as one of Bud and Lou's best and the laughs kick off almost immediately as we see what I have to call a takeoff on "turn on the radio." This time around, it's "blow the horn" and an irate cop getting entangled with Lou.Abbott and Costello do plumbing as well--if not better--than the Three Stooges. The biggest laughs though may come from the classic Susquehana Hat Company gag--a routine I became familiar with from watching their old TV show, but I have to say, it was probably funnier here.Lou getting his bath drawn was another highlight. Of course, there are some of the drawbacks one would usually expect to see in an A & C feature--the staged singing numbers; although they don't grate on me as they do in some of their other features.Overall--if you like Bud and Lou--"In Society" is a must see.9 stars

Abbott & Costello play two bumbling plumbers who are accidentally invited to a ritzy country club after being hired to do some emergency plumbing work by a wealthy man(and making a mess of things in the process). This gets them mistakenly invited to a ritzy country club, where they get into more trouble. Also there is woman taxi driver Elsie Hammerdingle(played by Marion Hutton) who begins a romance with a rich man, who doesn't know her true identity. Underrated comedy from the team has a most appealing performance from Miss Hutton, and some very funny moments: the best of which is the Bagel Street sketch, the single funniest scene I have ever seen in a film! Ending and some songs are weak, but otherwise most enjoyable.

Years ago Alan King had a great line about plumbers that it was indeed a noble profession and should be celebrated the way astronauts are. Without plumbers King reasoned, we'd all be astronauts. But when you hire Abbott&Costello as plumbers you'd better be checked out in a space suit.Bumbling plumbers Bud and Lou after wrecking the home of Thurston Hall and Nella Walker get invited to a big society bash when they get that instead of a threatening letter from Walker. When they went to that job they got a lift from their friend, Rosie the Riveteer cab driver Marion Hutton who was mistaken for a society girl in costume by Kirby Grant who was similarly attired. So begins Marion's Cinderella like odyssey.In fact Marion and Kirby are given a great deal more screen footage than you would normally expect in an Abbott&Costello feature. I'm guessing that Universal was trying to turn Hutton into a big film star the way Paramount was doing with her older sister Betty. Marion was a lighter and sweeter version of Betty, maybe if she had a more distinct personality of her own she might have had a film career. In any event she was more interested in singing than acting. She got a couple of really good songs to sing, No Bout Adoubt It is in the style of her sister. And one of the big song hits of 1944 was introduced by Marion with My Dreams Are Getting Better All The Time. Television's future Sky King also has a fine number with What A Change In The Weather. This should prove a pleasant surprise to his fans who probably didn't know Kirby Grant started as a singer.But Bud and Lou get their innings as well here as they make an ungodly mess of Thurston Hall's lovely home. And they do one of burlesque's celebrated routines, the famous Susquehanna Hat Company on Beagle Street. Who could possibly believe that such horrific events in people's lives could have happened on that street or been connected with that hat company?The last chase sequence as society crook Thomas Gomez tries to steal a valuable painting on the fire engine is re-edited from W.C. Fields's Never Give A Sucker An Even Break. You'll recognize it of course if you are a fan of Fields, but it is certainly edited nicely into In Society. This is one of the best A&C films from their early Universal period, a must for their still growing legion of fans.