User Reviews

Another nice little film from Bud & Lou, even if rushed and bodged together with Never Give A Sucker An Even Break at the end it's still a pleasant 70 minutes.

Two inept plumbers keeping their heads above water by working for both the expensive Ajax and cheap Atlas plumbing companies get called to repair a leak in swanky society house with disastrous results but afterwards find themselves invited to a Society garden party (in error), again with disastrous results. Baddie Thomas Gomez and his evil-doings were a side issue here, the comedy routines and the lilting songs were the thing. Marion Hutton supplied the songs, especially lustrous being What A Change In The Weather, done as only Universal ever knew how - and also the rather wooden romance. How different she was to her sister Betty! Languid and still mining the Hellzapoppin vein with popular music mixed with comedy and people disporting themselves in swimsuits, it meanders on to its startling plot course change after an hour and almost turns into a different film. Favourite bits: The boys' exit from Thurston Hall's bathroom; Don't blow the horn!; And of course the all-time classic burlesque sketch of Beagle Street (changed from Floogle Street)/The Susquehannah Hat Co!, adapted for this film by John Grant at Lou's behest. Lou also directed the routine in 1 take using friends as extras and 3 cameras.

Unassuming and inconsequential with no message and absolutely nothing for the serious fan of modern "comedy" – in other words, imho a marvellous film I watch every few years with no diminution of enjoyment.

Abbott and Costello are plumbers who accidentally get themselves invited to a High Society social event. Like so many of their films, this one's got a good amount of funny bits to enjoy, but they also come at the price of enduring some musical interruptions (at least Marion Hutton sings "No Bout Adoubt It" better than she can deliver dialogue). But ignoring those, some of the best gags in this movie include: Bud and Lou trashing a ritzy bathroom with their plumbing incompetence; a hilarious sequence where a policeman beats Costello up for blowing a car's horn late at night while Abbott doesn't lift a finger to help (they often revamped this routine in other films as well as their TV show, but it was never better done than it is here); Costello jumps in a pool to save a man's life and gets berated for it; and the classic highlight of the picture -- the "Bagel Street" bit where Lou attempts to get directions to the Susquehannah Hat Company from all sorts of nutty people he meets on the street. **1/2 out of ****

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.

After previously reviewing Laurel & Hardy crashing High Society in From Soup to Nuts and Another Fine Mess, we're now seeing Bud Abbott & Lou Costello In Society. They're plumbers called to fix a sink leak in a mansion. With Abbott ordering Costello around, there's no way that will go well! Despite that, they accidentally get invited to a society party along with their cab driver friend Elsie (Marion Hutton, Betty's sister). Also coming, a loan shark (Thomas Gomez) and his chauffeur (Murray Leonard) are following along to steal a valuable painting. I'll stop there and just say some of the scenes are uneven due to obvious rear projection footage involving some chase scenes and at least one song-among many being performed usually by Marion-sung by Kirby Grant is one too many. Still, there's still some infectious fun especially when the "Bagel Street" routine is being performed. Some of the players above had or will team with Bud & Lou in other films which would also include Anne Gillis playing a rival for Grant here. Also, a couple of players associated with Laurel & Hardy also appear here-Dorothy Granger and Charlie Hall, though I admit I didn't recognize the latter anywhere in the picture. In summary, In Society is still worth a look for any A & C fan. With that, my next review will be Laurel & Hardy's Swiss Miss.

In Society (1944)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Abbott and Costello play plummers who are accidentally invited to a rich person's house for the weekend where they much try to become part of society. Apparently A&C were causing a lot of troubles for the production of this thing due to a contract issue and the final results really show. This certainly isn't their worst film but it's certainly middle of the ground stuff. Most of the jokes just don't flow right as they seemed rushed and forced. Still, there are several minor laughs that keep this thing going for fans.

While I can't say this movie was on a par with "Hold That Ghost" or "Time of Their Lives", it was still funny and entertaining. Bud and Lou play Eddie and Albert, two plumbers who are hired to fix the sink at a wealthy estate during a costume party, (where Arthur Treacher plays the butler) and are driven there by cab driver Elsie Hemmerdingle (Marion Hutton), whom Albert's been dating. She, however, soon loses her heart to Peter Evans (Kirby Grant), who mistakes her for one of the elites, thinking her uniform is a costume. Meanwhile, Albert makes a shambles out of the bathroom, as Murphy's Law prevails!

Some highlights of the film are the two numbers Marion sings: "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" and "No Doubt About It", and a crazy chase on a firetruck, as Eddie and Albert seek to clear their name of stealing a priceless painting.

Not a bad way to pass the time.

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.

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello play a couple of plumbers whose handiwork reminds one of scenes from the Three Stooges when they were "handymen" in a couple of films. Their scenes being mistaken as house guests at an estate are very funny, with them getting the dress clothes of a couple of other guests. The two have a couple of other scenes with some humor, including a firetruck chase. But the comedy in the rest of the film is just so-so. And, but for the two stars, the rest of the film would be a drag.

"In Society" has a romance subplot, as do a number of early Abbott and Costello films. These usually evolve around singing and music with a lesser known swing band of the day. That translates in the 21st century to a band no one is likely have heart of or remembered. And, the cast for this story, and their performances are what one would normally see in the B movies of the day. That goes for the singing and music as well. The only other cast member who adds anything to the film is Arthur Treacher who plays Pipps, the butler.

This film may have been funnier to audiences of its day, during World War II, but it's not a memorable comedy in the 21st century.

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

IN SOCIETY (Universal, 1944), directed by Jean Yarbrough, stars the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in another one of their top comedies. Having been in movies since 1940, it would be a while before the team would tackle burlesque routines to certain background stories into such surefire comedy settings as in this case, high society. There's no Grace Kelly here to supply beauty and class but another blonde with the same mannerisms and singing style of Paramount's own, Betty Hutton, mainly because the down-to-earth style female co-star is played by Betty's real life sister, Marion, who's likable and pleasing personality, as with Betty, enlightens the film. With Bud and Lou crashing society, and how they do it results to a very funny story.

The narrative opens at a costume ball function hosted by Mrs. Van Cleave (Nella Walker). Her husband, Henry (Thurston Hall), returns home exhausted and would like nothing more than get a good night's sleep. After heading to his bedroom to retire for the night, there's a leak in the faucet that's keeping him awake. After going through the telephone directory, the butler (Charles Coleman) telephones for plumbers at the Ajax Plumbing Company, who, in turn happen to be non-other than Eddie Harrington (Bud Abbott) and his helper ("but no help") Albert Mansfield (Lou Costello). Accepting thejob at $4 an hour, the plumbers are driven to the lavish Long Island estate by Albert's love interest, Elsie Hammerdingle (Marion Hutton), a lady taxi driver working for the Baker Cab Company. Because the Van Cleave function happens to be a costume party, Elsie is mistaken for one of the guests, especially by Peter Evans (Kirby Grant), the richest bachelor who happens to arrive dressed as a taxi driver. In the meantime, the plumbers typically do more harm than good with the leak, causing Mrs. Van Cleave, the following morning, to write them a letter of complaint to them. However, she unwittingly places a weekend invitation to a charity function at the Briarwood estate in the envelope instead, where the hapless plumbers received and accept the invitation as good business relations for their company.  Also attending the Briarwood function are Peter and Elsie, much to the dismay of Gloria (Anne Gillis), Peter's jealous debutante girlfriend. With the weekend function hosted by Mrs. Roger Winthrop (Margaret Irving), she collects donations  for the upcoming unveiling of "The Plunger," a valuable painting worth $150,000. Also attending the function is Drezel (Thomas Gomez), a loan shark who earlier offered Eddie and Albert a $1,000 loan for their plumbing business, along with Marlowe (Murray Leonard), chauffeur for Mrs. Winthrop (and professional knife thrower), plotting to steal the valuable painting, and attempt to convince the plumbing stooges to assist them with their theft.

A fast-moving 75 minutes comedy loaded with worthwhile Abbott and Costello comedy material from start to finish. The most famous of their routines turns out to be "additional comedy material" credited to Sidney Fields (Landlord Mr. Fields from television's "The Abbott and Costello Show" (1952-1954)) for the one called "Bagle Street," where the plumbers try to deliver box full of hats for their friend at the Susquehanna Hat Company. There's also another routine borrowed from BUCK PRIVATES (1941), which changes Costello's situation from Army Sergeant to policeman (Edgar Dearing). Another classic routine involving Costello with Arthur Treacher (naturally playing the society butler named Biffs) is also priceless, as is Costello's take in the fox hunt. "Remarkable!" The scene involving Bud and Lou on a runaway sofa down the road is one that usually not included on New York City's WPIX, Channel 11, where IN SOCIETY and other Abbott and Costello comedies aired Sunday mornings from 1971 to 1990. Others in the cast include George Dolenz (Baron Sergel) and Steven Geray (Count Alexis), a couple of Briarwood guests whose suits and clothing get mixed with Bud and Lou's. Don Barclay is also amusing in his bit as the drowning drunk who gives Lou a hard time for saving him. If the climatic fire engine chase looks familiar, some of it was lifted from an earlier comedy classic starring WC Fields in NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK (Universal, 1941).

A reflection or movie comedies of the time, there's musical numbers to such tuneful melodies to help balance the story, including "No Doubt About It, I'm in Love With You" (sung by Marion Hutton); "Rehearsing" (sung by Anne Gillis, and the Three Sisters, Bea, Margie and Gerri by poolside, conducted by Will Osborne and his Orchestra); "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" (sung by Marion Hutton); and "What a Change in the Weather" (sung by Kirby Grant to Marion Hutton on boat ride). With the exception of Kirby Grant's interlude, which is slow in tempo, all the other songs are lively, pleasant and somewhat memorable.

Last seen on cable television's American Movie Classics in 2001 (AMC premiere January 1, 2001, as part of Abbott and Costello's "Who's on the First" movie marathon), IN SOCIETY, distributed on video cassette in the 1990s and later DVD format, is no disappointment for many. The team is not only in fine form here, but supporting players handle their roles in the manner as they are played. Though Margaret Irving is quite good as the society hostess, it's a wonder had another Margaret that of Margaret Dumont, the famous dowager type of serve Marx Brothers comedies, might have made the movie even funnier. Be sure not to miss the finish! (**1/2 plungers)

"In Society" has a promising set-up - Abbott and Costello as bumbling plumbers who get invited by mistake to a high-society weekend party and try to act as if they belong there - but the film doesn't exploit this premise for all it's worth. At its best, the film approaches the surreal craziness of the Marx Brothers movies (the flooded room, the Susquehannah Hat Company sketch, etc.). But there are too many songs, 4 to be specific in a 70-minute movie (though at least one of them, "No bout adout it", has likably crazy lyrics - "I sove you lo much, I mean I love you so much"), the back projection during the big chase scenes couldn't be more obvious, and Abbott's character is thoroughly obnoxious. (**)

IN SOCIETY (1944)*** One of Abbott and Costello's finest and funniest comedies with the boys as bumbling plumbers hobnobbing with the hoi palloi with some amusing moments in one of the first snob/slob comedies. Best bit: "Bagel Street" bit with poor Lou being abused while trying to run an errand for a friend.

A&C as plumbers - cue a 100-or-so cross-talk routines, trouble with pipes and a plethora of vulgar noises, before the duo somehow becomes embroiled in a high-society art theft. Naturally they save the day, but not without ruining the substantive part of it first.

This particular A&C film is often much funnier than most, but it nevertheless remains as unbearably noisy, frenetic and annoying as any similar 'Three Stooges' short spun out to feature-length would have been.

Rather more insultingly, a lot of the footage is lifted from WC Fields' 'Never Give A Sucker An Even Break'.

Made towards the end of their first contracted stint with Universal Studios, "In Society" is possibly the last eminently watchable Abbott and Costello feature until they initiated their horror spoofs with "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein", the picture which has probably survived the sands of time better than any of their others. In "In Society", the emphasis is very much on the physical and visual side of the pair's vaudevillian humour and there is little in the way of the verbal routines or snappy one-liners which are dotted around many of their other movies. But the visual set-pieces are performed with a great vivacity and enthusiasm for which Costello's apprenticeship as a stuntman in some pictures of the late twenties had prepared him well, and it is refreshing to find an unexpected but heart-warming tribute to W.C. Fields, including shots taken directly from the master's 1941 "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break".

"In Society" has engendered much diverse response in the ratings, and I am one who must place this one fairly low. First of all, the situations are just too extreme and beyond belief to make the program credible; there is essentially no passage that seems possible of happening in real life, and, for me, humor in film. And almost anything else, plays off possibility turning absurd but not ridiculous.

Second, the musical interludes were dull and, except for the well-known "My Dreams Are. Getting Better ..", considerably overdrawn. Kirby Grant's vocal turn in particular was way too long, while Miss Hutton's appearance in the film and musical numbers seems hesitant and unsure. She looks older than the role calls for and doesn't really have an actress' veneer.

Third, the entire cast, which feature some recognizable 1940's stalwarts, just do not seem to be having that much of a good time, as I got the feeling they are all at work and wanting to rid themselves of another long day at the office.

I understand some viewers found the film very fun, but I have to side with those that found it less than worthwhile. Only the staunchest of A&C's fans will relish this one.

This movie is so disjointed no one seems to know why they are in it... except perhaps to recycle tired old vaudeville gags. With the movie's tenuous attempt to evidence any continuity, the viewer is confused and disappointed..... try Buck Privates, or Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, or better yet Hold That Ghost, if you really want a well made Abbott and Costello comedy.