In Society

1944 "THE COMEDY KINGS are BACK!"
6.6| 1h15m| NR| en
Details

Two bumbling plumbers are hired by a socialite to fix a leak. A case of mistaken identity gets the pair an invitation to a fancy party and an entree into high society. As expected, things don't go too smoothly.

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Trailers & Clips

Also starring Marion Hutton

Reviews

Protraph Lack of good storyline.
Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.
PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
mike48128 The famous "fire-truck" car-chase footage (exerpt) reused in 3 Universal movies shows up here, also in "Never give a Sucker an Even Break", and "Fireman, Save my Child". As "Society" plumbers they tear up the bathroom and it floats away. They are mistakenly sent another society invitation to a party instead of a complaint letter for destroying the plumbing. They "borrow" other guests' clothing and attend the affair. Lou undressing for the bath is a scream! Arthur Treacher plays "Pipps" the English butler. All too familiar material, even the stolen painting ("Animal Crackers") gag. Best enjoyed for "The Bagel St." and Susquehanna Hat Co." routine as everybody Lou asks for directions goes berserk and "pops" a straw hat. Only one (of four) songs is enjoyable: "No 'bout' a doubt it..." sung by (another) beautiful blonde. More action than later films. Tally Ho! The fox hunt is great fun, as Lou ends up "cuddling" with the fox.
AaronCapenBanner 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.
www1125 I personally found this film lacking in greatness for some reason. It was the first A&C film to be released in a year due to Lou's bout with rheumatic fever, however it just wasn't the same as all of their previous films. Don't get me wrong. It's still a funny film and worth seeing(worth owning if like me you're a devoted A&C fan), just don't expect anything like they're best films. Although, it does contain the Susquehanna Hat Company routine, which is always funny to watch. Particularly the lane, "He ain't dead lady, he's hidin'!". And of course the plumbing scene at the beginning is a highlight. I think what gets me though is that Universal was so rude to put in a scene where Costello saves a man from drowning, to which Abbott gets onto him for saving the man without a license. The reason this gets me is because this was the first film after Lou's son had drowned, and that scene had to be hard on him. Overall an average comedy, but Abbott and Costello still manage to make it good.
classicsoncall "In Society" presents Abbott and Costello as a pair of inept plumbers who manage to get themselves invited to an upper class weekend party, where they get to hob nob with the hoi polloi and solve a mystery in their usual frantic manner. There's some fairly standard fare here, including the Bagel Street/Susquehanna Hat routine, while the romantic chores are handled by future TV Sky King, Kirby Grant wooing the lovely Marion Hutton, who goes by the unlikely name of Elsie Hammerdingle. Her character is a female taxi driver, and along with the boys, rides out this comedy in a case of mistaken identity.When an expensive painting depicting "The Plunger" winds up missing at the society affair, the boys become likely suspects when their plumber identities become known. The painting is recovered following a well choreographed chase scene in which Bud and Lou hop aboard a conveniently placed hook and ladder rig. There's some innovative stunt driving featuring a handful of near misses with oncoming traffic. When it's all over, the weekend hostess quite proudly proclaims - "You may be plumbers, but you're wonderful plumbers!"