a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Blistering performances.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

As in most early Abbott and Costello films, there is a developing romantic couple who often served as singers. Here, we have Marian Hutton, sister of the more famous Betty Hutton, who appeared in several films, usually as a singer. Here, she is both singer and actress, playing a taxi driver who gets somewhat mixed up in A&C's doings. She hits it off with Kirby Grant, whom she meets at a costume ball. Kirby had done some singing and violin playing in his early career, but is mostly remembered as Sky King in the TV serial. While they dance at the ball, Marian sings "No Bout Adoubt It"(that's right),sounding much like her sister, but without her frequent demonstrative delivery. Later, while wandering in a garden, she sings "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time". While they are leisurely canoeing on a shady lake, Kirby sings "What a Change in the Weather." ....Also, Ann Gillis, who plays the daughter of a society matron, sings "Rehearsin'", while bathing beauties bounce colorful balls around the edge of a swimming pool. Ann's film career was mainly concentrated as a child actress.The boys, as supposed plumbers, are called to fix a leaking faucet in the bedroom bathroom of wealthy Van Cleve(Thurston Hall) while he is supposed to be sleeping. They have no idea how to go about it. Their useless efforts only make the problem 1000X worse. Soon, the bathroom and bedroom are flooded, and when Mr. Van Cleve opens the bathroom door, the boys come out with a surge inside the bathtub! Later, Mrs. Van Cleve writes a letter of protest to the boys, but just then receives an invitation to another gala, which she mixes up with her note and sends the invitation to the boys. They are elated at the invitation, figuring they will meet many wealthy people who will have many bathrooms that need fixing. Upon arrival at Mrs. Winthrop's, they steal a couple of suitcases and put on the tux and top hat they find. Mrs. Winthrop talks about a painting called 'The Plunger' that will be unveiled. Lou thinks she means a plumber's plunger, but Abbott clues him in that, in this context, it refers to a habitual gambler.Now, a Mr. Drexel shows up, who loaned the boys some money to start their business. He wants them to help him steal the valuable painting, but they refuse. Drexel's accomplice, the chauffeur Marlow, uses knife throwing to try to scare the boys into helping them, but this fails. Mrs. Winthrop announces that the painting has disappeared. Mrs. Winthrop's daughter accuses the boys, along with Marian, of stealing it.(She's jealous of Kirby's attention to Marian). The boys see the two get into a car with a rolled up paper. They get on a nearby hook and ladder(?)and chase the two. They have quite an adventure, weaving through traffic, etc.. , before slamming into the Winthrop mansion, blowing out part of a wall. They deliver the painting, but......an unexpected ending. For me, this chase sequence is the funniest part of the film, along with their initial plumbing problems.Much has been written about the Bagel Street scene, in which Lou asks various pedestrians for directions to Bagel Street, and the conversation soon turns to an unpleasant experience they had with the straw hats he is supposed to deliver, and they destroy the hat he is wearing....In another scene, they are dusting the furniture, apparently in a room, when the truck they are in moves off with the door open, causing the couch they are on to slide out the back, onto its wheels(?), and go flying down the inclined street.In summary, an amusing film, with the usual A&C personas.

Although Abbott and Costello were very popular in 1944, surprisingly, Universal Pictures still insisted on placing musical numbers in their films--an odd convention of the time and something that wouldn't be abandoned for another couple years. As I said, this is odd because people came to see Abbott and Costello and comedy--not production numbers and singing. Fortunately, this one has less singing than most but it still is the same old formula.In this film, Abbott and Costello are idiot plumbers. One day, they are called to fix the plumbing at a mansion where there is a big society party. They make a mess of it but somehow are invited to the next party as guests! The two, in particular Lou, make a mess of things as they hang with the gentry. In addition to the silliness, there is a subplot involving a friend of theirs (a pretty young cab driver) who is also mistaken for a society lady, though this plot is 100% unnecessary and seems to have been added because the studio STILL couldn't trust an entire film to rest on the shoulders of Abbott and Costello--an odd thing, as they were the hottest thing in Hollywood at the time. Such romantic subplots are the norm for the early Universal films that the team made.In addition to all this, a crook tries to insinuate himself into the party. He also tries to get the boys to help him with his scheme to steal a painting, though naturally they refuse and help to thwart his wicked plan. However, the final big fight scene is exceptionally lame--the result of using an obvious rear-projected film to hide that it was all done on the set. This "clever" ruse was in fact pretty sad at times.There is also an old vaudeville skit in the film that has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the film. It's about taking a load of hats to Bagel Street and the Susquehanna Hat Company. The Three Stooges later did the same routine and I suspect many have done it over the years (including Lou for the "Abbott and Costello Show" on television). This version seems to be the best and although it's pretty stupid, you can't help but laugh! Overall, it's a mixed bag--a lot of laughs AND some stupid singing and low points as well. Worth seeing for Abbott and Costello fans but skipable for most others.

"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!"

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.