PlatinumRead Just so...so bad
AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
JohnHowardReid 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 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.
simeon_flake 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
MartinHafer 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.
gridoon "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. (**)
