In Society (1944)

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 ... See full summary »

Directors:

Jean Yarbrough, Erle C. Kenton (uncredited)

Writers:

Hugh Wedlock Jr. (story), Howard Snyder (story)

Stars:

Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marion Hutton

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bud Abbott	...	Eddie Harrington
Lou Costello	...	Albert Mansfield
Marion Hutton	...	Elsie Hemmerdingle
Kirby Grant	...	Peter Evans
Ann Gillis	...	Gloria (as Anne Gillis)
Arthur Treacher	...	Pipps
Thomas Gomez	...	Brexel
George Dolenz	...	Baron Alexis
Steven Geray	...	Count Sergei
Murray Leonard	...	Marlow
Thurston Hall	...	Mr. Van Cleve
Geri Rosse	...	Orchestra Singer (as Geri)
Nella Walker	...	Mrs. Van Cleve
William B. Davidson	...	Parker
Will Osborne	...	Will Osborne (as Will Osborne and His Orchestra)

Storyline

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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Plot Keywords:

song | singer | singing | singing sisters | bundling plumber | 

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Taglines:

THE COMEDY KINGS are BACK! (original poster)

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Music

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 August 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Abbott and Costello in Society

Filming Locations:

Reuss Lake, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$660,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the first Bud Abbott and Lou Costello feature for Universal to go into production in more than a year, following Costello's recovery from rheumatic fever.

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Goofs

There are 2 support structures under the fire engine ladder that are solely there to support the weight of the car and not normally found beneath a fire engine's ladder.

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Quotes

Albert Mansfield: Lady, he ain't dead, he's hiding!

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Crazy Credits

In the opening billing of "Bud Abbott" and "Lou Costello" the "o" in Abbott and one of the "o"'s in "Costello" are unusually large and used to "frame" photos of them.

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Connections

Edited into Knights of the Bath (1951)

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Soundtracks

What a Change in the Weather
Written by Kim Gannon & Walter Kent
Sung by Kirby Grant

User Reviews

In Society (1944) **1/2

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 ****