''It's in the Bag'' is a 1944 British

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Herbert Mason Samuel George Herbert Mason (1891 – 20 May 1960) was a British film director, producer, stage actor, army officer, presenter of some revues, stage manager, theatre director, stage director, choreographer, Production manager (theatre), produ ...

and starring

Elsie Waters Florence Elsie Waters (19 August 1893–14 June 1990) and her sister Doris Ethel Waters (20 December 1899–18 August 1978) were English comic actresses and singers who performed as a double act. They are remembered for creating the co ...

Doris Waters Florence Elsie Waters (19 August 1893–14 June 1990) and her sister Doris Ethel Waters (20 December 1899–18 August 1978) were English Comedienne, comic actresses and singers who performed as a double act. They are remembered for cre ...

and

Ernest Butcher Edward Ernest Butcher (7 April 1885 – 8 June 1965) was a British actor, on stage from 1935, and with many film and TV appearances. Early life and career Edward Ernest Butcher was born on 7 April 1885 in Cliviger, Burnley, Lancashire, En ...

. It was produced and distributed by Butcher's Film Service.

Gert and Daisy Florence Elsie Waters (19 August 1893–14 June 1990) and her sister Doris Ethel Waters (20 December 1899–18 August 1978) were English comic actresses and singers who performed as a double act. They are remembered for creating the co ...

try to recover a valuable lost dress. It was followed by the ITV television series ''

'' (1959).

Plot

Gert and Daisy are hard up, and to raise some cash sell a dress bequeathed to them by their grandmother. Too late, they realise the dress has £2000 hidden in it, and set about retrieving it from the buyer, a theatrical costumier. Their landlady's son, Joe, gets to hear about it and joins the chase to try and get his hands on the money.

Cast

as Gert *

as Daisy *

as Sam Braithwaite * Lesley Osmond as April Vaughan * Gordon Edwards as Alan West *

Reginald Purdell Reginald Purdell (4 November 1896 – 22 April 1953) was an English actor and screenwriter who appeared in over 40 films between 1930 and 1951. During the same period, he also contributed to the screenplays of 15 feature films, such as '' The Da ...

as Joe *

Irene Handl Irene Handl () (27 December 1901 – 29 November 1987) was a British character actress who appeared in more than 100 British films; she also wrote novels. Life Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the younger of two daughters of an Aus ...

as Mrs Beam *

Vera Bogetti Vera Josephine Boggetti (5 October 1902 – 10 October 1985) was a British stage and film actress. She married Laurence J. Rickards in Hampstead, London in 1925, and the couple had a daughter, Pauline, in 1931, who died as an infant in 1932 ...

as Rose Trelawney *

Megs Jenkins Muguette Mary "Megs" Jenkins (21 April 1917 – 5 October 1998) was an English character actress who appeared in United Kingdom, British films and television programmes. Life and career Jenkins was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, the daughter of ...

as Peach St. Clair * Tony Quinn as Prendergast * Anthony Holles as costumier

Release

The film is listed on the

BFI 75 Most Wanted The BFI 75 Most Wanted is a list compiled in 2010 by the British Film Institute of the most sought-after British feature films not held in the BFI National Archive, and classified as "missing, believed lost". The films chosen range from quota ...

list of

lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...

s, but it was given a DVD commercial release by Renown Pictures Ltd in May 2014, although the Renown version is only 63 minutes long.

Critical reception

Kinematograph Weekly ''Kinematograph Weekly'', popularly known as ''Kine Weekly'', was a trade paper catering to the British film industry between 1889 and 1971. Etymology The word Kinematograph was derived from the Greek ' Kinumai ', (to move, to be in motion, to ...

'' called the film a "cheery low-life comedy extravaganza", adding: "Amusing and up-to-date, if sketchy, story, great team work of Elsie and Doris Waters, impressive staging, useful supporting cast, bright song numbers, good title. ''

Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "A typically broad Waters Sisters farce which moves with immense speed from one fantastic episode to another. During the whole film, both Gert and Daisy are well up to their usual form, fooling and back-chatting, not to mention appearing as a supposedly tragic heroine and a little Lord Fauntleroy type of boy. They contribute, too, quite an attractive song. The rest of the cast, and particularly Ernest Butcher as an overwrought theatrical producer, aid and abet to the best of their ability." In ''British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959'' David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Slight story moved along at great speed, yet another variant on ''The 12 Chairs''."

References

External links

BFI 75 Most Wanted entry
with extensive notes *
''It's in the Bag''
at Park Circus
''It's in the Bag''
at

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, d ...

''It's in the Bag''
at

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

1944 films 1944 comedy films 1940s British films 1940s English-language films British black-and-white films British comedy films Butcher's Film Service films English-language comedy films Films directed by Herbert Mason Films scored by Percival Mackey {{1940s-UK-comedy-film-stub