Wikipedia

Joe McDoakes

Joe McDoakes is an American short-film comedy series produced and directed by Richard L. Bare for Warner Bros. A total of 63 black-and-white, live-action, one-reel films were produced and released between 1942 and 1956. The Joe McDoakes shorts are also known as the Behind the Eight Ball series (for the large eight ball Joe appeared behind in the opening credits) or the So You Want... series (as the film titles began with this phrase). The character's name derives from Joe Doakes, which was a popular American slang term for the average man.

Joe McDoakes
Directed byRichard Bare
Written byGeorge O'Hanlon
Various
Screenplay byRichard L. Bare
Produced byRichard Bare
Gordon Hollingshead
Cedric Francis
StarringGeorge O'Hanlon
Jane Harker
Phyllis Coates
Jane Frazee
Rodney Bell
Fred Kelsey
Ted Stanhope
Clifton Young
Narrated byArt Gilmore
Knox Manning
CinematographyTed Keefer
Edited byRex Steele
Music byWilliam Lava
Production
company
Richard L. Bare Productions
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
November 14, 1942 – July 14, 1956
Running time
10 minutes (per short)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The theme song of the series is "I Know That You Know" by Vincent Youmans from his Broadway musical Oh, Please! (1926), used later in the MGM musical Hit the Deck (1955).

George O'Hanlon, who would later provide the voice of George Jetson in Hanna-Barbera's animated sitcom The Jetsons, starred as the series' title character, Joe McDoakes. These one-reel shorts were written by Bare and O'Hanlon, although Bare usually received sole screen credit as the writer. Art Gilmore served as the narrator through 1948. Gordon Hollingshead, who won five Academy Awards for producing other short subjects for Warner Bros., was also credited as a producer on the series until his death in 1952, although his role on this series was primarily as liaison between the studio and the director.

History

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The series began with So You Want to Give Up Smoking, produced by Bare to teach his students at the University of Southern California the fundamentals of filmmaking. It was acquired by Warner Bros. for $2,500 and became the first of a series of short subjects. Only one more short was produced before World War II caused the suspension of the series, but production resumed in 1945 with So You Think You're Allergic.

These first three shorts were filmed silent, with narration added in post-production in the manner of the popular Pete Smith shorts produced at MGM from 1931 to 1955. They also resembled the Smith shorts in their focus on actual, everyday problems (such as smoking cessation, eye care and coping with allergies) in an instructional but humorous way.

In 1946, the series began using live sound recording, and the addition of dialogue afforded the films a new dimension. The action was now played strictly for laughs, with many familiar character actors such as Fritz Feld, Ralph Sanford, Philip Van Zandt, Fred Kelsey and Leo White frequently appearing. Semiregular actors included Clifton Young and later Del Moore as Joe's loudmouthed pal Homer, Rodney Bell as dumb Marvin and Ted Stanhope as an all-purpose authority figure. Many of the shorts are domestic comedies in which McDoakes persists in some sort of endeavor, with often disastrous consequences.

Warner Bros. contract player Jane Harker costarred as Joe's wife Alice in eight comedies, beginning with So You Want to Play the Horses in 1946 and ending with So You Want to Build a House in 1948. Screen newcomer Phyllis Coates assumed the role of Alice in So You Want to Be in Politics. Coates had married Bare that same year, and the working relationship would survive their later divorce. Former singing star Jane Frazee assumed the role beginning with So You Want to Be Your Own Boss (1954), but Coates returned in 1956 for the last three installments. While the Alice character appeared in most of the shorts, the actresses playing the role were not credited. In several of the films, Alice does not appear, and in some, Joe is a bachelor, as there is no continuity between installments.

In the late 1940s, the series won three consecutive Academy Award nominations in the category of Best Short Subject, One-reel for So You Want to Be in Pictures (1947), So You Want to Be on the Radio (1948) and So You Think You're Not Guilty (1949). For most of the series' run, the shorts were the only live-action comedies offered in 10-minute length, making them attractive for theater owners to include in their programs. The series ran until 1956, when the decline of the studio system brought an end to the production of short subjects by Warner Bros. and most of the other Hollywood studios.

Cast and crew

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Appearance credits for uncredited actors may be incomplete or incorrect because of inaccurate sources.

Billed cast and crew

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Alice McDoakes

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Character actors with 10 or more appearances

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Guest cast notable for other roles

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Shorts

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Title Approximate production date[1][2] Release date Notes including key co-stars with George O'Hanlon[3]
So You Want to Give Up Smoking Early 1942 November 14, 1942 Art Gilmore (narrator)
So You Think You Need Glasses Early 1942 December 26, 1942 Art Gilmore (narrator)
So You Think You're Allergic June 1945 December 1, 1945 Knox Manning (narrator), Barbara Billingsley (cameo)
So You Want to Play the Horses June 1946 October 5, 1946 Art Gilmore (narrator), Jane Harker, Richard Erdman, Leo White, Clifton Young, Fred Kelsey
So You Want to Keep Your Hair April 1946 December 7, 1946 Art Gilmore (narrator), Leo White, Fred Kelsey, Iron Eyes Cody, Buster Brodie
So You Think You're a Nervous Wreck September 1946 December 28, 1946 Art Gilmore (narrator), Clifton Young, Fred Kelsey, Howard M. Mitchell, Ted Stanhope
So You're Going to Be a Father December 1946 May 10, 1947 Art Gilmore (narrator), Jane Harker, Fred Kelsey, Leo White, Emmett Vogan
So You Want to Be in Pictures December 1946 June 7, 1947 Art Gilmore (narrator), George Chandler, Clyde Cook, Ralph Sanford, Jack Carson, Ronald Reagan, Wayne Morris, Janis Paige. Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
So You're Going on a Vacation December 1946 July 5, 1947 Art Gilmore (narrator), Jane Harker, Ted Stanhope, Lennie Bremen, Clifton Young
So You Want to Be a Salesman February 1947 September 13, 1947 Art Gilmore (narrator), Jane Harker, Lennie Bremen, Ted Stanhope, Rose Plumer, Lottie Williams
So You Want to Hold Your Wife June 1947 November 22, 1947 Art Gilmore (narrator), Jane Harker, Ted Stanhope
So You Want an Apartment July 1947 January 3, 1948 Art Gilmore (narrator), Jane Harker, Ted Stanhope, Clifton Young, Fred Kelsey
So You Want to Be a Gambler August 1947 February 14, 1948 Art Gilmore (narrator), Clifton Young, Douglas Fowley, Leo White
So You Want to Build a House June 1947 May 15, 1948 Art Gilmore (narrator), Jane Harker, Clifton Young, Fred Kelsey, Ralph Peters, Donald Kerr, Ralph Littlefield
So You Want to Be a Detective September 1947 June 26, 1948 Art Gilmore (narrator), Lila Leeds, Clifton Young, George Magrill, Olaf Hytten, Fred Kelsey, Howard Mitchell, Charles Horvath, Philo Mccullough, Charles Marsh, Donald Kerr, Kit Guard
So You Want to Be in Politics July 1948 October 2, 1948 Phyllis Coates, Clifton Young, Fred Kelsey
So You Want to Be on the Radio July 1948 November 6, 1948 Phyllis Coates, Clifton Young, Fred Kelsey, Ted Stanhope, Leo White, Jack Lomas. Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
So You Want to Be a Baby Sitter March 1948 January 8, 1949 Art Gilmore (narrator), Phyllis Coates, Clifton Young, Billy Gray
So You Want to Be Popular December 1948 March 12, 1949 Art Gilmore (narrator), Phyllis Coates, Clifton Young, Creighton Hale, Ted Stanhope, Leo White
So You Want to Be a Muscle Man March 1949 July 2, 1949 Phyllis Coates, Clarence Ross, Willard Waterman
So You're Having In-Law Trouble April–May 1949 August 27, 1949 Phyllis Coates, Clifton Young, Willard Waterman
So You Want to Get Rich Quick August 1949 October 28, 1949 Phyllis Coates, Fred Clark, Joe Turkel, Frank Nelson
So You Want to Be an Actor August 1949 December 3, 1949 Art Gilmore (narrator), Fred Clark, Fred Kelsey, Frank Nelson, Ralph Sanford, Clifton Young, Ted Stanhope, Dorothy Vaughan
So You Think You're Not Guilty October 1949 December 21, 1949 (preview) April 7, 1950 (release) Phyllis Coates, Ralph Sanford, Ted Stanhope, Fred Kelsey, Willard Waterman. Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
So You Want to Throw a Party October 1949 February 4, 1950 Phyllis Coates, Billy Curtis, Willard Waterman, Ted Stanhope, Fred Kelsey, Jack Lomas, Edward Gargan
So You Want to Hold Your Husband May 1950 July 1, 1950 Phyllis Coates, Ted Stanhope, Fred Kelsey, Monte Blue, Art Gilmore
So You Want to Move May 1950 August 19, 1950 Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell, Ralph Sanford, Charles Sullivan
So You Want a Raise July 1950 September 23, 1950 Phyllis Coates, Willard Waterman, Margie Liszt, Edward Gargan, Fred Kelsey
So You're Going to Have an Operation July 1950 December 2, 1950 Fritz Feld, Ted Stanhope, Frank Nelson
So You Want to Be a Handy Man July 1950 January 3, 1951 Rodney Bell
So You Want to Be a Cowboy November 1950 April 14, 1951 Phyllis Coates, Ted Stanhope, Eddie Gribbon, Harry Wilson.
So You Want to Be a Paper Hanger December 1950 June 2, 1951 Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell, Arthur Q. Bryan, Anne O’Neal
So You Want to Buy a Used Car December 1950 July 28, 1951 Phyllis Coates, Fred Kelsey, Bobby Jellison
So You Want to Be a Bachelor June 1951 September 22, 1951 Phyllis Coates, Ted Stanhope, Chester Clute, Jack Rice, Fred Kelsey
So You Want to Be a Plumber July 1951 November 10, 1951 Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell
So You Want to Get It Wholesale July 1951 January 12, 1952 Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell, Frank Nelson, Ted Stanhope, Charles Sullivan, Jack Mower, Georg Penbroke
So You Want to Enjoy Life January 1952 March 29, 1952 Del Moore, Fritz Feld, Arthur Q. Bryan
So You Want to Go to a Convention January 1952 June 7, 1952 Phyllis Coates, Connie Cezan
So You Never Tell a Lie January 1952 August 2, 1952 Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell, Emory Parnell, Jack Mower, Anne O’Neal
So You're Going to the Dentist July 1952 September 20, 1952 Rodney Bell, Frank Nelson
So You Want to Wear the Pants July 1952 November 8, 1952 Phyllis Coates, Fritz Feld
So You Want to Be a Musician August 1952 December 14, 1952 Maurice Cass, Philip Van Zandt, Fred Kelsey, Chester Conklin, Paul Maxey, Fritz Feld
So You Want to Learn to Dance December 1952 March 28, 1953 Emory Parnell, Jack Mower, Creighton Hale, Jesslyn Fax
So You Want a Television Set December 1952 May 23, 1953 Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell, Philip Van Zandt, Fred Kelsey, Doris Day, Gordon MacRae
So You Love Your Dog December 1952 August 1, 1953 Phyllis Coates
So You Think You Can't Sleep August 1953 October 31, 1953 Phyllis Coates, Ted Stanhope, Fred Kelsey
So You Want to Be an Heir August 1953 December 19, 1953 Phyllis Coates, Philip Van Zandt
So You're Having Neighbor Trouble November 1953 December 26, 1953 Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell, Arthur Q. Bryan
So You Want to Be Your Own Boss December 1953 March 13, 1954 Jane Frazee, Rodney Bell, Phil Arnold, Fred Kelsey, Lyle Talbot
So You Want to Go to a Night Club December 1953 May 1, 1954 Jane Frazee, Philip Van Zandt, Del Moore, Joi Lansing, Jack Chefe, Ralph Brooks
So You Want to Be a Banker April 1954 July 3, 1954 Snub Pollard, Fred Kelsey
So You're Taking in a Roomer August 1954 October 30, 1954 Jane Frazee, Rodney Bell, Joi Lansing, Fred Kelsey, Herb Vigran
So You Want to Know Your Relatives September 1954 December 18, 1954 Jane Frazee, Frank Nelson, Emory Parnell, Herb Vigran, Iris Adrian
So You Don't Trust Your Wife September 1954 January 29, 1955 Jane Frazee, Fred Kelsey
So You Want to Be a Gladiator December 1954 March 12, 1955 Jane Frazee, Del Moore, Philip Van Zandt, John Doucette
So You Want to Be on a Jury December 1954 May 7, 1955 Jackson Wheeler, Phil Arnold, Arthur Q. Bryan, Philip Van Zandt
So You Want a Model Railroad December 1954 August 27, 1955 Jane Frazee, Ted Stanhope, Anne O’Neal, Arthur Q. Bryan
So You Want to Be a V.P. September 1955 October 29, 1955 Emory Parnell, Del Moore, Joi Lansing, Minerva Urecal, Philip Van Zandt
So You Want to Be a Policeman October 1955 December 17, 1955 Arthur Q. Bryan, Joi Lansing, Sandy Sanders
So You Think the Grass Is Greener October 1955 January 28, 1956 Jane Frazee, Joi Lansing, Emory Parnell, Del Moore
So You Want to Be Pretty December 1955 March 10, 1956 Phyllis Coates, Fritz Feld, Iris Adrian
So You Want to Play the Piano December 1955 May 5, 1956 Phyllis Coates, Ralph Sanford, Lester Dorr, Charlie Hall
So Your Wife Wants to Work December 1955 July 14, 1956 Phyllis Coates, Emory Parnell, Lester Dorr

Home video availability

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Warner Archive Collection has released the entire series of 63 shorts in DVD-R format as The Joe McDoakes Collection. Individual shorts also appear as extras on DVD and Blu-ray discs of some Warner Bros. films of the period:

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Liebman, Roy Vitaphone Films – A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts
  2. ^ BoxOffice magazine often lists filming dates in various issues BoxOffice back issue scans Archived 2014-04-01 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Maltin, Leonard The Great Movie Shorts, pages 180-186
  4. ^ OnVideo Guide to Home Video Releases: DVDs

References

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  • Liebman, Roy Vitaphone Films – A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts, McFarland & Company, 2003.
  • Maltin, Leonard The Great Movie Shorts, Bonanza Books, 1972.
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