Joe McDoakes

Joe McDoakes is the protagonist of a series of 63 black and white live action comedy one reel short subjects 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 from behind in the opening credits) or the "So You Want..." series (as most of the films were titled).

The entire series was produced and directed by Richard Bare (d/b/a Richard L. Bare Productions) and distributed by Warner Bros. under their Vitaphone brand. George O'Hanlon, who would later provide the voice of George Jetson, starred as Joe McDoakes. These one-reel shorts were co-written by Bare and O'Hanlon, although Bare usually received sole screen credit as writer. Art Gilmore served as the narrator of Joe's humorous efforts to accomplish the activity that was the focus of the short. Gordon Hollingshead, who won five Academy Awards for producing other short subjects for Warner Brothers, 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

The series began with "So You Want to Give Up Smoking" as a project by Bare to teach his students at the University of Southern California the fundamentals of making a movie. It was picked up by Warner Bros. for $2500 and became the first of a series of short subjects.ref harv|s01|1942a|1 Only one more short was produced before World War II caused it to be suspended, but production resumed in 1945 with "So You Think You're Allergic".ref harv|s03|1945|1

These first three shorts were filmed silent, with narration added in post-production, in the manner of the popular Pete Smith shorts, made at MGM from 1931 to 1955. They also resembled the Smith shorts in that they addressed actual, everyday problems (giving up smoking, caring for the eyes, coping with allergies) in an instructional but humorous way.

In 1946 the series began using live sound recording, and the addition of dialog gave the films a new dimension. Now the action was being played strictly for laughs, with many familiar character actors adding to the fun. Many of the shorts are domestic comedies, with "the original hard-luck kid" McDoakes insisting on carrying a project through, with often disastrous consequences. "So You Want to Build a Model Railroad" has Joe so engrossed in the hobby that it overruns his entire apartment; "So You Want to Be a Cowboy" has Joe going to a movie, and creating a disturbance when he envisions himself as a cowboy hero; "So You're Going on a Vacation" has Joe struggling with a camping outfit.

Warner contract player Jane Harker co-starred 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.ref harv|s04|1946a|1ref harv|s14|1948c|1. Phyllis Coates would start her screen career by taking up the role of Alice later that year in "So You Want to Be in Politics".ref harv|s16|1948e|1. Coates had married producer/director Bare that same year. The working relationship between Coates and Bare would survive their divorce. Coates gave up the role to play Lois Lane in the first season of "Adventures of Superman". Former singing star Jane Frazee took up the role beginning in 1954 with "So You Want to Be Your Own Boss",ref harv|s49|1954b|1 but Coates returned to the role in 1956, and played the part the in the final installment "So Your Wife Wants to Work".ref harv|s63|1956d|1 Harker, Coates, and Frazee each displayed a fine sense of comedy as Joe's long-suffering mate. While the Alice character would appear in most of the shorts, the actress playing her would not be billed, and unless the story required Joe to be married, not only would Alice not appear, but Joe could even be a bachelor again, as there was no continuity between installments.

Star O'Hanlon and director Bare shared the same crazy sense of humor, which ran all through the series. "So You Want to Be a Detective" kids the daylights out of the detective mystery "The Lady in the Lake," with the action in the first person and the camera representing everything tough-guy Joe sees. In "So You Want to Be in Pictures", McDoakes is listening to a record that is providing an acting lesson, and when the telephone rings the "record" tells him to answer it. Later in that same short, McDoakes is hired to serve as a stunt double at a movie studio. The job turns out to be a George O'Hanlon comedy, and Joe takes a pie in the face from Jane Harker! "So You Want to Know Your Relatives" turns into a wicked satire of "This Is Your Life", with Joe as the reluctant recipient. Joe occasionally punctuates the end of a scene by looking straight into the camera to speak to (or commiserate with) the movie audience.

The series hit its stride in the late 1940s, gaining three consecutive Academy Award nominations in the category of Short Subjects, one-reel for "So You Want to Be in Pictures"ref harv|s08|1947b|1, "So You Want to Be on the Radio",ref harv|s17|1948f|1 and "So You Think You're Not Guilty".ref harv|s25|1950b|1 for 1947, 1948, and 1949. The Joe McDoakes films were unique in that they were the only one-reel (10-minute) live-action comedies on the market, making them convenient fillers on moviehouse bills. The series ran until 1956, when the demise of the studio system brought an end to the production of short subjects by Warner Bros. and the other Hollywood studios.

Cast and Crew

"Note: Appearance credits for non-billed actors may be incomplete or incorrect due to inaccurate sources."

Billed cast and crew

* George O'Hanlon - Joe McDoakes
* Art Gilmore - Narrator
* Richard Bare - Director/Producer
* Gordon Hollingshead - Producer

Alice McDoakes

* Jane Harker ref harv|s04|1946a|H ref harv|s07|1947a|H ref harv|s08|1947b|H ref harv|s09|1947c|H ref harv|s10|1947d|H ref harv|s11|1947e|H ref harv|s12|1948a|H ref harv|s14|1948c|H
* Phyllis Coates ref harv|s16|1948e|C ref harv|s17|1948f|C ref harv|s20|1949c|C ref harv|s21|1949d|C ref harv|s24|1950a|C ref harv|s25|1950b|C ref harv|s26|1950c|C ref harv|s27|1950d|C ref harv|s31|1951b|C ref harv|s33|1951d|C ref harv|s34|1951e|C ref harv|s35|1951f|C ref harv|s36|1952a|C ref harv|s38|1952c|C ref harv|s41|1952f|C ref harv|s44|1953c|C ref harv|s45|1953d|C ref harv|s46|1953e|C ref harv|s48|1954a|C ref harv|s61|1956b|C ref harv|s63|1956d|C
* Jane Frazee ref harv|s49|1954b|F ref harv|s49|1954c|F ref harv|s52|1954e|F ref harv|s54|1955a|F ref harv|s55|1955b|F ref harv|s57|1955d|F ref harv|s60|1956a|F ref harv|s62|1956c|F

Character actors with 10 or more appearances

* Rodney Bell ref harv|s02|1942b|B ref harv|s30|1951a|B ref harv|s32|1951c|B ref harv|s35|1951f|B ref harv|s36|1952a|B ref harv|s40|1952e|B ref harv|s44|1953c|B ref harv|s48|1954a|B ref harv|s52|1954e|B ref harv|s56|1955c|B
* Fred Kelsey ref harv|s04|1946a|K ref harv|s05|1946b|K ref harv|s06|1946c|K ref harv|y07|1947a|K ref harv|s12|1948a|K ref harv|s13|1948b|K ref harv|s15|1948d|K ref harv|s16|1948e|K ref harv|s17|1948f|K ref harv|s25|1950b|K ref harv|s33|1951d|K ref harv|s34|1951e|K ref harv|s42|1953a|K ref harv|s44|1953c|K ref harv|s46|1953e|K ref harv|s51|1954d|K ref harv|s52|1954e|K ref harv|s54|1955a|F
* Ted Stanhope ref harv|s09|1947c|S ref harv|s10|1947d|S ref harv|s11|1947e|S ref harv|s12|1948a|S ref harv|s17|1948f|S ref harv|s25|1950b|S ref harv|s34|1951e|S ref harv|s36|1952a|S ref harv|s46|1953e|S ref harv|s57|1955d|S
* Clifton Young ref harv|s04|1946a|Y ref harv|s06|1946c|Y ref harv|s09|1947c|Y ref harv|s12|1948a|Y ref harv|s13|1948b|Y ref harv|s14|1948c|Y ref harv|s15|1948d|Y ref harv|s16|1948e|Y ref harv|s17|1948f|Y ref harv|s19|1949b|Y ref harv|s21|1949d|Y ref harv|s25|1950b|Y

Guest cast notable for other roles

* Arthur Q. Bryan, the voice of Elmer Fudd, appeared on screen in "So You Want to Build a Model Railroad"ref harv|s57|1955d|1 and filled in for Art Gilmore as the narrator in "So You Want to Be a Policeman".ref harv|s59|1955f|1
* George Chandler and Ronald Reagan, both of whom would later be President of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), appeared in the same short, "So You Want to Be in Pictures".ref harv|s08|1947b|2
* Iron Eyes Cody offered a "scalp" treatment to Joe in "So You Want to Keep Your Hair".ref harv|s05|1946b|1
* The screen duo of Doris Day and Gordon MacRae has a cameo in "So You Want a Television Set".ref harv|s44|1953c|1
* Charlie Hall, who served as the foil in many Laurel and Hardy shorts, had his last screen appearance in "So You Want to Play the Piano".ref harv|s62|1956c|1
* Lyle Talbot, a founding member of SAG, was in "So You Want to Be Your Own Boss".ref harv|s49|1954b|2

horts

#imdb title|0035349|title=So You Want to Give Up Smoking (1942a) note label|s01|1942a|1
#imdb title|0035348|title=So You Think You Need Glasses (1942b) note label|s02|1942b|B
#imdb title|0038094|title=So You Think You're Allergic (1945) note label|s03|1945|1
#imdb title|0038962|title=So You Want to Play the Horses (1946a) note label|s04|1946a|1 note label|s04|1946a|H note label|s04|1946a|K note label|s04|1946a|Y
#imdb title|0038961|title=So You Want to Keep Your Hair (1946b) note label|s05|1946b|1 note label|s05|1946b|K
#imdb title|0038960|title=So You Think You're a Nervous Wreck (1946c) note label|s06|1946c|K note label|s06|1946c|Y
#imdb title|0039845|title=So You're Going to Be a Father (1947a) note label|s07|1947a|H note label|s07|1947a|K
#imdb title|0039843|title=So You Want to Be in Pictures (1947b) note label|s08|1947b|1 note label|s08|1947b|2 note label|s08|1947b|H
#imdb title|0039844|title=So You're Going on a Vacation (1947c) note label|s09|1947c|H note label|s09|1947c|S note label|s09|1947c|Y
#imdb title|0126055|title=So You Want to Be a Salesman (1947d) note label|s10|1947d|H note label|s10|1947d|S
#imdb title|0126063|title=So You Want to Hold Your Wife (1947e) note label|s11|1947e|H note label|s11|1947e|S
#imdb title|0126041|title=So You Want an Apartment (1948a) note label|s12|1948a|H note label|s12|1948a|K note label|s12|1948a|S note label|s12|1948a|Y
#imdb title|0126049|title=So You Want to Be a Gambler (1948b) note label|s13|1948b|K note label|s13|1948b|Y
#imdb title|0126058|title=So You Want to Build a House (1948c) note label|s14|1948c|1 note label|s14|1948c|H note label|s14|1948c|Y
#imdb title|0126048|title=So You Want to Be a Detective (1948d) note label|s15|1948d|K note label|s15|1948d|Y
#imdb title|0040812|title=So You Want to Be in Politics (1948e) note label|s16|1948e|1 note label|s16|1948e|C note label|s16|1948e|K note label|s16|1948e|Y
#imdb title|0040813|title=So You Want to Be on the Radio (1948f) note label|s17|1948f|1 note label|s17|1948f|C note label|s17|1948f|K note label|s17|1948f|S note label|s17|1948f|Y
#imdb title|0126046|title=So You Want to Be a Baby-Sitter (1949a)
#imdb title|0126043|title=So You Want to Be Popular (1949b) note label|s19|1949b|Y
#imdb title|0040811|title=So You Want to Be a Muscle Man (1949c) note label|s20|1949c|C
#imdb title|0041893|title=So You're Having In-Law Trouble (1949d) note label|s21|1949d|C note label|s21|1949d|Y
#imdb title|0126061|title=So You Want to Get Rich Quick (1949e)
#imdb title|0126057|title=So You Want to Be an Actor (1949f)
#imdb title|0126068|title=So You Want to Throw a Party (1950a) note label|s24|1950a|C
#imdb title|0041892|title=So You Think You're Not Guilty (1950b) note label|s25|1950b|1 note label|s25|1950b|C note label|s25|1950b|K note label|s25|1950b|S note label|s25|1950b|Y
#imdb title|0042981|title=So You Want to Hold Your Husband (1950c) note label|s26|1950c|C
#imdb title|0126066|title=So You Want to Move (1950d) note label|s27|1950d|C
#imdb title|0126040|title=So You Want a Raise (1950e)
#imdb title|0126069|title=So You're Going to Have an Operation (1950f)
#imdb title|0126051|title=So You Want to Be a Handyman (1951a) note label|s30|1951a|B
#imdb title|0044054|title=So You Want to Be a Cowboy (1951b) note label|s31|1951b|C
#imdb title|0126053|title=So You Want to Be a Paperhanger (1951c) note label|s32|1951c|B
#imdb title|0044056|title=So You Want to Buy a Used Car (1951d) note label|s33|1951d|C note label|s33|1951d|K
#imdb title|0044053|title=So You Want to Be a Bachelor (1951e) note label|s34|1951e|C note label|s34|1951e|K note label|s34|1951e|S
#imdb title|0044055|title=So You Want to Be a Plumber (1951f) note label|s35|1951f|B note label|s35|1951f|C
#imdb title|0045164|title=So You Want to Get It Wholesale (1952a) note label|s36|1952a|B note label|s36|1952a|C note label|s36|1952a|S
#imdb title|0126060|title=So You Want to Enjoy Life (1952b)
#imdb title|0045166|title=So You're Going to a Convention (1952c) note label|s38|1952c|C
#imdb title|0126038|title=So You Never Tell a Lie (1952d)
#imdb title|0126070|title=So You're Going to the Dentist (1952e) note label|s40|1952e|B
#imdb title|0045165|title=So You Want to Wear the Pants (1952f) note label|s41|1952f|C
#imdb title|0126052|title=So You Want to Be a Musician (1953a) note label|s42|1953a|K
#imdb title|0126065|title=So You Want to Learn to Dance (1953b)
#imdb title|0046337|title=So You Want a Television Set (1953c) note label|s44|1953c|1 note label|s44|1953c|B note label|s44|1953c|C note label|s44|1953c|K
#imdb title|0046335|title=So You Love Your Dog (1953d) note label|s45|1953d|C
#imdb title|0046336|title=So You Think You Can't Sleep (1953e) note label|s46|1953e|C note label|s46|1953e|K note label|s46|1953e|S
#imdb title|0046338|title=So You Want to Be an Heir (1953f)
#imdb title|0047509|title=So You're Having Neighbor Trouble (1954a) note label|s48|1954a|B note label|s48|1954a|C
#imdb title|0126045|title=So You Want to Be Your Own Boss (1954b) note label|s49|1954b|1 note label|s49|1954b|F
#imdb title|0126062|title=So You Want to Go to a Nightclub (1954c) note label|s50|1954c|F
#imdb title|0126047|title=So You Want to Be a Banker (1954d) note label|s51|1954d|K
#imdb title|0047510|title=So You're Taking in a Roomer (1954e) note label|s52|1954e|B note label|s52|1954e|F note label|s52|1954e|K
#imdb title|0126064|title=So You Want to Know Your Relatives (1954f)
#imdb title|0126037|title=So You Don't Trust Your Wife (1955a) note label|s54|1955a|F note label|s54|1955a|K
#imdb title|0126050|title=So You Want to Be a Gladiator (1955b) note label|s55|1955b|F
#imdb title|0126042|title=So You Want to Be on a Jury (1955c) note label|s56|1955c|B
#imdb title|0126059|title=So You Want to Build a Model Railroad (1955d) note label|s57|1955d|1 note label|s57|1955d|F note label|s57|1955d|S
#imdb title|0126056|title=So You Want to Be a V.P. (1955e)
#imdb title|0126054|title=So You Want to Be a Policeman (1955f) note label|s59|1955f|1
#imdb title|0126039|title=So You Think the Grass Is Greener (1956a) note label|s60|1956a|F
#imdb title|0126044|title=So You Want to Be Pretty (1956b) note label|s61|1956b|C
#imdb title|0126067|title=So You Want to Play the Piano (1956c) note label|s62|1956c|1 note label|s62|1956c|F
#imdb title|0049772|title=So Your Wife Wants to Work (1956d) note label|s63|1956d|1 note label|s63|1956d|C

Home video availability

There is as of 2007 no home video set or collection devoted to this series, but selected shorts can be found as extras on DVDs of classic Warner Bros. films of the period released since 2006.
* "So You Want to Be an Actor" is scheduled to be released on April 10, 2007 on the DVD of "My Dream Is Yours". [ [http://www.onvideo.org/calendar/dvd_07d.htm OnVideo Guide to Home Video Releases: DVDs ] ]
* "So You Want to Learn to Dance" and "So You Want a Television Set" are scheduled to be released on April 10, 2007 on the DVD of "By the Light of the Silvery Moon". [ [http://www.onvideo.org/calendar/dvd_07d.htm OnVideo Guide to Home Video Releases: DVDs ] ]
* "So You Want to Be on the Radio" is scheduled to be released on March 27, 2007 on the DVD of "Adventures of Don Juan". [ [http://www.onvideo.org/calendar/dvd_07c.htm OnVideo Guide to Home Video Releases: DVDs ] ]
* "So You Want to Give Up Smoking" is on the DVD of "All Through the Night".
* "So Your Wife Wants to Work" is on the DVD of "The Spirit of St. Louis".
* "So You Want to Be in Pictures" is on the DVD of "The Hasty Heart".
* "So You Think You Need Glasses" is on the DVD of "The Man Who Came to Dinner".
* "So You Think You're a Nervous Wreck" is on the DVD of "A Night in Casablanca".
* "So You Want to be a Detective" is on the DVD of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre".

External links

*imdb company|0142244|company=Richard L. Bare Productions