Well now, where do we begin? How about with the Giant 8 Ball and Joe McDoakes coming out from behind it. Wait, they all started that way. Every one of these shorts were very much the same. Yet they had a great longevity in the very same era when Short Subject departments of all the studios were either severely cutting back or just plain shutting down.
I can well remember seeing some of these as a young child. In this case, it was at either the old Ogden and or the Hi-Way movie theatres here on the Southside of Chicago (you know, "the baddest part of town!").Being that we're speaking of a half a century or more since that time, it begs the question, why are these so memorable? The answer lies in their sameness, they took the one character, Joe McDoakes, and placed him in situations that were either testing new careers (like this film) or going through some drastic life changes (like quitting smoking or losing weight).
This entry into the series opens typically with a rather high volume Theme Music and quick, fast moving credits, shown over the image of Joe(George O'Hanlon) popping up from behind 8 Ball and conveying total exasperation. There is no wasted time. The series narrator (Art Gilmore) starts the story rolling with plenty of banter about the particular episode. In this one, Mr. Gilmore, is used more in the story via the 'subjective camera lens'. This method has the camera delivering to the screen what would be seen by the character.* Other than that,the film is pretty much the same format as the others.
We look in on McDoakes, now using the obvious spoof name of 'Phillip Shmarlowe'. There is a typical Private I's office**, getting sent out to investigate. He meets up with Beautiful Ladies, Suspicous and creepy Butler, Gangster Types, etc.
We must mention that there are some very inventive gags also. One of our favourite stunts involves a closet door and not one, but several corpse (about 7) falling out of it. This one compels you laugh out loud, by its length and persistence! It just won't quit!
In the end, Joe is awakened from his sleep by the real private dick, and is shown to have been dreaming. After a final gag of a character who was in the dream, fade out back to Joe and the 8 Ball with the high volume theme again.
A lot of the incidents in all of the series entries were very similar. The Titles all began with, "So, You Want To.....!" They always had this McDoakes at the center of it, often with the wife (Phyllis Coates) involved, if only to say"I told you so!" In the end, what the series, Created by Director, Richard L. Bare and co-written by Bare & O'Hanlon,did was to be liked and enjoyed by the movie going public. Like other screen comedies (like those of Laurel & Hardy) may not have been popular with no one but the public.
Being only one reel in length, they all had a fast paced, rapid fire use of sight gags and verbal puns. As such, they were a veritable 'living cartoon'. Its characters being too exaggerated to be real.
It appears that Richard Bare, George O'Hanlon and company seemed to enjoy making these. Their length and characters were very much like those of the early screen comedies of people like Mack Sennett, Hal Roach and the rest of those pioneers of the silent days.
It's a small wonder that these shorts were so well received. And don't you forget, they made 63 of them!
* The Subjective Lense had been used in the Robert Montgomery vehicle THE LADY IN THE LAKE (1947) and the DuMont TV Network's Series, THE PLAINCLOTHESMAN (1949-1954).
** The Office here looked an awful lot like Boge/Sam Spade's office in THE MALTESE FALCON (Warner Bros.,1941) Maybe it is same set on same studio lot.
I can well remember seeing some of these as a young child. In this case, it was at either the old Ogden and or the Hi-Way movie theatres here on the Southside of Chicago (you know, "the baddest part of town!").Being that we're speaking of a half a century or more since that time, it begs the question, why are these so memorable? The answer lies in their sameness, they took the one character, Joe McDoakes, and placed him in situations that were either testing new careers (like this film) or going through some drastic life changes (like quitting smoking or losing weight).
This entry into the series opens typically with a rather high volume Theme Music and quick, fast moving credits, shown over the image of Joe(George O'Hanlon) popping up from behind 8 Ball and conveying total exasperation. There is no wasted time. The series narrator (Art Gilmore) starts the story rolling with plenty of banter about the particular episode. In this one, Mr. Gilmore, is used more in the story via the 'subjective camera lens'. This method has the camera delivering to the screen what would be seen by the character.* Other than that,the film is pretty much the same format as the others.
We look in on McDoakes, now using the obvious spoof name of 'Phillip Shmarlowe'. There is a typical Private I's office**, getting sent out to investigate. He meets up with Beautiful Ladies, Suspicous and creepy Butler, Gangster Types, etc.
We must mention that there are some very inventive gags also. One of our favourite stunts involves a closet door and not one, but several corpse (about 7) falling out of it. This one compels you laugh out loud, by its length and persistence! It just won't quit!
In the end, Joe is awakened from his sleep by the real private dick, and is shown to have been dreaming. After a final gag of a character who was in the dream, fade out back to Joe and the 8 Ball with the high volume theme again.
A lot of the incidents in all of the series entries were very similar. The Titles all began with, "So, You Want To.....!" They always had this McDoakes at the center of it, often with the wife (Phyllis Coates) involved, if only to say"I told you so!" In the end, what the series, Created by Director, Richard L. Bare and co-written by Bare & O'Hanlon,did was to be liked and enjoyed by the movie going public. Like other screen comedies (like those of Laurel & Hardy) may not have been popular with no one but the public.
Being only one reel in length, they all had a fast paced, rapid fire use of sight gags and verbal puns. As such, they were a veritable 'living cartoon'. Its characters being too exaggerated to be real.
It appears that Richard Bare, George O'Hanlon and company seemed to enjoy making these. Their length and characters were very much like those of the early screen comedies of people like Mack Sennett, Hal Roach and the rest of those pioneers of the silent days.
It's a small wonder that these shorts were so well received. And don't you forget, they made 63 of them!
* The Subjective Lense had been used in the Robert Montgomery vehicle THE LADY IN THE LAKE (1947) and the DuMont TV Network's Series, THE PLAINCLOTHESMAN (1949-1954).
** The Office here looked an awful lot like Boge/Sam Spade's office in THE MALTESE FALCON (Warner Bros.,1941) Maybe it is same set on same studio lot.