This is one of the shorts in the Joe McDoakes series released by Warner Brothers. There will be spoilers ahead:
There was a series of shorts released between 1942 and 1956 which starred George O'Hanlon (later best known as the voice of George Jetson on the series The Jetsons) as everyman Joe McDoakes. The series typically revolves around his foibles and screw-ups. His wife Alice is regularly featured and was played by several actresses (Jane Frazee in this one) and she is a long-suffering wife indeed.
In this one, Alice goes on the Mr. Agony radio show (with Arthur Q. Bryan, the voice of Elmer Fudd, playing Agony) to tell a tale of woe built around her husband's obsession with model train collecting (and obsession is an understatement).
It begins with a model train given to Junior as a Christmas present which fascinates McDoakes so much that he plays with it and fights with Junior over the gift. Alice chastises Joe over his behavior, but this is only the beginning.
We watch the character begin a headlong journey into madness (which O'Hanlon plays brilliantly for laughs) as trains take over the house and then their lives, draining their savings and leaving them with almost nothing but trains. There's a dinner with Alice's mother which is horrifically hilarious and makes it clear Joe has gone off his trolley (or would that more appropriately be caboose here?) and the short comically shows a breakdown.
The ending of the short is perfect, so I won't spoil it here.
This short has been released as part of the Complete Joe McDoakes DVD set and is well worth watching. Most Recommended.
There was a series of shorts released between 1942 and 1956 which starred George O'Hanlon (later best known as the voice of George Jetson on the series The Jetsons) as everyman Joe McDoakes. The series typically revolves around his foibles and screw-ups. His wife Alice is regularly featured and was played by several actresses (Jane Frazee in this one) and she is a long-suffering wife indeed.
In this one, Alice goes on the Mr. Agony radio show (with Arthur Q. Bryan, the voice of Elmer Fudd, playing Agony) to tell a tale of woe built around her husband's obsession with model train collecting (and obsession is an understatement).
It begins with a model train given to Junior as a Christmas present which fascinates McDoakes so much that he plays with it and fights with Junior over the gift. Alice chastises Joe over his behavior, but this is only the beginning.
We watch the character begin a headlong journey into madness (which O'Hanlon plays brilliantly for laughs) as trains take over the house and then their lives, draining their savings and leaving them with almost nothing but trains. There's a dinner with Alice's mother which is horrifically hilarious and makes it clear Joe has gone off his trolley (or would that more appropriately be caboose here?) and the short comically shows a breakdown.
The ending of the short is perfect, so I won't spoil it here.
This short has been released as part of the Complete Joe McDoakes DVD set and is well worth watching. Most Recommended.