Joe McDoakes
Directed byRichard Bare
Written byGeorge O'Hanlon
Various
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
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

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.

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

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

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

Billed cast and crew

Alice McDoakes

Character actors with 10 or more appearances

Guest cast notable for other roles

Shorts

TitleApproximate production date[1][2]Release dateNotes including key co-stars with George O'Hanlon[3]
So You Want to Give Up SmokingEarly 1942November 14, 1942Art Gilmore (narrator)
So You Think You Need GlassesEarly 1942December 26, 1942Art Gilmore (narrator)
So You Think You're AllergicJune 1945December 1, 1945Knox Manning (narrator), Barbara Billingsley (cameo)
So You Want to Play the HorsesJune 1946October 5, 1946Art Gilmore (narrator), Jane Harker, Richard Erdman, Leo White, Clifton Young, Fred Kelsey
So You Want to Keep Your HairApril 1946December 7, 1946Art Gilmore (narrator), Leo White, Fred Kelsey, Iron Eyes Cody, Buster Brodie
So You Think You're a Nervous WreckSeptember 1946December 28, 1946Art Gilmore (narrator), Clifton Young, Fred Kelsey, Howard M. Mitchell, Ted Stanhope
So You're Going to Be a FatherDecember 1946May 10, 1947Art Gilmore (narrator), Jane Harker, Fred Kelsey, Leo White, Emmett Vogan
So You Want to Be in PicturesDecember 1946June 7, 1947Art 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 VacationDecember 1946July 5, 1947Art Gilmore (narrator), Jane Harker, Ted Stanhope, Lennie Bremen, Clifton Young
So You Want to Be a SalesmanFebruary 1947September 13, 1947Art Gilmore (narrator), Jane Harker, Lennie Bremen, Ted Stanhope, Rose Plumer, Lottie Williams
So You Want to Hold Your WifeJune 1947November 22, 1947Art Gilmore (narrator), Jane Harker, Ted Stanhope
So You Want an ApartmentJuly 1947January 3, 1948Art Gilmore (narrator), Jane Harker, Ted Stanhope, Clifton Young, Fred Kelsey
So You Want to Be a GamblerAugust 1947February 14, 1948Art Gilmore (narrator), Clifton Young, Douglas Fowley, Leo White
So You Want to Build a HouseJune 1947May 15, 1948Art Gilmore (narrator), Jane Harker, Clifton Young, Fred Kelsey, Ralph Peters, Donald Kerr, Ralph Littlefield
So You Want to Be a DetectiveSeptember 1947June 26, 1948Art 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 PoliticsJuly 1948October 2, 1948Phyllis Coates, Clifton Young, Fred Kelsey
So You Want to Be on the RadioJuly 1948November 6, 1948Phyllis 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 SitterMarch 1948January 8, 1949Art Gilmore (narrator), Phyllis Coates, Clifton Young, Billy Gray
So You Want to Be PopularDecember 1948March 12, 1949Art Gilmore (narrator), Phyllis Coates, Clifton Young, Creighton Hale, Ted Stanhope, Leo White
So You Want to Be a Muscle ManMarch 1949July 2, 1949Phyllis Coates, Clarence Ross, Willard Waterman
So You're Having In-Law TroubleApril–May 1949August 27, 1949Phyllis Coates, Clifton Young, Willard Waterman
So You Want to Get Rich QuickAugust 1949October 28, 1949Phyllis Coates, Fred Clark, Joe Turkel, Frank Nelson
So You Want to Be an ActorAugust 1949December 3, 1949Art Gilmore (narrator), Fred Clark, Fred Kelsey, Frank Nelson, Ralph Sanford, Clifton Young, Ted Stanhope, Dorothy Vaughan
So You Think You're Not GuiltyOctober 1949December 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 PartyOctober 1949February 4, 1950Phyllis Coates, Billy Curtis, Willard Waterman, Ted Stanhope, Fred Kelsey, Jack Lomas, Edward Gargan
So You Want to Hold Your HusbandMay 1950July 1, 1950Phyllis Coates, Ted Stanhope, Fred Kelsey, Monte Blue, Art Gilmore
So You Want to MoveMay 1950August 19, 1950Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell, Ralph Sanford, Charles Sullivan
So You Want a RaiseJuly 1950September 23, 1950Phyllis Coates, Willard Waterman, Margie Liszt, Edward Gargan, Fred Kelsey
So You're Going to Have an OperationJuly 1950December 2, 1950Fritz Feld, Ted Stanhope, Frank Nelson
So You Want to Be a Handy ManJuly 1950January 3, 1951Rodney Bell
So You Want to Be a CowboyNovember 1950April 14, 1951Phyllis Coates, Ted Stanhope, Eddie Gribbon, Harry Wilson.
So You Want to Be a Paper HangerDecember 1950June 2, 1951Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell, Arthur Q. Bryan, Anne O’Neal
So You Want to Buy a Used CarDecember 1950July 28, 1951Phyllis Coates, Fred Kelsey, Bobby Jellison
So You Want to Be a BachelorJune 1951September 22, 1951Phyllis Coates, Ted Stanhope, Chester Clute, Jack Rice, Fred Kelsey
So You Want to Be a PlumberJuly 1951November 10, 1951Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell
So You Want to Get It WholesaleJuly 1951January 12, 1952Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell, Frank Nelson, Ted Stanhope, Charles Sullivan, Jack Mower, Georg Penbroke
So You Want to Enjoy LifeJanuary 1952March 29, 1952Del Moore, Fritz Feld , Arthur Q. Bryan
So You Want to Go to a ConventionJanuary 1952June 7, 1952Phyllis Coates, Connie Cezan
So You Never Tell a LieJanuary 1952August 2, 1952Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell, Emory Parnell, Jack Mower, Anne O’Neal
So You're Going to the DentistJuly 1952September 20, 1952Rodney Bell, Frank Nelson
So You Want to Wear the PantsJuly 1952November 8, 1952Phyllis Coates, Fritz Feld
So You Want to Be a MusicianAugust 1952December 14, 1952Maurice Cass, Philip Van Zandt, Fred Kelsey, Chester Conklin, Paul Maxey, Fritz Feld
So You Want to Learn to DanceDecember 1952March 28, 1953Emory Parnell, Jack Mower, Creighton Hale, Jesslyn Fax
So You Want a Television SetDecember 1952May 23, 1953Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell, Philip Van Zandt, Fred Kelsey, Doris Day, Gordon MacRae
So You Love Your DogDecember 1952August 1, 1953Phyllis Coates
So You Think You Can't SleepAugust 1953October 31, 1953Phyllis Coates, Ted Stanhope, Fred Kelsey
So You Want to Be an HeirAugust 1953December 19, 1953Phyllis Coates, Philip Van Zandt
So You're Having Neighbor TroubleNovember 1953December 26, 1953Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell, Arthur Q. Bryan
So You Want to Be Your Own BossDecember 1953March 13, 1954Jane Frazee, Rodney Bell, Phil Arnold, Fred Kelsey, Lyle Talbot
So You Want to Go to a Night ClubDecember 1953May 1, 1954Jane Frazee, Philip Van Zandt, Del Moore, Joi Lansing, Jack Chefe, Ralph Brooks
So You Want to Be a BankerApril 1954July 3, 1954Snub Pollard, Fred Kelsey
So You're Taking in a RoomerAugust 1954October 30, 1954Jane Frazee, Rodney Bell, Joi Lansing, Fred Kelsey, Herb Vigran
So You Want to Know Your RelativesSeptember 1954December 18, 1954Jane Frazee, Frank Nelson, Emory Parnell, Herb Vigran, Iris Adrian
So You Don't Trust Your WifeSeptember 1954January 29, 1955Jane Frazee, Fred Kelsey
So You Want to Be a GladiatorDecember 1954March 12, 1955Jane Frazee, Del Moore, Philip Van Zandt, John Doucette
So You Want to Be on a JuryDecember 1954May 7, 1955Jackson Wheeler, Phil Arnold, Arthur Q. Bryan, Philip Van Zandt
So You Want a Model RailroadDecember 1954August 27, 1955Jane Frazee, Ted Stanhope, Anne O’Neal, Arthur Q. Bryan
So You Want to Be a V.P.September 1955October 29, 1955Emory Parnell, Del Moore, Joi Lansing, Minerva Urecal, Philip Van Zandt
So You Want to Be a PolicemanOctober 1955December 17, 1955Arthur Q. Bryan, Joi Lansing, Sandy Sanders
So You Think the Grass Is GreenerOctober 1955January 28, 1956Jane Frazee, Joi Lansing, Emory Parnell, Del Moore
So You Want to Be PrettyDecember 1955March 10, 1956Phyllis Coates, Fritz Feld, Iris Adrian
So You Want to Play the PianoDecember 1955May 5, 1956Phyllis Coates, Ralph Sanford, Lester Dorr, Charlie Hall
So Your Wife Wants to WorkDecember 1955July 14, 1956Phyllis Coates, Emory Parnell, Lester Dorr

Home video availability

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

Notes

  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

  • 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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