The Joe McDoakes Collection (1942 – 1956/Warner Bros. Archive Collection DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C Extras: D Shorts: C+
Live-action
comedy shorts do not always hold up as well as their animated counterparts,
though Our Gang (reviewed elsewhere
on this site) are a rare exception. One
formulaic series that was quite successful for Warner Bros. involved the
misadventures of Joe McDoakes. He never
spoke and was always accompanied by comic narration (by the great voice actor
Art Gilmore) about what he was doing next.
As played by future George Jetson voice George O’Hanlon (ironically
never heard here), he was the everyday guy (and sometimes dork) trying
different occupations, other seemingly simple activities or deal with other
situations. All the shorts are now on
DVD for the first time in The Joe
McDoakes Collection.
This set
has all 60 shorts over 6 DVD-Rs available exclusively through the Warner
Archive website. It is not a bad series
and the better shorts depend on the subject.
The attempts at being a detective, bodybuilder, dancer, build a model
railroad, be on the radio when there were still dramas & comedies on it and
making movies are among the ones to watch.
Every title starts with So You…
Director
Richard L. Bare helmed each (some of which he wrote) with some energy and moved
on to TV where he directed on several hits including Rod Serling’s original Twilight Zone and comedies like Green Acres and Nanny & The Professor.
He had a knack for making these visually interesting, which is why we
are still talking about them. The camera
liked O’Hanlon and some visual gags are good.
You might find these a hoot or just a time killer, but now you can get
them all without watching TCM and see for yourself.
The 1.33
X 1 image on average is softer than expected, though the prints actually look
like they are in good shape. Definition
always has slight noise throughout despite the fact that Video Black is not
bad. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is also
dis appointing with slight distortion and a lower volume than they should be
at, so be careful of playback and audio switching. There
are no extras.
You can
order this and other Archive releases at this link:
www.warnerarchive.com
- Nicholas Sheffo
