ALL GOOD THINGS alas, must come to an end. It is said to be true of our world and indeed the universe; so our favorite comedy shorts series would not draw a waiver.
AS FAR AS ranking this one among with the other 45 that were made, it is neither the best, nor is it down toward the old cellar. The way it moves along and attacks the main premise is as fresh and energetic as were the early entries; which saw the light of day fully a dozen years earlier.
CONTRAST THIS WITH how many another series would visibly be running out of gas as their tried and true brand of comedy grew stale, repetitive and tiresome. As a prime example, do a chronologically ordered survey of THE 3 STOOGES Shorts. (Enough said!)
FOR EXAMPLE JUST look at how unsuccessful the adaptation of MY BIG FAT Greek WEDDING's attempt as MY BIG FAT Greek LIFE was.
SITUATIONS THAT RIDE the fine line between that which is Domestic and in the Home (Wife's traditional turf) and that of the Workplace (the spot belonging to that Upper Paleolithic Hunter-Gatherer, the Husband) have always provided plenty of fodder for comic story telling. (Just look at THE HONEYMOONERS) SO YOUR WIFE WANTS TO WORK is no exception.
MAKING GOOD USE of support from lovely Phyllis Coates as Alice and veteran comic support man, Emory Parnell as his boss, O'Hanlon's McDoakes proceeds to run through a series of ploys designed to discourage Alice from working at the office where he is employed. Needless to say, they all backfire as the Mrs. McDoakes enjoys a meteoric rise to the upper echelon of the business.
MEANWHILE THE NOW demoralized Joe does something that still seems to be in vogue and practical today, over 50 years later. He seeks advice from his friendly neighborhood bartender. With this development, Joe takes the counseling seriously and we see a fade out gag that would only be properly described as being "Politically Incorrect!"
SO, ANYWAY OUR longtime movie pal and favorite everyman, Joe McDoakes, ends his series on a high note. This is a funny, amusing and upbeat comedy. Just how long the JOE McDOAKES Series would have continued in the capable hands of his creators, Mr. O'Han;on and Director Richard Bare, is strictly up for conjecture.
AFTER ALL, WE must remember that more and more of the Hollywood sound stages were being devoted to television production and the Studios' Short Subjects Departments were among the earliest casualties.
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UPDATE!! Dateline: 2/29/2016, Chicago, Illinois, USA. We have just completed our self-assigned project of doing all the JOE MC DOAKES Series. Being there is no way to review a series of theatrical films as with a TV Series, here is our overview.
THE SERIES STARTED as a teaching project by Richard L. Bare, who taught film at U.S.C. It had in its origins a similarity to the PETE SMITH SPECALITIES done by MGM; a characteristic it soon lost as the chemistry between Bare, George O'Hanlon and narrator Art Gilmore moved the series in its own distinct style.
OWING TO ITS surprising popularity and longevity, it came to a halt only when Warners discontinued its short subjects department. The question then was: Could it be morphed into a TV Series? Our guess is yes, but not as just another half hour sitcom. If it were done as was Betty White's LIFE WITH ELIZABETH, which filled its time slot with 2 or 3 brief sketches, MC DOAKES could have continued. But the format of the half hour episode would have forced too much of a change on it.
FOR EXAMPLE JUST look at how unsuccessful the adaptation of MY BIG FAT Greek WEDDING's attempt as MY BIG FAT Greek LIFE was.
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