Product Details

• Actors: George O'Hanlon, Phyllis Coates
• Directors: Richard L. Bare
• Format: NTSC, Full Screen
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Warner Brothers
• Run Time: 648 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002SB5C16
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #238,795 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Meet the original Man Behind the Eight Ball, regularly put upon, ever frustrated, constantly aspiring, forever misfiring - and always the beloved butt of a cosmic joke. Joe McDoakes is the Everyman of Warner Bros.' series of one-reelers about a guy whose approach to everyday challenges or self-improvement made moviegoers howl from 1942 to 1956 (written and directed by Richard Bare). He was splendidly played by George O'Hanlon, later immortalized as the voice of another iconic frustrated character (albeit centuries in the future): George Jetson. From first (So You Want to Give Up Smoking) through 3 Academy Award? nominees* (1947's So You Want to Be in Pictures, 1948's So You Want to Be on the Radio and 1949's So You Think You're Not Guilty) to last (So Your Wife Wants to Work), you can cheer Joe on - and he'll cheer you for sure - in this Complete 6-Disc Collection of All 63 Theatrical Shorts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Before GEORGE JETSON there was JOE McDOAKES!, December 12, 2009

By 

jamco2000 "seller" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Joe McDoakes Collection (DVD-R)

George O'Hanlon played Joe McDoakes in 63 shorts for Warner Bros form 1942-1956 and later became the voice of George Jetson in the Hanna-Barbera TV cartoon series. Phyllis Coates played McDoakes wife from 1948-1954 until she got the role as Lois Lane in TV's Adventures of Superman. She also returned to play the wife in the final installment "So Your Wife Wants to Work" in 1956. Here is a list of the shorts in this 648 minute, 6 DVD set:


So You Want to Give Up Smoking (1942a)
So You Think You Need Glasses (1942b)
So You Think You're Allergic (1945)
So You Want to Play the Horses (1946a)
So You Want to Keep Your Hair (1946b)
So You Think You're a Nervous Wreck (1946c)
So You're Going to Be a Father (1947a)
So You Want to Be in Pictures (1947b)
So You're Going on a Vacation (1947c)
So You Want to Be a Salesman (1947d)
So You Want to Hold Your Wife (1947e)
So You Want an Apartment (1948a)
So You Want to Be a Gambler (1948b)
So You Want to Build a House (1948c)
So You Want to Be a Detective (1948d)
So You Want to Be in Politics (1948e)
So You Want to Be on the Radio (1948f)
So You Want to Be a Baby-Sitter (1949a)
So You Want to Be Popular (1949b)
So You Want to Be a Muscle Man (1949c)
So You're Having In-Law Trouble (1949d)
So You Want to Get Rich Quick (1949e)
So You Want to Be an Actor (1949f)
So You Want to Throw a Party (1950a)
So You Think You're Not Guilty (1950b)
So You Want to Hold Your Husband (1950c)
So You Want to Move (1950d)
So You Want a Raise (1950e)
So You're Going to Have an Operation (1950f)
So You Want to Be a Handyman (1951a)
So You Want to Be a Cowboy (1951b)
So You Want to Be a Paperhanger (1951c)
So You Want to Buy a Used Car (1951d)
So You Want to Be a Bachelor (1951e)
So You Want to Be a Plumber (1951f)
So You Want to Get It Wholesale (1952a)
So You Want to Enjoy Life (1952b)
So You're Going to a Convention (1952c)
So You Never Tell a Lie (1952d)
So You're Going to the Dentist (1952e)
So You Want to Wear the Pants (1952f)
So You Want to Be a Musician (1953a)
So You Want to Learn to Dance (1953b)
So You Want a Television Set (1953c)
So You Love Your Dog (1953d)
So You Think You Can't Sleep (1953e)
So You Want to Be an Heir (1953f)
So You're Having Neighbor Trouble (1954a)
So You Want to Be Your Own Boss (1954b)
So You Want to Go to a Nightclub (1954c)
So You Want to Be a Banker (1954d)
So You're Taking in a Roomer (1954e)
So You Want to Know Your Relatives (1954f)
So You Don't Trust Your Wife (1955a)
So You Want to Be a Gladiator (1955b)
So You Want to Be on a Jury (1955c)
So You Want to Build a Model Railroad (1955d)
So You Want to Be a V.P. (1955e)
So You Want to Be a Policeman (1955f)
So You Think the Grass Is Greener (1956a)
So You Want to Be Pretty (1956b)
So You Want to Play the Piano (1956c)
So Your Wife Wants to Work (1956d)


Guest cast notable for other roles:

Arthur Q. Bryan, the voice of Elmer Fudd, appeared on screen in So You Want to Build a Model Railroad(1955) and filled in for Art Gilmore as the narrator in So You Want to Be a Policeman.(1955)

George Chandler and Ronald Reagan, both of whom would later be President of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), appeared in the same short, So You Want to Be in Pictures.(1947)

Iron Eyes Cody offered a "scalp" treatment to Joe in So You Want to Keep Your Hair.(1946)

The screen duo of Doris Day and Gordon MacRae has a cameo in So You Want a Television Set.(1953)

Charlie Hall, who served as the foil in many Laurel and Hardy shorts, had his last screen appearance in So You Want to Play the Piano.(1956)

Lyle Talbot, a founding member of SAG, was in So You Want to Be Your Own Boss.(1954)

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Joe McDoakes Collection, March 8, 2010

By 

David R. Stowe "David Stowe" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Joe McDoakes Collection (DVD-R)

I heard of Joe from a hobby friend of mine. I have been looking for an item like this for 5 years. This was even better than I expected. Good old American humor from a guy who is always behind the 8 ball.