So You Want to Hold Your Wife

Joe and Alice McDoakes have been married for five years and he now feels put upon and dissatisfied. He tells all to a radio marriage counselor called Mr. Agony who hosts a show called the Hour of Agony. Joe relates two instances where he thinks his wife is being unreasonable. The first instance shows something interesting about stereotypes. Joe, who works in a trucking company office, invites the truck drivers and their wives to a party at his house. They (including the wives) act as drunken louts, all the wives wear tasteless dresses and hats and their manners are crude in the extreme. This depiction of truck drivers was just not funny (I know –it's only a movie). That said, the last two-thirds of the short is indeed funny. The second incident surrounding Thanksgiving dinner plans going awry has one of the best lines ever in a comedy sort. Even though a previous reviewer has already mentioned it, it's worth repeating. Alice and Joe are fighting, she decides to go home to her parents, and he grabs the Thanksgiving turkey, shoves it into the suitcase and says something like "…and you can give the bird to your mother for me." Priceless. Also, the bit about the snoring ball was pretty funny.

That statistic cited at the start of this movie may have wobbled a bit in the last decade. When this was made in 1947, George O'Hanlon explains to "Mr. Agony" that his wife, Jane Harker is a moody creature, liable to walk out when George invites all his friends over without warning, or when he objects to her family coming over on what was intended as a private Thanksgiving, and then invites all his family. She's the most unreasonable woman in the world.... and there's worse to come in this funny short subject.

The "Joe McDoakes" series of shorts starring O'Hanlon were the brainchild of Richard L. Bare. 67 were produced between 1942 and 1956. O'Hanlon may be more famous for voicing "George Jetson." Bare went on to direct undistinguished features through the early 1970s, and much episodic TV.... including GREEN ACRES.

Eleven unforgettable minutes of marital woes, Joe McDoakes style. Thank you TCM for showing this golden oldie.

You knew it would come sooner or later, all about Joe and his wife and whether or not they had a good marriage. After five years, it would seem, things were on the down side. So Joe appears on "The Hour of Agony" radio show, a take-off on the famous marriage headed for divorce program hosted by John J. Anthony. Get it? Anthony's show was so popular, he was heard nationwide on 700 radio stations by the late 1930s.

So what's wrong? Joe complains his wife, Alice (played by Jane Harker) is just plain unreasonable, add being a party pooper when it comes when having friends over to the house. I agree, the very BEST of the complaint vignettes is seeing angry Alice pack her bags during a Thanksgiving family dinner -- taking the turkey with her! PS: Alice snores.

Don't miss this one. Jane Harker is funny, co-starring in many of the later McDoakes short films, also appearing in bit roles in film classics, like DECEPTION and NIGHT AND DAY. Look for Ted Stanhope as the shop clerk, a staple in Hal Roach comedies of the 30s, often acting with Thelma Todd.

Remastered by Warner Brothers, now in a complete dvd box set with other series films.

Every third marriage fails. This hopes to change all that. Joe McDoakes (George O'Hanlon) goes on a radio show and tells Dr. Agony about his marital problems. His wife Alice disapproves of his hard-partying wild friends. They have a fight over Thanksgiving. And she snores.

This is a fun little short. It is all about the clueless man and all of their marriage problems. It is fun to laugh at him. It is ridiculous and somehow fits this Joe McDoakes. I actually laughed and that's rare for non-Stooges early comedies. It is just so dumb, but not dumb enough to be infuriating. There is a bit of heart at its center.

So You Want to Hold Your Wife (1947)

*** (out of 4)

Another entertaining entry in the Joe McDoakes series this time has our lovable loser on a radio show talking about the problems with his marriage. His marriage started off fine but now he can't stand her snoring, her inviting her parents over for Thanksgiving and he especially can't stand her brother. If you're a fan of the series then there's no doubt this one will keep you entertained. If you're new to the series this might not be the best place to start but I'm sure you'll still find it mildly entertaining. There are many funny moments but the best has to be when the wife threatens to go to her mother's after their fight on Thanksgiving so Joe packs her bags with the turkey in it. The earlier scenes with the wild party are fairly lame but things pick up after that.