So You Want to Get Rich Quick

WITH THE PRESENTATION of this installment of the JOE MC DOAKES series, the production team went with a tried and true premise. The sudden promise of the inheritance of wealth appearing via a telegram out of the clear blue. The complication and the very reason for having the story continue is found at the bottom of the message.

THIS ALL POWERFUL qualifying requirement (sort of like the "Fine Print") is the provision that Joe provides a male heir to his uncle; in order that the family name be carried on into perpetuity.

CONFRONTED WITH THIS nearly impossible situation, Joe & Alice (Phyllis Coates) strike a deal with a shady middle man "baby broker". This double dealing crook (Fred Clark) manages to bring them a grown up, Dead End Kid-type. This "kid" takes the name of "Stinky" Mc Doakes and this begins a series of complications including the intervention of the courts.

AS ONE WOULD expect, just when all appears to have gone their way, wee are privy to a sudden change; which results in the courtroom deputies restraining him via an over-sized butterfly net!

THIS MOVIE SHORT is somewhat of a departure from what has been the norm for the series. Rather than essaying what is a real life, commonplace problem; Writer/Director Richard L. Bare opts for reworking an old, tried and true plot. It was at the heart of Buster Keaton's SEVEN CHANCES (1925) as adapted from the stage play; as well as being reworked as a 3 Stooges short with Shemp Howard.

ALSO HAVING EMPLOYED a rather large cast of familiar supporting players, it went just a few steps beyond the usual. In addition to semi-regular Fred Kelsey, this little picture brought us: Dick Elliot, Joe Turkel, Leo White and eternal Jack Benny nemesis, Frank Nelson as an agent of the IRS.

Generally, the Joe McDoakes shorts from Warner Brothers were very enjoyable and silly entertainment. This one, "So You Want to Get Rich Quick" is not one of the better entries--mostly because the plot is incredibly contrived...even for a McDoakes film.

When the story begins, Joe learns he's to inherit $100,000. However, his wife notices a problem...the inheritance requires Joe has an heir. So, they go about trying to get an instant son...and many complications result. The story is told in court with lots of flashback scenes. It's only mildly funny and not exactly an installment you must see...it's more for the die hard fans of the series who insist on seeing them all.

So You Want to Get Rich Quick (1949)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Joe McDoakes is once again broke and doesn't see anything positive coming up but he has a bit of good luck when his uncle dies and leaves him $100,000 if he has a son to carry on the family name. He doesn't so he adopts a punk (Joe Turkel) but then the problems start. This is pretty middle-ground as far as this series goes as there are a couple decent laughs but none of them are big enough to really warrant anyone except fans to check this out. The biggest problem is that there really aren't any laughs to be had and for the most part the screenplay seems rather confused on where it wants to go. We have a bunch of silly characters including Frank Nelson as an annoying IRS man, Dick Elliott as a funny judge and of course Phyllis Coates as the wife. Turkel is pretty good in the role of the punk and most will remember him for his role of the bartender in Kubrick's THE SHINING.