The Fabulous Joe

Minor , light screwball from the Hal Roach studio notable for a rare starring role for character actor Walter Abel .... and Corky the dog .

Corky is one of the best canine actors of the classic era , alongside Asta of the Thin Man films , Terry from the Wizard of Oz , and Daisy from the Blondie films . Unmistakable with his lopsided ears and corkscrew tale , he appeared in at least 35 films ( I've added IMDB listings myself for several whenever I spot him ) virtually always uncredited . He pops up in screwballs - Theodora Goes Wild 1938 , appears with Marlene Dietrich in The Garden of Allah 1936 , horror films like Man Made Monster 1941 , even film noir - he's Burt Lancaster's dog in Criss Cross 1949.

A natural actor , there are only a couple of obvious camera edits , otherwise his expressions and double takes seem real .

Oh , and there's the people too - Walter Abel was always good at this type of role , plus there are screwball regulars like Donald Meek , Donald Macbride , dumb blonde Marie Wilson , and tough guy Sheldon Leonard .

I always enjoyed WALTER ABEL, one of the most likable character actors of the '40s, but THE FABULOUS JOE gives him star billing in a minor feature that attempts to be a witty screwball comedy.

It fails. The jokes are thin, the premise is ridiculous and actor Abel seems to know his material is far beneath him. Only SHELDON LEONARD as a tough guy enamored of Marie Wilson, lends any true comic flair to the proceedings. Miss Wilson reads her lines like a girl in her first high school play with a flat effect, showcasing her shapely figure but little else.

The story involves a henpecked man who gains courage from a drink called a "Mystery Gardenia" and thereafter has conversations with his dog, who gets him into all kinds of trouble--slapstick stuff involving Wilson and his wife's fits of jealousy.

DONALD MEEK and DONALD MacBRIDE have standard supporting roles and two uncredited bit roles are filled by TOMMY NOONAN (as an elevator boy) and ELLEN CORBY. But the camera is on ABEL all the time.

Summing up: A foolish comedy that strains for laughs, suitable only as the second half of a double feature in the '40s.

This is definitely a way out comedy about a man, Milo Terkel,(Walter Abel) who is hen-pecked by his wife, daughter and live-in brother-in-law who is a free loader. The story starts off with Emily Terkel,(Margot Grahame) and her husband Milo Terkel in a court room and the judge wants to know what caused this couple to want a divorce. The story has a flash back to what brought all these troubles to their marriage. Milo inherits a dog named Fabulous Joe, who is able to talk and only to Milo and this Joe dog starts telling Milo to stop letting his family walk all over him and to put his foot down and gain back the respect from all the members of his family, namely his wife, daughter and live in brother-in-law. Gorgeous Graham, (Marie Wilson) is a very sexy blonde who gets involved with Milo which adds to his problems and the story goes around and around with Milo trying to hid this hot gal in his bedroom without being seen. Very low budget film and not worth viewing.

"The Fabulous Joe" bears a lot of similarity to the long string of domestic comedies Edgar Kennedy made in the 1930s-40s. In these shorts, Kennedy was stuck with a wife who seemed to care little for him, freeloading in-laws as well as the family having an easy time spending the guy's money. Well, in "The Fabulous Joe", Walter Abel plays Milo, a guy in similar circumstances. He's a well-to-do owner of an investment firm but his wife and daughter spend money like it grows on trees, there's a lazy and obnxious brother-in-law that lives with them, and the wife seems more interested in her kooky charities than Milo. In fact, on their 20th anniversary, Milo buys his wife an expensive present and the wife isn't there to receive it, as she skips out to do more of her silly charity work. But then....well, the film is totally unlike the Kennedy films because somewhere along the line, Milo inherits a talking dog!!! Yes, I wrote A TALKING DOG!

"The Fabulous Joe" is a silly B-movie which never takes itself seriously. After all, you can't expect much from a talking dog flick! In other words, you aren't expecting Shakespeare and it simply is what it is....a goofy comedy featuring a few nice performances, particularly Abel who is known more as a supporting actor. In fact, MANY familiar faces are in this one, such as Ellen Corby, Donald Meek, Marie Wilson, Sheldon Leonard, Clarence Kolb and Donald McBride (among others). To truly enjoy the film, I suggest you turn off your brain and just watch the silliness....and admire how cute Milo's dog is! Otherwise, if you think about it, the talking dog gimmick is pretty dopey!