So You Want to Be Your Own Boss

George O'Hanlon has quit his job, punched his old boss in the nose, and bought a small restaurant. But there's more to running a place to eat than hirign Rodney Bell to be your cook.

It's funny, thanks to the sheer absurdity that writer-director Richard Bare always put into his Joe McDoakes series. Too many of the gags, though, are the low-brow, Three-Stooges style of things. Although they were and are popular, they never amused me. In fact, they frightened me as a child, and as an adult, I can see why. Bare keeps the gags coming, though, and that's of some help, as is the final gag in this short comedy.

So You Want to Be Your Own Boss (1954)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Decent entry in the series has our beloved Joe McDoakes (George O'Hanlon) wanting to find out what it's like to be his own boss so he actually punches his boss, rips up his social security card and opens his own restaurant. He hires Marvin as cook and things go downhill on their opening day. This isn't the best film in the long-running series but it has some rather interesting moments including Lyle Talbot showing up playing a Department of Sanitation worker. It was said that Talbot would accept any job so it was rather fun seeing him show up for a couple minutes here and he actually manages to get a few laughs. Another note is that Jane Frazee takes over the role of Alice McDoakes from Phyllis Coates who wouldn't appear again until the final two films. The comedy here isn't the strongest but we get some fairly funny moments including one very funny sequence where we get to see Marvin prepare the food and accidentally drop roach poison into it. There's another funny bit when their first customer ordering free stuff and the final gag is a very good one. As you'd expect O'Hanlon is at the top of his game and Rodney Bell also does a good job in his role of Marvin.

For some reason, Jane Frazee plays Mrs. McDoakes in this installment of the Joe McDoakes films...the first of eight times in total. In all but the very early ones, Phyllis Coates played the wife...and why she's not in this one I have no idea. Then, starting with this and the next seven Frazee took on the role- -with Coates returning for the final few episodes. If you see Coates, ask her what happened!

Joe impulsively quits his job and buys a restaurant. But with no restaurant skills and the idiot Marvin working there as the chef, you know the place is in for problems. Not surprisingly, the food is terrible but the hygiene is beyond gross...and the health inspector (Lyle Talbot) is shocked by the place. By the end, however, Joe's found a dopey solution and somehow everyone seems satisfied.

There are only a few laughs in this one (note the wheels under the loaf of bread supposedly being carried by roaches) and the final sight gag is incredibly low-brow. Not one of the better films in the series but at least it's watchable and harmless.