So You Want a Model Railroad

So You Want a Model Railroad (1955)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Decent entry in the series finds Alice going on a radio show and explaining to Mr. Agony why her husband Joe McDoakes is so bad. He isn't abusive. He doesn't cheat. He doesn't even stay out late. No, Joe's issue is that he saw his nephews model railroad and had to get one for himself but nearly a year later he has drained the bank account and has become mentally unstable. Fans of the McDoakes series will want to check this entry out but if you're new to the character then you might want to start with one of the stronger entries. There are a few funny moments to be found here but most of the jokes are just smile worthy and nothing that's going to make you laugh hard. One of the highlights deals with a scene where Joe enters a train store and guys a couple other shoppers a "round of tracks" as if he was at a bar. Another good sequence happens when the McDoakes have had to fire their maid so Joe rigs a train to deliver their food, which of course doesn't work out too well. George O'Hanlon is in good form as is Jane Frazee as the wife and Arthur Q. Bryan, the voice of Elmer Fudd, plays the radio personality.

Joe McDoakes short about a wife's frustrations with her husband's model railroad hobby. Not one of the better McDoakes shorts but still fun. The basic joke here, that men become obsessive over their hobbies, is beat to death halfway through the short. There should have been more build up to Joe becoming crazy over the hobby. He starts out crazy and just gets crazier. Still, the dinner with the mother-in-law bit is pretty funny. George O'Hanlon is good as McDoakes. Jane Frazee plays the wife and she's fine. Cool to see Arthur Q. Bryan, the voice of Elmer Fudd, in a live-action role. The twist at the end is cute but predictable.

Considering my father was completely obsessed by model trains, I particularly appreciated this installment in the Joe McDoakes series! And even if you don't come from a family with model railroaders, you'll like this one.

The story begins with Alice on some radio show with a host named Mr. Agony (Arthur Q. Bryan*). She begins pouring her heart out to the man about her husband and his weird addiction to model trains. It all began with Joe buying his nephew a train...and not even letting the kid play with it. Then, Joe got his own trains and it filled the living room. Then, he put trains all over the house...culminating with a dinner party where trains ended up ruining everything.

This one works for one major reason...the punchline at the end if pretty funny. Plus, although ludicrous, the story also was pretty funny...and a big improvement over the previous two stinkers in the series.

By the way, Arthur Q. Bryan was the voice of Elmer Fudd...and he looked quite a bit like him, too!