So You Want to Get It Wholesale (1952) watch online HD

Joe inexplicably decides to buy Alice something nice. So, he tells her he's going to get her a new oven and is sure he can get it wholesale. However, his money-saving ideas naturally end up costing the McDoakes' a small fortune.

Aside from introducing Frank Nelson to the series, there isn't a lot to make me want to recommend this one. Nelson is a face and routine you no doubt have seen if you watched a lot of 1950s and 60s television, as he played essentially the same oily, smart-allecky and annoying salesman who always said 'yes' in a strange and elongated manner. Worth seeing but not an installment I could consider a must-see.

IT WOULD APPEAR that at one time or another everyone has made a purchase of what has come to be known as a "Big Ticket Item" (car, kitchen stove, refrigerator, etc.). Upon receiving it and no sooner as you are using same, some friend, neighbor, relative or in-law makes himself heard by interjecting something like; "Why didn't you tell me? I could have gotten it for you for $$$!"

WELL IN THIS entry, right before our very eyes, we see it happening to Joe Mc Doakes. But Joe does us all one better. He returns his already purchased item. He orders the delivery men to return it to the store for full purchase price refund; sans the delivery charge.

THE STORY OPENS with Alice Mc Doakes (Phyllis Coates) and her hubby, Joe (George O'Hanlon) already busily engaged in some Spring Cleaning-like major house work. At that point the everlastingly upbeat and eager beaver "man of the house" decides to get a new oven/range.

THE LONG & WINDING trail leads to a typical 1950's department store set-up, replete with an old school sales/pitch man. This guy (Frank Nelson) manages a very easy and satisfactory sale. Both parties, seller and sellee are satisfied.

THIS STATE OF commercially induced euphoria continues until, back at the Mc Doakes household they encounter the neighborhood kibitzer. Enter Marvin, long-time neighbor and first class tout. He, of course, claims to know all about the who, what, where, why, when and how of bargain hunting.

THAT SETS OUR hero into a lengthy and highly uncontrollable roller-coaster ride through every back alley and dilapidated warehouse (seemingly) until he discovers (begrudgingly) that he would have been better off just getting the original appliance.

IN THE COURSE of putting this entry together, the production team went with a mixed bag of gag types. We have the usual mugging by Joe as he pleads for sympathy from us, the audience. We also have the inclusion of some highly unlikely physical stunts; such as a great fall by our protagonist after a stairway gets moved suddenly.

BUT THERE ARE a couple of gags that are somewhat foreign and original to this series. In a final scene back at a real store, Joe does a sort of duet with actor Frank Nelson by mimicking his high pitched "Yesssss!" as a fade out.

IN THE SECOND one, we have Joe operating the old kitchen stove and making a bacon & eggs breakfast by applying the use of a Rube Goldberg-like conveyance that delivers freshly laid eggs directly to frying pan without a middle man.

WELL PERHAPS INADVETANTLY, but this manages to sum up the short and its central theme of "Wholesale!"

(Get it Schultz? It's "Wholesale" 'cause there's no middle man!)

So You Want to Get It Wholesale (1952)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Decent entry in the Joe McDoakes series finds our pal being cheap once again and deciding to buy a stove wholesale. The first one he tries to buy gets returned when Marvin says he can get the same one cheaper but of course this just leads to one problem after another. The jokes in this series were always very simple ones and they always depended on star George O'Hanlon to deliver them. His quirky mannerisms are what really stole the show here as he frantically tries to get the best deal in town. This leads to several funny scenes including one with an overly hyper salesman (played by Frank Nelson) with that overly annoying voice. The highlight of the film would have to be a scene that takes place in "Stove Heaven" where Joe keeps trying to get a better deal yet never catching on to the fact that he's being taken advantage of. As usual O'Hanlon steals the show but he gets some nice support from Phyllis Coates, Rodney Bell and Nelson.