IF SUCH IS possible, this installment of the MC DOAKES saga is arguably the most fantastic and fanciful story of all. Its cast is threadbare; featuring only Joe (George O'Hanlon), Marvin (Rodney Bell), Mr. Diefendorfer (Frank Nelson) and Irate Neighbor (Al Bridge). There is no Alice Mc Doakes nor ant Mrs. Schultz (Marvin's better half).
BUT WHAT THIS lacks in volume, it makes up in fantastic silliness. The very premised of one getting a practice in dentistry or any medical field is a definite throwback, hearkening back to the 19th Century. This antiquated mail order schooling is chronicled in the James Cagney starring vehicle, THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE.
SUCH OCCURRENCES AND practices were the moving force behind the establishment of such organizations as the American Medical Association, the American Dental Association and even the American Confectionery Association. (last one's a joke, Schultz!)
AS ONE WOULD suspect, the story starts out with Joe practicing his putting on his own front lawn as neighbor, Marvin, puts his new placard and giant tooth out on his front porch and upright post. A bite of some hard candy gives Mc Doakes a tooth problem and he becomes the test case for the new "practice."
BEYOND THAT, WE have some usual dentistry gags and mishaps. The appropriation of Dentistry as a subject for a comedy vehicle had long been an accepted practice. Dating back to Chaplin's LAUGHING GAS (1915), it tracers its family tree through the likes of Laurel & Hardy's LEAVE 'EM LAUGHING, W.C. Fields' THE DENTIST (1932) and even an OUR GANG short.
HAVING ONLY ABOUT 10 minutes to get it done, as a one reeler, the action is presented at a relatively break-neck pace. Marvin makes use of a cranky neighbor (Al Bridge) to forcibly remove a quick drying plaster mouth cast. At movie's end, we find the whole cycle is being started all anew.
ALTHOUGH WE FOUND this enjoyable, it sort of fell short of the norm when compared with that which went before.
BUT WHAT THIS lacks in volume, it makes up in fantastic silliness. The very premised of one getting a practice in dentistry or any medical field is a definite throwback, hearkening back to the 19th Century. This antiquated mail order schooling is chronicled in the James Cagney starring vehicle, THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE.
SUCH OCCURRENCES AND practices were the moving force behind the establishment of such organizations as the American Medical Association, the American Dental Association and even the American Confectionery Association. (last one's a joke, Schultz!)
AS ONE WOULD suspect, the story starts out with Joe practicing his putting on his own front lawn as neighbor, Marvin, puts his new placard and giant tooth out on his front porch and upright post. A bite of some hard candy gives Mc Doakes a tooth problem and he becomes the test case for the new "practice."
BEYOND THAT, WE have some usual dentistry gags and mishaps. The appropriation of Dentistry as a subject for a comedy vehicle had long been an accepted practice. Dating back to Chaplin's LAUGHING GAS (1915), it tracers its family tree through the likes of Laurel & Hardy's LEAVE 'EM LAUGHING, W.C. Fields' THE DENTIST (1932) and even an OUR GANG short.
HAVING ONLY ABOUT 10 minutes to get it done, as a one reeler, the action is presented at a relatively break-neck pace. Marvin makes use of a cranky neighbor (Al Bridge) to forcibly remove a quick drying plaster mouth cast. At movie's end, we find the whole cycle is being started all anew.
ALTHOUGH WE FOUND this enjoyable, it sort of fell short of the norm when compared with that which went before.
