Joe and Alice McDoakes are about to get evicted from their apartment due to the machinations of their landlord, Mr. McNasty. So Joe does everything he can to find a new dwelling. He finally succumbs to Alice's itch to go to the dark side and deal in "black market" apartments (?), resulting in another disaster in the life of Joe McDoakes.
Just as in a likable sitcom, the characters and situations in the McDoakes series have become so likable, they carry the day where the writing always doesn't. Clifton Young offers terrific support as Joe's co-worker Homer, oozing ersatz charm and pseudo-sage advice. Ted Stanhope, who specializes in playing Joe's antagonistic blowhards (he was the fast-talking salesman in So You're Going on a Vacation, here relishes every bit of his villainy as Mr. McNasty.
This entry clearly shows the Joe McDoakes series as a precursor to TV's situation comedies, though it's far snappier than a lot of sitcoms that followed it.
Our rating: (C) 2012, Steve Bailey.
