Man, do I love George O'Hanlon. Whether he's Joe McDoakes or George Jetson, he was an amazing comedic talent who is criminally overlooked. Even during the height of his career, he seemed to be glossed over, as evidenced by the lack of interviews and pieces on him. Luckily, I found a pretty fantastic one that appeared in the Times Union on the 11th of August, 1954. At least these guys knew what was up!
As you can tell by that date, there are no mentions of The Jetsons here. Instead, the focus is on Joe McDoakes, but there's also some great insight into his life before he entered show business. There's two things I want to note regarding this article. For one, the paper mentions that O'Hanlon is married to a Nancy Clark. Many websites have mentioned him being married to a "Nancy Owens," but from my research, I found nothing to support that. There's also heavy refrences to a TV series titled Real George that O'Hanlon was working on. The show never came to be, but its pilot was featured in the NBC Sneak Preview series.
He Put the "Mc" in Joe McDoakes
The "Mc" would be a "must" for a picture starring THE O'Hanlon.
You also discover why theatermen rate "Joe McDoakes" as the top live comedy one-reelers showing in movie houses today.
This O'Hanlon is a really funny guy, one of those unfortunately rare fellows who, like Goldsmith's heroine, probably could "spread a horse-laugh through the pews of a tabernacle."
The witty, good-humored Hollywood actor whose value to his studio is attested by a freshly-signed seven-year contract that allows him as much free time as a schoolboy on summer vacation, is presently hanging his hat (with the turned-up brim) in our town. At the Sheraton, to be exact, where he and his very glamorous wife, the former Nancy Clark, a Paramount Pictures player before their marriage two years ago, are staying during a two-week visit to Rochester. O'Hanlon is here for an acting stint before Easterman Kodak Company cameras.
During his visit to Rochester he is renewing a friendship with Harold S. Rand, newly appointed manager of the War Memorial with whom he served in the Air Force during World War II.
Born in showbusiness as the son of vaudeville performers, George grew up just late enough to find the demand for his own song and dance act fading with the closing of the nation's variety theaters. One swing around the last of the "big time" circuit (that by then was small time) proved to the New York-born young man that it might be smart to follow Horace Greeley's advice. He headed West.
Hollywood, he admits, did not welcome him with open arms. But by the time Uncle Sam wiggled his finger at him for the Air Force in 1942, George had plated in several major features and many Columbia and Warner Bros. shorts.
When the Air Force found it could carry on without George O'Hanlon in 1945 he came back to Glitterville in the new role of an actor with an idea. Together with his friend Dick Bare, a director-producer, he made a one-reel comedy (it was no comedy financing the production, the Irishman wryly admits) in which the major character was a brash young extrovert whose self assureance continually kept him in hot water.
The Brothers Warner saw it, liked it, and bought it.
They signed O'Hanlon, who wrote it and played the leading role, and friend Bare to make a series of one reelers. The title: "Joe McDoakes."
This has been O'Hanlon's major occupation since then (1946) but he has found time to play in other Warner productions (the latest: "Cattle Town,") and to turn his comic talents to television.
Now, under his new contract, O'Hanlon promises to deliver eight pictures a year (he still writes and plays the title role in the "McDoakes" series). The balance of his time he will devote to a comedy series for TV which he and Bare will produce.
Taking their title from a current teenage slang expression, O'Hanlon-Bare & Co. have named their new creation "Real George."
George, of course, will play George, described by George O'Hanlon as a composite of Mr. Peepers and Charlie Chaplin without the baggy pants. The series goes before the cameras when the actor returns to Hollywood.
There's another George figuring largely in the O'Hanlon's plans.
He's George O'Hanlon III, their eight-months-old son waiting back home at Malibu Beach. Mrs. O'Hanlon, retired from professional life "so I can raise a family," is pressed into service only when hubby need her "real bad."
Although he didn't say so, one suspects George already is planning on working Junior into the script of "Real George" or "Joe McDoakes." This funny guy from Hollywood knows that being funny is serious business. And there's no use wasting time getting down to business.
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