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!)
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