I'm sure many of us are familiar with water heater woes, but think back to a time when you couldn't simply rush down to Home Depot and get a new one, mainly because they didn't exist yet. You'd have to either get a repairman or, if you're Edgar Kennedy, try to fix it yourself. Though, in his few moments of pragmatism, Brother brings in Mac the Plumber to fix the heater. The man informs Edgar that he'll need a brand new unit, which would cost him roughly $100, and that being in 1941 dollars, it would be about $1,700 today. Edgar refuses to pay it and says he'll fix it himself. Sally and Brother then point out all of Edgar's failed attempts at home repairs and other ventures into areas where he had zero knowledge. However, this time, Edgar thinks he's one step ahead as he shows them a newspaper ad selling water heaters to the tune of $39.99. He goes down to the depot to buy one, but finds out it comes with a catch...or two. Apparently the reason they can sell them so cheaply is due to an "outlaw trend." That right away should've set off an alarm in Edgar's head and told he was going to get more than he bargained for. Fortunately, he's not too bright. For a grand total of $60, he gets a heater with all the trimmings, but since this place doesn't deliver, he pays a couple of fellas fifty cents to load it into his car. I guess these guys don't work for chump change, as they launch the heater right through the car's roof!
Returning home with his new water heater, Edgar goes about the daunting task of installing it. So with pipes and tools scattered on the floor and not a single idea of what he was doing, Edgar set to work, constantly receiving squirts of water to the face. Brother informs him that the garage will charge $34 to repair the car's roof, but Edgar says he'll fix it himself... though that's another story. Well, when Mr. Fix-It needs a hand and Brother is too soaked to lend one, he calls in the gardener, offering him a couple of cigars and half a dollar to help, though the man settles for a couple of dollars and half a cigar. Unfortunately, they don't get much done as the gardener accidentally steps foot into a pan of scalding hot water, shouting, "my foot, she's a-burned!" and runs from the house. No sooner does he leave than a man in a suit comes to the door, inquiring about the water heater. Edgar assumes he's a plumber and rudely sends him away. Now every time he gets a blast of water to the face, I keep wondering why didn't Edgar shut off the water before he started work? Why would anybody do a serious plumbing job with the water still on? That's like trying to rewire a portion of your house with the electricity still on. I know Edgar is a greenhorn amateur's novice, but even he should know to do a thing like that. Well, as if he hasn't had enough interruptions, another man comes to the door. This is Mr. Burger, an attorney at law representing Mr. Garibaldi, the gardener. Now, for those of you keeping track, I should like to point out that only two minutes have passed from the time the gardener burnt his foot and ran out of the house to when this lawyer showed up. Does that mean that within the span of two minutes, Garibaldi visited a medical professional and then sought out a lawyer? This was all happening in real time, mind you, so there was no significant time lapse from when he left to the present. It seems very unlikely and implausible these events would transpire in such a short amount of time. What's also implausible is that because of the incident, either Garibaldi or the lawyer decided to try and sue Edgar for $50,000 and a Mediterranean cruise. Really? Just how rich do they think he is? The lawyer even says, "I know it's too small, but he doesn't wish to be hard on you." What a moron. As Edgar prepares to give the bloodsucker a good dousing, Brother once again decides to be diplomatic and will try to talk the lawyer down. That's when Edgar says screw it all and rips the dang heater right out of the wall, bringing in Niagara Falls. Fortunately, he manages to finally install the new water heater without any major permanent damage. Brother even managed to get a slightly smaller settlement out of the lawyer: $500, instead of $50K. Again, really? Now, I'm no expert in the field of law, but how does stepping in hot water reach a settlement that high? If it were hot lava and it burned the sucker right off, I could understand. Is it because Edgar doesn't carry insurance? Or did he find a real ambulance-chaser for a lawyer? Oh well, at least he's got his new water heater and everything's wine and roses... until that man in the suit comes back. Turns out he's a building inspector and he reads Edgar a whole laundry list of fines and penalties he'll face with installing an "outlaw" heater, so it's confiscated by way of being ripped out of the wall, once again giving the Kennedys an indoor swimming pool.
Classic "I'll fix it myself" hijinks are afoot here in I'll Fix It. This premise was repeated in Radio Rampage (1944) in which Edgar tries to fix the radio himself, and much like in that short, the family stays out of Edgar's way. Brother and Sally don't cause any of the problems here, and in fact even try to help, like when Brother fetched the plumber. If Edgar hadn't been such a cheapskate and just spent $100, he could have avoided $1,000 in damages, which would equal around $13,000 in 2021. Now, the scene where the gardener gets a hurt and goes to a lawyer was practically repeated almost verbatim in How to Clean House (1948), in which once again, Edgar tries to save money by doing housework himself. In that one, it was the milkman, played by Charlie Hall, who falls in the kitchen and hurts his back. He seeks out a lawyer at warp speed, who tries to sue Edgar for $50,000 and a cruise. Brother talks him down to $500, just like he did here. That short was also written and directed by Charles E. Roberts, who I guess thought it was so funny, he wanted to do it again. Well, in closing, I do recommend I'll Fix It. Like I said, it was nice not having the family cause Edgar's misfortunes as they're always prone to do, and finally, don't try to fix it yourself just to save money, because it will always end up costing you more in the long run.
Returning home with his new water heater, Edgar goes about the daunting task of installing it. So with pipes and tools scattered on the floor and not a single idea of what he was doing, Edgar set to work, constantly receiving squirts of water to the face. Brother informs him that the garage will charge $34 to repair the car's roof, but Edgar says he'll fix it himself... though that's another story. Well, when Mr. Fix-It needs a hand and Brother is too soaked to lend one, he calls in the gardener, offering him a couple of cigars and half a dollar to help, though the man settles for a couple of dollars and half a cigar. Unfortunately, they don't get much done as the gardener accidentally steps foot into a pan of scalding hot water, shouting, "my foot, she's a-burned!" and runs from the house. No sooner does he leave than a man in a suit comes to the door, inquiring about the water heater. Edgar assumes he's a plumber and rudely sends him away. Now every time he gets a blast of water to the face, I keep wondering why didn't Edgar shut off the water before he started work? Why would anybody do a serious plumbing job with the water still on? That's like trying to rewire a portion of your house with the electricity still on. I know Edgar is a greenhorn amateur's novice, but even he should know to do a thing like that. Well, as if he hasn't had enough interruptions, another man comes to the door. This is Mr. Burger, an attorney at law representing Mr. Garibaldi, the gardener. Now, for those of you keeping track, I should like to point out that only two minutes have passed from the time the gardener burnt his foot and ran out of the house to when this lawyer showed up. Does that mean that within the span of two minutes, Garibaldi visited a medical professional and then sought out a lawyer? This was all happening in real time, mind you, so there was no significant time lapse from when he left to the present. It seems very unlikely and implausible these events would transpire in such a short amount of time. What's also implausible is that because of the incident, either Garibaldi or the lawyer decided to try and sue Edgar for $50,000 and a Mediterranean cruise. Really? Just how rich do they think he is? The lawyer even says, "I know it's too small, but he doesn't wish to be hard on you." What a moron. As Edgar prepares to give the bloodsucker a good dousing, Brother once again decides to be diplomatic and will try to talk the lawyer down. That's when Edgar says screw it all and rips the dang heater right out of the wall, bringing in Niagara Falls. Fortunately, he manages to finally install the new water heater without any major permanent damage. Brother even managed to get a slightly smaller settlement out of the lawyer: $500, instead of $50K. Again, really? Now, I'm no expert in the field of law, but how does stepping in hot water reach a settlement that high? If it were hot lava and it burned the sucker right off, I could understand. Is it because Edgar doesn't carry insurance? Or did he find a real ambulance-chaser for a lawyer? Oh well, at least he's got his new water heater and everything's wine and roses... until that man in the suit comes back. Turns out he's a building inspector and he reads Edgar a whole laundry list of fines and penalties he'll face with installing an "outlaw" heater, so it's confiscated by way of being ripped out of the wall, once again giving the Kennedys an indoor swimming pool.
Classic "I'll fix it myself" hijinks are afoot here in I'll Fix It. This premise was repeated in Radio Rampage (1944) in which Edgar tries to fix the radio himself, and much like in that short, the family stays out of Edgar's way. Brother and Sally don't cause any of the problems here, and in fact even try to help, like when Brother fetched the plumber. If Edgar hadn't been such a cheapskate and just spent $100, he could have avoided $1,000 in damages, which would equal around $13,000 in 2021. Now, the scene where the gardener gets a hurt and goes to a lawyer was practically repeated almost verbatim in How to Clean House (1948), in which once again, Edgar tries to save money by doing housework himself. In that one, it was the milkman, played by Charlie Hall, who falls in the kitchen and hurts his back. He seeks out a lawyer at warp speed, who tries to sue Edgar for $50,000 and a cruise. Brother talks him down to $500, just like he did here. That short was also written and directed by Charles E. Roberts, who I guess thought it was so funny, he wanted to do it again. Well, in closing, I do recommend I'll Fix It. Like I said, it was nice not having the family cause Edgar's misfortunes as they're always prone to do, and finally, don't try to fix it yourself just to save money, because it will always end up costing you more in the long run.
