So You Want to Be a Detective

1948 0h 11m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 20

ComedyCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Joe McDoakes imagines himself as a private detective on a murder case. Throughout the film, he spars verbally with narrator Art Gilmore.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

George O'Hanlon
Joe McDoakes (a.k.a. Phillip Snarlow)
Art Gilmore
Narrator (voice)
Lila Leeds
Veronica Vacuum (uncredited)
Kit Guard
Barroom Thug (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard L. Bare
Writers: Richard L. Bare, David Swift
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 11-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

78 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "So You Want... Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard L. Bare, shot by Wesley Anderson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by William Lava. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Everett Sutherland shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

George O'Hanlon and Art Gilmore and Lila Leeds carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard L. Bare directs. Wesley Anderson behind the camera. William Lava scores. Everett Sutherland cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 11-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
278 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "So You Want... Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Richard L. Bare, shot by Wesley Anderson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by William Lava. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Everett Sutherland shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8George O'Hanlon and Art Gilmore and Lila Leeds carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0126048 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 20 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Wesley Anderson
Original score: William Lava
Editing: Everett Sutherland
Sound: Francis J. Scheid
Runtime: 11 min · 0h 11m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: So You Want to Be a Detective (1948)

Part of

So You Want... Collection

A collection of short films featuring Joe McDoakes in a variety of situations

Also by

Richard L. Bare

Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-08-04
★ 8/10
This short film, an extra from my blu of 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' is one of the better Richard Bare-directed 'Joe McDoakes' comedic shorts. Like Leonard Maltin states in his introduction to the 1948 'Warner Night at the Movies' that Warner Bros. attempts to recreate with this (as well as the cartoon 'Hot Cross Bunny'), it was a clever homage/satire of both Bogart's detective work in 'The Maltese Falcon' and the first-person point-of-view camera work prevalent in Robert Montgomery's 'Lady in the Lake' from the previous year.

Production companies