Edgar Kennedy, the "King of the Slow Burn," began his film career in 1914 as one of the original Keystone Kops. In 1931, at the beginning of the Sound Era, RKO Studios hired Kennedy to portray "Mr. Average Man," in a series of slapstick two-reelers that lasted 17 years at a half-dozen titles per year. Kennedy is perhaps now best remembered as the peanut vendor, brilliantly performing his famous "slow burn" in the Marx Brothers' 1933 masterpiece, Duck Soup. Presented here are ten hilarious samples of the comic shorts that made Kennedy such a beloved character.
A Merchant of Menace (1933) Directed by Harry Sweet. Cast: Edgar Kennedy, Florence Lake, Dot Farley, William Eugene, Nat Carr, Billy Franey and Dorothy Granger.
An Apple in His Eye (1941) Directed by Harry D'Arcy. Cast: Edgar Kennedy, Vivien Oakland, Charlie Hall, Harry Harvey and Frank O'Connor.
Baby Daze (1939) Directed by Charles E. Roberts. Cast: Edgar Kennedy, Vivien Oakland, Billy Franey, Don Brodie, Lillian Miles, Donald Kerr, Sidney Kibrick, Robert McKenzie and Jack Rice.
Feather Your Nest (1944) Directed by Hal Yates. Cast: Edgar Kennedy, Florence Lake, Dot Farley, Jack Rice, Emory Parnell, Maxine Semon, Lee Trent and Bryant Washburn.
Hold Your Temper (1943) Directed by Lloyd French. Screen play by Arthur Ripley. Cast: Edgar Kennedy, Irene Ryan, Dot Farley, Jack Rice, Isabel La Mal, Eddie Dew, Martin Faust and Casey Johnson.
I'll Build It Myself (1946) Written and Directed by Hal Yates. Cast: Edgar Kennedy, Florence Lake, Jack Rice, Dot Farley, Jason Robards Sr., Harry Strang and Robert Bray.
I'll Fix It (1941) Written and Directed by Charles E. Roberts. Cast: Edgar Kennedy, Sally Payne, Jack Rice, John Dilson, Harry Harvey, Ken Christy, Charlie Hall, Armand 'Curly' Wright and Charles Delaney.
Prunes and Politics (1944) Directed by Ben Holmes. Cast: Edgar Kennedy, Pauline Drake, Dot Farley, Jack Rice, Hugh Beaumont, Harrison Greene, Barbara Hale and Russell Wade.
Rough on Rents (1942) Directed by Ben Holmes. Cast: Edgar Kennedy, Florence Lake, Dot Farley, Jack Rice, Bud Jamison, Dorothy Granger, Marten Lamont, Charlie Hall, Gertrude Astor, Max Wagner, Kernan Cripps, Bobby Barber and Russell Wade.
Westward Ho-Hum (1941) Directed by Clem Beauchamp. Cast: Edgar Kennedy, Sally Payne, Jack Rice, Ernie Adams, Ethan Laidlaw and Glenn Strange.