Edgar Kennedy Slow Burn Festival

120. EDGAR KENNEDY SLOW BURN FESTIVAL (1934, 1935, 1937-USA). Three comic gems, selected from the best Of the many two-reelers Kennedy made between 1931 and 1948. Kennedy is the average guy, henpecked by an Often daffy wife, annoyed by obnoxious in-laws, and unable to cope with the pressures Of everyday living. When things become too frustrating, he gives a deadpan stare, whistles calmly, mumbles incoherently, and builds himself up to a sudden explosive outburstÑthe famous Kennedy “slow burn.”
1. POISONED IVORY (1934). The Christmas spirit is lost somewhere, as Edgar heaps abuse on his sponging relatives (“To my mother-in-law I send this song. Why don’t you go home where you belong?”), and insults the doctor whose bills he never bothers paying. To get even, the in-laws and the doctor conÂvince Edgar that he’s dying! Edgar’s reaction to the news that the medicine he took was actually poison is one Of the slowest slow burns in movie history.
2. EDGAR HAMLET (1935). Edgar throws his brother-in-law out the window, then apologizes, blaming his bad temper on bad tonsils! In this Offbeat comedy. Edgar and his relatives spend most Of the time arÂguing over the precise content Of Hamlet’s soliloquy. Before it’s all resolved, Edgar suffers a few Of the slings and arrows Of outrageous fortune!
3. A CLEAN SWEEP (1937). Edgar tries to make a fortune by selling “Dandy” vacuum cleaners. He gets tangled up in the cord, has doors slammed in his face, and, in an hilarious scene, dumps the trash from a large number Of apartments onto the hallway floor, only to learn that he can’t start she vacuum cleaner because the building’s electricity has been shut Off! The American Dream Of success, turned into a comic nightmare. 59 minutes total. Comedy