Kennedy the Great

Kennedy the Great (1939)

** (out of 4)

Edgar Kennedy is a social bore and no matter who he's trying to entertain he usually puts them to sleep. He decides to order a magic kit to impress a possible client but naturally things go wrong.

KENNEDY THE GREAT is just one of well over a hundred shorts that Kennedy made at RKO and while it's entertaining there really aren't any great laughs to be found. The best thing about the picture is certainly Kennedy who has a great presence on the screen and he at least keeps you glued to everything he's doing. The supporting players aren't all that bad but the screenplay just doesn't have much going for it. There's a long running gag about being trapped in a case and while it's amusing it just isn't funny.