Gasoloons

Gasoloons (1936)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

RKO comedy has Edgar Kennedy and his family traveling to California on vacation when they stop at a gas station that's for sale. They decide to buy it themselves but when their first customer drives up they realize that they don't know anything about the business. At just 16-minutes there's really nothing too funny here but if you're a fan of Kennedy then it moves well enough and features enough energy that it should keep you entertained. Most people will always remember Kennedy for playing second fiddle to the likes of Our Gang and Laurel and Hardy but whenever he was given his own films they were usually second-rate material but that didn't stop the actor from giving it his all. The main joke here is that Kennedy goes to replace the bolt on a man's windshield wipers but it falls off so in order to find it he pretty much takes the entire car apart. This here really doesn't lead to any big laughs but the energy that Kennedy gives off will at least keep a smile on your face. Florence Lake plays the wife and her over-the-top and rather annoying talk manages a few smiles as well. Child actor Dickie Jones has a small part and does a nice job as well. GASOLOONS is certainly second-rate material but you have the give the cast credit for at least giving it their all and I think by doing so they've at least created enough energy to make the film worth taking a look at.

This film starred Edgar Kennedy during his years after being a perennial supporting player with Hal Roach Studios. Instead of being a foil for Laurel & Hardy or Charley Chase, Paramount decided to give Kennedy his own starring roles in comedy shorts. Unfortunately, while the effort was quite watchable, there was just something missing--the chemistry from the earlier comedies was wrong. Most of this seems to be that there is no strong support for Kennedy. What he really needed was someone like himself--someone to give the film color and to provide balance for the film. As a result, Edgar is left to mostly react to a broken car (not the best sidekick) or a cute kid whose role was rather ill-defined. Still, the overall result is interesting and worth a look--just don't expect magic.

Edgar Kennedy's comic timing helps to make "Gasoloons" a reasonably funny short comedy. Kennedy and a carload of passengers stop to fill up, and when they notice that the gas station is up for sale cheap, they decide to buy it and try to run it themselves. They aren't very good at it, and "Kennedy's Super Service" generally gives its customers more laughs than service. While most of what follows is rather predictable, it comes off pretty well.

It's worth a look for those who like these old short comedies.