Kelly the Second (1936)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Gus Meins

Writers:

Jefferson Moffitt (screenplay) and
William H. Terhune (screenplay) ...

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Full Length Feature... 90 Minutes of Laughs!

Plot Keywords:

Judge | Police | Dog | Organ Grinder | Goat

Cast

Patsy Kelly	...	Molly Patricia Kelly
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams	...	Cecil Joseph Callahan
Charley Chase	...	Dr. J. Willoughby Klum
Pert Kelton	...	Gloria
Edward Brophy	...	Ike Arnold
Harold Huber	...	Spike
Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom	...	Butch Flynn (as Maxie Rosenbloom)
DeWitt Jennings	...	Judge (as DeWitt C. Jennings)
Syd Saylor	...	Dan

Also Known As:

Irish Washerwoman (USA)

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #1961) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Hal Roach Studios

Trivia:

Although Patsy Kelly starred in many short films, this was her first starring role in a feature film.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Kelly Finds a Fighter (1953)

Soundtrack:

The Irish Washerwoman

A fine Hal Roach film,....just don't expect it to be a comedy!

This is a very odd film in that I mildly enjoyed it but found almost no laughs whatsoever in this Hal Roach comedy! Despite having Patsy Kelly and Charlie Chase, the movie looked like a light drama--and putting the laughs in the script was just forgotten. It is a pleasant enough film--just not funny. And, I doubt if Roach would have been happy with me saying this if he were alive today because it WAS intended as a comedy.

Part of the reason I was not terribly impressed by the film is that I am really not a huge fan of Patsy Kelly, as she always seems to be screaming her lines--subtle she sure ain't. Interestingly enough, and this is NOT meant at all to be a criticism, but Rosie O'Donnell is almost the spitting image of her.

I was also disappointed because I LOVE Charlie Chase's silent films, but found at least in the case of this film, he doesn't make a good transition to sound--as the entire chemistry that made him famous is gone. He does play a fine supporting character--but he's nothing like the character he was in silent days, that's all.

As for the plot and the other actors, they were fine though not outstanding. It almost seemed like in every way, Roach was using his B or C-string unit to make this film--saving his better stuff and energy for Laurel and Hardy and Our Gang. Speaking of Our Gang, look carefully for a very young and cute scene with Alfalfa--in his pre-Our Gang days.

NOTE: Patsy Kelly's car at the beginning of the film appears to be the same one used for a comedy bit in the Laurel and Hardy short, OUR WIFE.