From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edgar Livingston Kennedy (April 26, 1890 – November 9, 1948) was an American comedic film character actor, known as "Slow Burn". A slow burn is an exasperated facial expression, performed very deliberately; Kennedy embellished this by rubbing his hand over his bald head and across his face, in an attempt to hold his temper. Kennedy is best known for a small role as a lemonade vendor in the Marx Brothers film Duck Soup, as well as the many Hal Roach films he appeared in.
Kennedy became so identified with frustration that practically every studio hired him to play hotheads. He often played dumb cops, detectives, and even a prison warden; sometimes he was a grouchy moving man, truck driver, or blue-collar workman. His character usually lost his temper at least once. In Diplomaniacs, Kennedy presides over an international tribunal, where Wheeler & Woolsey want to do something about world peace. "Well, ya can't do anything about it here", yells Kennedy, "this is a peace conference!" Kennedy, established as the poster boy for frustration, even starred in an instructional film titled The Other Fellow, in which loudmouthed roadhog Edgar always vents his anger on other drivers (each one played by Kennedy as well), little realizing that, to them, he is "the other fellow."
Perhaps his most unusual roles were as a puppeteer in the detective mystery The Falcon Strikes Back and as a philosophical bartender inspired to create exotic cocktails in Harold Lloyd's last film, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947). He also played comical detectives opposite two titans of acting: John Barrymore in Twentieth Century (1934) and Rex Harrison in Unfaithfully Yours (1948); in the latter, he tells conductor Harrison that "Nobody handles Handel like you handle Handel."
Kennedy died of throat cancer at the Motion Picture Hospital, San Fernando Valley on 9 November 1948. His body was interred at the Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, Los Angeles County, California.
Movies
Duck Soup
Street Vendor
It Happened Tomorrow
Insp. Mulrooney
Blondie in Society
Dr. Glenn
Double Wedding
Spike
A Star Is Born
Pop Randall
Cruel, Cruel Love
Butler
Dough and Dynamite
Striking Baker
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
Jake the Bartender
King Kelly of the U.S.A.
Happy Moran
Li'l Abner
Cornelius Cornpone
My Dream Is Yours
Uncle Charlie
Twentieth Century
Oscar McGonigle
Caught in a Cabaret
Cafe Proprietor (uncredited)
In Old California
Kegs McKeever
Air Raid Wardens
Joe Bledsoe
Hollywood Hotel
Callaghan
The Falcon Strikes Back
Smiley Dugan
It's a Wonderful World
Lieutenant Miller
Perfect Day
Uncle Edgar
Should Married Men Go Home?
Golfer (uncredited)
The Finishing Touch
Cop (as Ed Kennedy)
Leave 'Em Laughing
Cop
Night Owls
Officer Kennedy
Bacon Grabbers
Collis P. Kennedy
Two Tars
Motorist
Unaccustomed as We Are
Officer Kennedy
The Knockout
Cyclone Flynn (uncredited)
Gentlemen of Nerve
Policeman
The Star Boarder
Landlady's Husband (uncredited)
Twenty Minutes of Love
Lover
Getting Acquainted
Policeman (uncredited)
A Thief Catcher
Crook (uncredited)
Penguin Pool Murder
Officer Donovan
Robin Hood of El Dorado
Sheriff Judd
When Comedy Was King
edited from 'A Pair of Tights' (archive footage)
Little Big Shot
Onderdonk
Son of the Border
Windy
Little Orphan Annie
Daddy Warbucks
Small Town Girl
Captain Mack
Fatty's Tintype Tangle
Edgar
The Cowboy Millionaire
Willy 'Persimmon' Bates
True Confession
Darsey
Flirting with Danger
Jimmie Pierson
Three Men on a Horse
Harry, the Bartender
Tillie and Gus
Judge
Fatty Joins the Force
Jealous Cop
Mad Holiday
Donovan
The Girl from Monterrey
Doc Hogan, Fight Promoter
Leading Lizzie Astray
The Slicker's Chauffeur
The Marines Are Coming
Sgt. Buck Martin
Art in the Raw
Good Housewrecking
Super-Sleuth
Police Lt. Garrison
Money Means Nothing
Herbert Green
Thieves
A Blasted Event
A Merchant of Menace
Edgar
Hey! Hey! USA
Bugs Leary
Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher
Police Chief Murphy
Fatty’s Plucky Pup
Shell Game Operator
Will Power
Edgar Kennedy
Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus
Arthur Bailey
Living on Velvet
Counterman
Who Killed Aunt Maggie?
Sheriff Gregory
Professional Sweetheart
Tim Kelsey
Dumb Daddies
The Cop
Moan & Groan, Inc.
Kennedy the Cop (uncredited)
The Other Fellow
Four Roles
Tramp Trouble
Edgar
Remedy for Riches
George Browning
We're Rich Again
Healy, Process Server
The Better 'Ole
Corporal Austin
Gridiron Flash
Officer Thurston
The Great Alaskan Mystery
Bosun Higgins
Dumb's the Word
Edgar Kennedy
When's Your Birthday?
Mr. Basscombe
Beaux and Errors
Edgar Kennedy
Wrong Direction
Edgar, Movie Director
When the Wind Blows
Kennedy the Cop (uncredited)
Woman Wanted
Sweeney
A Noise from the Deep
The Silver Streak
O'Brien
Charlie McCarthy, Detective
Inspector Dailey
There's One Born Every Minute
Mayor Moe Carson
The Bride Comes Home
Henry
Limousine Love
The Husband, Mr Glenders
Private Snuffy Smith
Sgt. Ed Cooper
Anchors Aweigh
Police Captain
Feed 'em and Weep
The Gangsters
Henchman
Peeping Pete
The Cop
The Speed Kings
Laughing Spectator
A Muddy Romance
Water Policeman
The First Seven Years
Kennedy the Cop (uncredited)
Rastus and the Game Cock
Spectator
Love and Rubbish
1st Cop
Mabel's New Hero
Cop
The Riot
Cop
Mabel's Dramatic Career
Audience Member / Cop in Movie
Safe in Jail
1st Crook
Mother's Boy
Mug
A Ride for a Bride
Mustached Man
A Quiet Little Wedding
Wedding Guest
Rebecca's Wedding Day
The Groom
Tango Tangle
Dance Hall Manager (uncredited)
His Favorite Pastime
Tough Guy in Bar
A Flirt's Mistake
Rajah
In the Clutches of the Gang
Cop
A Bath House Beauty
Jealous Boyfriend
Scarlet River
Sam Gilroy
The Black Doll
Sheriff Renick
Going Ga-Ga
Cop
A Pair of Tights
Marion's Boyfriend's Boss
Diplomaniacs
Chairman - Peace Conference
Westward Passage
Elmer
Fatal Lady
Rudolf Hochstetter
Dollar Dizzy
Quimby the Lawyer
Yankee Doodle in Berlin
German Prison Guard (uncredited)
The Real McCoy
Cicero the Cop
Their First Execution
Bangville Police
3rd Deputy
The Noise of Bombs
Police Chief
Ambrose's First Falsehood
Café Proprietor
The Boy Friend
The Cop
Madcap Ambrose
A City Chap
Hearts and Flowers
Pete
His Bitter Pill
Diamond Dan - Jim's Rival
Yours for the Asking
Bicarbonate
A Film Johnnie
Director (uncredited)
Tillie's Punctured Romance
Restaurant Owner / Banks' Butler (uncredited)
Mabel at the Wheel
Spectator in Grandstand (uncredited)
Mabel's Busy Day
Tough Hot Dog Customer (uncredited)
The Rounders
(uncredited)
Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition
1st Street Crowd Participant (uncredited)
Fatty's New Role
Handout-Giver (uncredited)
Mabel’s Wilful Way
Fatty's Pal
Wished on Mabel
Cop
Fatty’s Reckless Fling
Neighbor
That Little Band Of Gold
Diner / Man in Audience (uncredited)
Heat Lightning
Herbert - the Husband
Love Fever
Thelma's Last Rescuer
The Big Kick
Detective
The Head Guy
Station Master Kennedy (uncredited)
Baby Daze
Edgar Kennedy
Rendezvous at Midnight
Mahoney
Hurdy Gurdy
Officer Ed Kennedy
They Had to See Paris
Ed Eggers
Dr. Christian Meets the Women
George Browning
King for a Night
Cop
Bigger and Better
Uncle Ed Sutton
Doctor's Orders
Mary's Father / Gertie's Uncle
Shivering Shakespeare
Kennedy the Cop (uncredited)
Looser Than Loose
Night Club Patron
Ladies Last
Man in Phone Booth
Everything's on Ice
Joe Barton
Quiet Please!
Edgar Kennedy
Gasoloons
Edgar Kennedy
Wall Street Blues
The Crook
Mutiny in the County
Edgar Kennedy
Miss Fatty's Seaside Lovers
Suitor
Gangs Of The City
Biff
Kid Millions
Herman Wilson
The Adventures of Daredevil Jack
Cross Fire
Ed Wimpy
Angora Love
Landlord
Hold 'Em Jail
Warden Elmer Jones
My Old Dutch
Bill Sproat
The Gusher
Cop (uncredited)
Rough on Rents
Edgar Kennedy
$1,000 a Minute
Police Officer McCarthy
The Quarterback
Pops
Sandy Is a Lady
Officer Rafferty
It's Your Move
Edgar Kennedy
Hillbilly Blitzkrieg
Sgt. Homer Gatling
Margie
Chauncey
Unfaithfully Yours
Sweeney
Carnival Boat
Baldy
All Teed Up
Thelma's Father
Dad's Day
Michael Kennedy
Madame Q
Judge Kennedy
Quick Millions
Cop (uncredited)
High Gear
Cop
Fifty Million Husbands
Officer Kennedy
Drafted in the Depot
Edgar Kennedy
Next Door Neighbors
Howard J. Green
Poisoned Ivory
Edgar Kennedy
Edgar Hamlet
Edgar
An Apple in His Eye
Edgar Kennedy
Laugh It Off
Judge John J. McGuinnis
In Love at 40
Edgar Kennedy
Murder on the Blackboard
Detective Donahue
Paths to Paradise
Detective (uncredited)
Variety Time
Edgar Kennedy (footage from 'I'll Build It Myself') (archive footage)
Hotter Than Hot
The Guide
An American Tourist
He Loved the Ladies
The Wife's Brother
All of Me
Guard (uncredited)
Westward Ho-Hum
Edgar
I'll Fix It
Edgar
Hold Your Temper
Edgar
Heaven Only Knows
Judd
Hitler's Madman
Nepomuk - the Hermit
San Francisco
Sheriff
Rockabye
Water Wagon Driver (uncredited)
'Curses!' They Remarked
Ethel's Former Boyfriend
'Taint Legal
Edgar
Girl Shock
Fiancee's Father
A Night at the Biltmore Bowl
Edgar Kennedy
Dummy Ache
Edgar
Ears of Experience
Edgar
Sunk by the Census
Edgar
Clock Wise
Edgar
Love on a Ladder
Edgar
Prunes and Politics
Edgar
A Quiet Fourth
Edgar
Scandal Street
Daniel Webster Smith
Crazy Feet
Policeman
Vocalizing
Edgar Kennedy
Cooks and Crooks
Edgar
Duck Soup
Edgar
Fish Feathers
Edgar Kennedy
Brick-a-Brac
Edgar
A Clean Sweep
Edgar
Bad Housekeeping
Edgar
A Trailer Tragedy
Edgar Kennedy
His Luckless Love
The Maid's Boyfriend
A Scoundrel's Toll
Peter X. Bush - Streetcar Superintendent
Help Wanted, Female
Welcome Danger
SFPD Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Four Times Foiled
Hot Foot
Edgar
Crazy House
Judge
Bad Company
Buffington-Doorman
Going Crooked
Detective
Feather Your Nest
Edgar
Radio Rampage
Edgar
Across the Pacific
Cpl. Ryan
Sandy Gets Her Man
Fire Chief Galvin
Pardon My Stripes
Warden Bingham
The Golden Age of Comedy
archive footage
Finger Prints
O.K. McDuff (as Ed Kennedy)
Maid to Order
Edgar
Edgar & Goliath
Edgar
Kennedy the Great
Edgar Kennedy
What, No Cigarettes
Edgar Kennedy
You Drive Me Crazy
Edgar
The Big Beef
Edgar Kennedy
Why Is a Plumber?
Mabel and Fatty's Wash Day
The cafe waiter (uncredited)
The Gas Station
Detective
Motor Maniacs
Edgar Kennedy
Trouble or Nothing
Edgar
I'll Build It Myself
Edgar
Bombs!
Tony Peanutty - Italian Ward Leader
Little Accident
Paper Hanger
The Bowling Match
Bowling Alley Operator
Do or Diet
Edgar
An Incompetent Hero
Fatty's Neighbor
Zuzu, the Band Leader
Caesar - Zuzu's Rival
Dig That Gold
Edgar Kennedy
Contest Crazy
Edgar
Brother Knows Best
Edgar Kennedy
She Loved Him Plenty
What Fur
Edgar
The Rural Third Degree
Cop
The Trouble With Wives
Detective (as Edward Kennedy)
The Our Gang Story
Officer (archive footage)
The Chinese Parrot
Maydorf
Mabel’s Awful Mistakes
Whose Baby?
The Detective
The Love Thief
The Rival
The Family Group
A Photographer
The Fight Pest
Imagine My Embarrassment
Is Everybody Happy?
All Parts
The Booster
Chasing Husbands
Off to Buffalo
Great Gobs!
2nd Sailor
Racing for Life
Tom Grady
The Golden Princess
Love and Bullets
The Trouble Mender
The Sky Pirate
The Sky Pirate
The Late Lamented
Art Gallery Operator
Algy on the Force
Cop
Something for Nothing
Ptomaine Tommy
He's a Honey
Now's the Time
The Little Girl Next Door
Hank Hall
Captain Tugboat Annie
Captain Bullwinkle
The Big Squawk
Orchestra Leader
Stepping Out
Diner's Owner
Little Billy's Triumph
The Ghosts
Kennedy
Giggle Water
Edgar
Making a Living
Wreck Bystander (uncredited)
The Great Vacuum Robbery
2nd Thief
The Battling Fool
Dan O'Leary (as Ed Kennedy)
The Wrong Mr. Wright
Trayguard
Trent's Last Case
Inspector Murch
Moonlight and Monkey Business
Detective
Oh! What a Nurse!