This piece is from a set of two-reel comedy shorts, the "Edgar Kennedy Series" produced during the 1940s, that American audiences found diverting, with Kennedy performing as Edgar, an average sort of fellow who is hampered by a giddy wife, Florence (Florence Lake), along with a waspish mother-in-law, neither of whom in any way assists in easing his ongoing difficulties with simple daily survival. In this episode, Edgar is in arrears to a fractious loan shark for $80, when fortunately a man looking for a vacant apartment in the building wherein the Kennedys reside offers exactly that amount for a one-month period, but this apparent windfall instead places Edgar in dire straits when the new resident utilizes the location to host a raucous party, and when Florence and her mother, supposedly away for a vacation for the month period, are forced to suddenly return home, poor Edgar's problems only worsen. While Edgar is attempting to eject his sub-tenant along with the latter's frolicking companions, local police are called to the loud party scene, and when Florence and her mother return to the apartment, it becomes obvious that whatever may happen next, it will be disastrous for Edgar who has additionally become saddled with the new renter's left-behind and coquettish wife, played by the vibrant Dorothy Grainger who steals the film. Pure farce, this brief work is composed largely of slapstick, and although Kennedy's renowned "slow burn" is not in evidence here, several comedic moments will cause a viewer to smile.
Review of Rough on Rents
