NEW NEWS was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. Collins is a lot better than Kennedy. Great collection of supporting actors.
I enjoy the two Collins and Kennedy shorts I've seen simply because I'm a seasoned Columbia shorts guy, just like everybody else here (OK, we have a few gals too). It's very interesting to see other comedians in a setting similar to The Three Stooges, but I can also see why Collins and Kennedy didn't go over like Laurel and Hardy.
Monte Collins is OK, but I never found the guy that funny as a leading man. He co-stars with Buster Keaton a few times in some Columbia shorts and like Jimmy Durante at MGM, really clashes with Buster's style. Unlike Durante, Collins just does't have that memorable of a persona. I like Collins best in small doses as Mama Stooge or Professor Bilbo.
Kennedy is just a big oaf of a character who like Collins, works best in small doses. He's OK in SPOOKS and MONKEY BUSINESS as the ship captain, but again, he's not trying to carry any scenes. Guys like Vernon Dent and Bud Jamison I and am sure several other Stooge fans would have loved to see star in their own shorts, but I doubt many of us have wondered about Collins and Kennedy. I mean, even in NEW NEWS, Jamison owns that short, and he's just the butler.
MIDNIGHT BLUNDERS, the other short I've seen from these two, is slightly better. There's a scene where they meow like a cat that works a bit better for their characters, but what's best about this shorts is the scenery, especially the scientist's lab, as well as the fact there's a monster! Add to the fact there's a music soundtrack most of the time and you have a very different feel than most Stooge shorts. Still, you can't help but wonder how Moe, Larry, and Curly would've done in this type of set up. Great, I imagine.
