Tom Kennedy (actor)

Tom Kennedy
Tom Kennedy
	Kennedy in Henry Hathaway's Man of the Forest (1933)
Born	Thomas Aloyisus Kennedy; July 15, 1885; New York City, U.S.
Died	October 6, 1965 (aged 80); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Other names	Tommy Kennedy
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1915–1965
Spouse	Frances Katherine Marshall; (m. 1922)
Children	4; including Don Kennedy

Thomas Aloyisus Kennedy (July 15, 1885^[2] – October 6, 1965) was an American actor known for his roles in Hollywood comedies from the silent days, with such producers as Mack Sennett and Hal Roach, mainly supporting lead comedians such as the Marx Brothers, W. C. Fields, Mabel Normand, Shemp Howard, El Brendel, Laurel and Hardy, and the Three Stooges. Kennedy also played dramatic roles as a supporting actor.

Career[edit]

For over 50 years, from 1915 to 1965, he appeared in over 320 films and television series, often uncredited. His first film was a short comedy/Western called The Lamb. He was in all nine Torchy Blane films as Gahagan, the poetry-spouting cop whose running line was, "What a day! What a day!" He continued making films right up until his death, his last film being a Western titled The Bounty Killer (1965).

Tom Kennedy has been erroneously listed in several film sources as the brother of slow-burning comedian Edgar Kennedy. Though the two men were not related, they were apparently good friends, with Tom appearing in many of Edgar's domestic two-reel comedy shorts.

Kennedy was also paired with Stooge Shemp Howard for several shorts for Columbia Pictures such as Society Mugs, as well as appearing with the Three Stooges in the films Loose Loot and Spooks!. He was also paired with El Brendel for four shorts, such as Phoney Cronies in 1942.

His television appearances included episodes of Perry Mason, Maverick, My Favorite Martian and Gunsmoke.

Personal life[edit]

Kennedy married Frances Katherine Marshall in 1922. They had four children.

Death[edit]

Kennedy died of bone cancer on October 6, 1965. He was buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.^[2]

Selected filmography[edit]

The Lamb (1915) as White Hopeless (uncredited)
Double Trouble (1915) as Judge Blodgett
Are Waitresses Safe? (1917)
Mickey (1918) as Tom Rawlings
Yankee Doodle in Berlin (1919) as American General (uncredited)
The Island of Intrigue (1919) as Jackson - The Butler
The Poor Simp (1920) as Jim Donnelly
Kismet (1920) as Kutayt
Skirts (1921)
Serenade (1921) as Zambrano
Kindred of the Dust (1922) as Big tough (uncredited)
Our Leading Citizen (1922) as Boots
If You Believe It, It's So (1922) as Bartender
Afraid to Fight (1922) as Battling Grogan
The Flaming Hour (1922) as Ben
The Flirt (1922) as Sam Fenton
With Naked Fists (1923)
Scaramouche (1923) as A Dragoon (uncredited)
Madonna of the Streets (1924)
As Man Desires (1925) as Gorilla Bagsley
The Fearless Lover (1925) as Tom Dugan
High and Handsome (1925) as Bat Kennedy
The Best Bad Man (1925) as Dan Ellis
The Yankee Señor (1926) as Luke Martin
Behind the Front (1926) as Sergeant
Sir Lumberjack (1926) as Bill Blake
Born to the West (1926) as Dinkey Hooley
Mantrap (1926) as Curly Evans
The Better 'Ole (1926) as The Blacksmith (uncredited)
We're in the Navy Now (1926) as Sailor Percival Scruggs
Man of the Forest (1926) as Sheriff
The Mysterious Rider (1927) as Lem Spooner
Señorita (1927) as Oliveros Gaucho (uncredited)
Alias the Deacon (1927) as 'Bull' Moran
Fireman, Save My Child (1927) as Capt. Kennedy
One-Round Hogan (1927) (uncredited)
Silver Valley (1927) as 'Hayfever' Hawkins
Ham and Eggs at the Front (1927) as Lazarus
Wife Savers (1928) as General Lavoris
Tillie's Punctured Romance (1928) as Property Man
Hold 'Em Yale (1928) as Detective
None but the Brave (1928) as Noah
The Cop (1928) as Sergeant Coughlin
Marked Money (1928) as Bill Clemons
Love Over Night (1928) as Detective
The Cohens and Kellys in Atlantic City (1929) as Crook
Glad Rag Doll (1929) as Manager
Big News (1929) as Officer Ryan
Happy Days (1929) as Doorman (uncredited)
The Shannons of Broadway (1929) as Burt
The Big House (1930) as Uncle Jed (scenes deleted)
The Fall Guy (1930) as Detective Burke
See America Thirst (1930) as 'Shivering' Smith
The Gang Buster (1931) as 'Gopher' Brant
Sit Tight (1931) as Mr. Mack (uncredited)
It Pays to Advertise (1931) as Perkins
Iron Man (1931) as Bartender (uncredited)
El Tenorio del harem (1931) as El sargento
Young as You Feel (1931) as Colorado Detective (uncredited)
Caught (1931) as Jard Harmon
Monkey Business (1931) as Gibson
New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford (1931) as Truck Driver (uncredited)
Flying High (1931) as Jokester with Firecrackers (uncredited)
Charlie Chan's Chance (1932) as Hawkins, Man in Police Line-Up (uncredited)
Huddle (1932) as Moving Man (uncredited)
Lady and Gent (1932) as Small Arena Fighter Spider Webb
Skyscraper Souls (1932) as Masseur (uncredited)
Pack Up Your Troubles (1932) as Recruiting Sergeant
The Crooked Circle (1932) as Mike, the policeman
Night After Night (1932) as Tom (the bartender)
Madison Square Garden (1932) as Judge (uncredited)
If I Had a Million (1932) as Joe - Carnival Bouncer (uncredited)
Uptown New York (1932) as Wrestling Trainer (uncredited)
The Devil Is Driving (1932) as Fritz (uncredited)
Lawyer Man (1932) as Jake - the Ice Man (uncredited)
She Done Him Wrong (1933) as Big Bill - Bartender (uncredited)
42nd Street (1933) as Slim Murphy (uncredited)
Blondie Johnson (1933) as Hype (uncredited)
Song of the Eagle (1933) as Officer McGinty (uncredited)
Cross Fire (1933) as French Bouncer (uncredited)
Man of the Forest (1933) as Sheriff Blake
Penthouse (1933) as Joe - Gazotti's Man (uncredited)
Bombshell (1933) as Minor Role (scenes deleted)
Day of Reckoning (1933) as Phil - First Piano Mover (uncredited)
Strictly Dynamite (1934) as Junior
Hollywood Party (1934) as Beavers (uncredited)
Down to Their Last Yacht (1934) as Joe 'Uncle Ed' Schultz (uncredited)
Bright Lights (1935) as Traffic Cop at Theatre (uncredited)
Old Man Rhythm (1935) as Campus Guard (uncredited)
She Couldn't Take It (1935) as Slugs (uncredited)
The Bride Comes Home (1935) as Husky Thug at Party (uncredited)
The Country Doctor (1936) as Logger (uncredited)
Poppy (1936) as Hot Dog Stand Proprietor (uncredited)
The Return of Sophie Lang (1936) as Cop on Switchboard (uncredited)
Ticket to Paradise (1936) as Cop (uncredited)
Hollywood Boulevard (1936) as Bouncer at Pago Pago
Bulldog Edition (1936) as Irate Husband of Contest Loser (uncredited)
Wives Never Know (1936) as Bartender (uncredited)
The Big Game (1936) as Fan in Stands (uncredited)
Smart Blonde (1937) as Gahagan
Woman-Wise (1937) as Bouncer (uncredited)
When's Your Birthday? (1937) as Fight Manager (uncredited)
Behind the Headlines (1937) as Tiny
There Goes My Girl (1937) (scenes deleted)
Armored Car (1937) as Tiny
The Case of the Stuttering Bishop (1937) as Jim Magooney
Slave Ship (1937) as Bartender (uncredited)
Married Before Breakfast (1937) as Mr. Baglipp
Fly-Away Baby (1937) as Gahagan
She Had to Eat (1937) as Pete
Marry the Girl (1937) as Jasper
The Big Shot (1937) as Bugs
Forty Naughty Girls (1937) as Detective Casey
Varsity Show (1937) as Policeman (uncredited)
Living on Love (1937) as Pete Ryan
The Adventurous Blonde (1937) as Gahagan
Wise Girl (1937) as Detective
Crashing Hollywood (1938) as Al
Swing It, Sailor! (1938) as Policeman
Blondes at Work (1938) as Gahagan
Making the Headlines (1938) as Police Sergeant Handley
He Couldn't Say No (1938) as Dimples, a Gangster
Torchy Blane in Panama (1938) as Gahagan
Go Chase Yourself (1938) as Icebox
Danger on the Air (1938) as Hotel Doorman (uncredited)
Crime Ring (1938) as Dummy (uncredited)
Torchy Gets Her Man (1938) as Gahagan
Long Shot (1939) as Mike Claurens
Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1939) as Gahagan
Pardon Our Nerve (1939) as Bodyguard
Society Lawyer (1939) as Alf
Torchy Runs for Mayor (1939) as Gahagan
Grand Jury Secrets (1939) as Clancy (uncredited)
Torchy Blane... Playing with Dynamite (1939) as Gahagan
These Glamour Girls (1939) as Joy Lane Manager (uncredited)
The Day the Bookies Wept (1939) as Pinky Brophy
The Covered Trailer (1939) as Otto
Remember the Night (1940) as 'Fat' Mike
Millionaire Playboy (1940) as Tom Murphy
Curtain Call (1940) as Massage Attendant
An Angel from Texas (1940) as Chopper
Pop Always Pays (1940) as Murphy
Sporting Blood (1940) as Grantly
Flowing Gold (1940) as Petunia
Mexican Spitfire Out West (1940) as Taxi Driver
Footlight Fever (1941) as Pinky (uncredited)
The Great Swindle (1941) as Capper Smith
Thieves Fall Out (1941) as Cab Driver (uncredited)
Angels with Broken Wings (1941) as Gus
Sailors on Leave (1941) as Dugan
The Officer and the Lady (1941) as Bumps O'Neil
The Mexican Spitfire's Baby (1941) as Sheriff Judson (uncredited)
Pardon My Stripes (1942) as Casino
Butch Minds the Baby (1942) as Philly the Weeper
Broadway (1942) as Kerry (uncredited)
Blondie's Blessed Event (1942) as Motorcycle Cop Who Names The Baby 'Cookie' (uncredited)
Wildcat (1942) as Fred (uncredited)
Mexican Spitfire's Elephant (1942) as Joe the Villa Luigi Bartender (uncredited)
Dixie Dugan (1943) as Sergeant (uncredited)
Ladies' Day (1943) as Dugan, the House Detective
Hit Parade of 1943 (1943) as Westinghouse
Taxi, Mister (1943) as Detective (uncredited)
Dixie (1943) as Barkeeper (uncredited)
Stage Door Canteen (1943) as himself
Petticoat Larceny (1943) as Pinky
The Adventures of a Rookie (1943) as Ship Lader (uncredited)
So's Your Uncle (1943) as Cop
Is Everybody Happy? (1943) as Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Riding High (1943) as Wilson (uncredited)
Here Comes Elmer (1943) as Johnson
Campus Rhythm (1943) as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
True to Life (1943) as Customer (uncredited)
O, My Darling Clementine (1943) as Bill Collector
Rosie the Riveter (1944) as Piano Mover
The Girl in the Case (1944) as Watchman (uncredited)
And the Angels Sing (1944) as Potatoes
Once Upon a Time (1944) as Truckman (uncredited)
Take It Big (1944) as Moving Man (uncredited)
Moonlight and Cactus (1944) as Lucky
The Princess and the Pirate (1944) as Alonzo
The Town Went Wild (1944) as Policeman in Courtroom (uncredited)
Practically Yours (1944) as Burly Citizen at Newsreel Theatre (uncredited)
The Man Who Walked Alone (1945) as Officer #1
Rough, Tough and Ready (1945) as Dan Cowan (uncredited)
Boston Blackie's Rendezvous (1945) as Doorman (uncredited)
Voice of the Whistler (1945) as Ferdinand / Hammerlock
The Spanish Main (1945) as Pirate Captain at Inn in Tortuga (uncredited)
Man Alive (1945) as Bartender (uncredited)
A Letter for Evie (1946) as Driver (uncredited)
The Kid from Brooklyn (1946) as Referee #1 (uncredited)
Blonde Alibi (1946) as Policeman Clancy (uncredited)
Bringing Up Father (1946) as Murphy
The Mighty McGurk (1947) as Bruiser (uncredited)
The Pretender (1947) as Fingers Murdock
The Burning Cross (1947) as Police Sergeant
Magic Town (1947) as Moving Man (uncredited)
Dangerous Years (1947) as Adamson
The Judge Steps Out (1948) as Jack, the Court Receptionist (uncredited)
Devil's Cargo (1948) as Naga
Jinx Money (1948) as Officer Rooney
They Live by Night (1948) as Cop (uncredited)
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All (1948) as Lefty
Thunder in the Pines (1948) as Josh - Station Master
Jiggs and Maggie in Court (1948) as Card Player (uncredited)
The Paleface (1948) as Bartender
Trouble Preferred (1948) as Night Watchman (uncredited)
Fighting Fools (1949) as Rosemeyer, Arena Doorman (uncredited)
The Mutineers (1949) as Butch
Mighty Joe Young (1949) as Policeman (uncredited)
Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters (1949) as Murphy (uncredited)
Square Dance Jubilee (1949) as Bartender Tom
Blonde Dynamite (1950) as Tom, a Policeman (uncredited)
Riding High (1950) as Racetrack Mug (uncredited)
Jiggs and Maggie Out West (1950) as Murphy (uncredited)
Triple Trouble (1950) as Convict (uncredited)
Border Rangers (1950) as Station Agent
M (1951) as Hood (uncredited)
The Scarf (1951) as Asylum Inmate (uncredited)
Let's Go Navy! (1951) as Officer Donovan
Havana Rose (1951) as Hotel Detective
Hold That Line (1952) as Officer Murphy (uncredited)
Road Agent (1952) as Bartender Johnny (uncredited)
Gold Fever (1952) as Big Tom
Invasion U.S.A. (1952) as Tim, Bartender
Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955)
Public Pigeon No. 1 (1957) as Prison Guard (uncredited)
The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm (1957) as Contest Spectator (uncredited)
Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) as Audience at Eulogy (uncredited)
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (1957) as Dock Guard (uncredited)
Once Upon a Horse... (1958) as Townsman (uncredited)
Revolt in the Big House (1958) as Convict (uncredited)
Some Like It Hot (1959) as Bouncer (uncredited)
Say One for Me (1959) as Wardrobe Delivery Man (uncredited)
Walk Like a Dragon (1960) as Jethro the Bartender
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) as Santa Rosita Police Department traffic cop (uncredited)
The Bounty Killer (1965) as Joe - Waiter

References[edit]

^ "Don Kennedy". The Rifleman. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 401. ISBN 9781476625997 – via Google Books.

External links[edit]

Tom Kennedy at IMDb
Tom Kennedy at the Internet Broadway Database
Tom Kennedy at Find a Grave

[1] "Don Kennedy". The Rifleman. Retrieved January 21, 2022.

[a-2] Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 401. ISBN 9781476625997 – via Google Books.

[1]

[2]

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF
National	France BnF data Germany United States Czech Republic