AllMovie

Produced by Hal Roach, Kelly the Second is one of the few feature films to capture the comic spirit of Roach's wonderful two-reelers. Patsy Kelly stars as Molly Kelly, who as the result of an unexpected street brawl becomes the trainer of truck-driver-turned-prizefighter Cecil Callahan (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams). It seems that Cecil is a gentle soul who turns into a fighting fool whenever he hears the strains of "The Irish Washerwoman." Molly talks her boss, druggist Doc Klum (Charley Chase), into financing Cecil's ring career, which gets Doc in dutch with gangsters Ike (Ed Brophy) and Spike (Harold Huber). When Cecil's head is briefly turned by Ike's moll Gloria (Pert Kelton), Molly walks out on him but returns in time to cheer him to victory in the inevitable Big Fight. Despite some formidable comic competition, the film is stolen by the great Charley Chase, in one of his few feature-film appearances. Kelly the Second also features unbilled cameos by such Hal Roach favorites as Max Davidson and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer (Billy Gilbert, alas, was cut from the final release print); best of all, the musical score includes several familiar "background" themes by the inimitable LeRoy Shield.