Vaudeville veteran Max Davidson worked his way from supporting player to star of his own series of Hal Roach comedies. Working with Leo McCarey, he created a character steeped in Jewish stereotypes, not uncommon in films of the era but rarely seen in a starring role. In The Boyfriend, he's the protective father of a young beauty (Marion Byron) who catches the eye of a college boy shoe salesman (played by future cowboy star Bill Elliot). The great Edgar Kennedy, one of the original Keystone Kops and a successful star in his own right famed for his "slow burn," co-stars as a policeman (of course) tangled up in the confusion.

By Sean Axmaker