Watch the Final Sequence

This movie proves that a great ending can really make a film. William Canfield Sr. (Ernest Torrence, 1924’s PETER PAN) is the owner of rundown riverboat. He has a big rivalry with John James King (Tom McGuire, SHE DONE HIM WRONG), the owner of a big fancy riverboat. William is excited about the impending arrival of his son, Bill Jr. (Keaton) from Boston where he attends college. He hasn’t seen his son in years. William is quickly disappointed when Bill Jr. — a very prissy weakling — shows up.

To make matters worse, Bill Jr. is in love with Marion (Marion Byron, SOCIAL SINNERS), the daughter of his father’s rival. He is pretty inept at working on the boat, which is a big laugh for sailor Tom Carter (Tom Lewis, THE GO-GETTER), much to the chagrin of his boss Bill Sr.

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Check Out the Trailer

I just love silent comedies. Sight gags work so well on film. Words get in the way sometimes and have a bigger chance of falling flat. In every one of my reviews of either Keaton, Lloyd or Chaplin, I’ve mentioned the others and I think I’ve seen enough of each filmmaker’s work to say they are equally great for different reasons and leave it at that.

In this film, Keaton plays Johnny Gray, a young train conductor who lives in the South at the time of the Civil War. He’s in love with Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack, THE CARNIVAL GIRL). When Annabelle’s father and brother rush off to join the Confederate army when the North comes knocking, Annabelle pressures Johnny to join. He doesn’t seem like he really wants to, but he’ll do anything for his girl. However, went the army won’t take him, Annabelle refuses to see him any more. However, when the Union army steals Johnny’s train with Annabelle on it, Johnny heads after them.

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Check Out a Clip

I feel ashamed as a certifiable film nut that this is the first time that I’ve seen a Buster Keaton film. I’ve been depriving myself for way too long. In the film community the debate rages on whether Keaton or Chaplin was the true king of silent comedy and frankly I don’t care. They are both masters of slapstick and timing, which very few can match. They both knew how to tug at the heartstrings and make you double over in laughter at the same time.

Directed by Edward Sedgwick and Keaton, this film has Keaton playing a wanna-be news cameraman named Buster, who tries to get a job at MGM and at the same time tries to impress the young MGM office girl named Sally (Marceline Day). Standing in his way is current cameraman Harold (Harold Goodwin), who sees Buster as a novice and wants Sally for himself. Buster’s footage is often unusable, being overexposed or double exposed. When he gets a good tip of something big happening in Chinatown, he almost loses his life on several occasions. The comedic wonderment of every scene is amazing. You could list all the scenes in the film and say each one was a classic.

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