Buster Keaton

Buster Keaton

Birth : 1895-10-04, Piqua, Kansas, USA

Death : 1966-02-01

History

Buster Keaton (4th October 1895 - 1st February 1966) was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face". Keaton was recognized as the seventh-greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Keaton the 21st-greatest male star of all time. Critic Roger Ebert wrote of Keaton's "extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929, [when] he worked without interruption on a series of films that make him, arguably, the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies. "Orson Welles stated that Keaton's The General is the greatest comedy ever made, the greatest Civil War film ever made, and perhaps the greatest film ever made. A 2002 worldwide poll by Sight & Sound ranked Keaton's The General as the 15th best film of all time. Three other Keaton films received votes in the magazine's survey: Our Hospitality, Sherlock, Jr., and The Navigator.

Profile

Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton

Movies

Bank Robbers: The Last Great Heist
Golfeur (archive footage) (uncredited)
Through candid interviews, the perpetrators of Argentina's most notorious bank heist detail how — and why — they carried out the radical 2006 operation.
Navigators
December 1919. The American government deports 249 anarchists and radicals on the “Soviet Ark”. Five years later, this same ship becomes the decor of Buster Keaton’s slapstick comedy “The Navigator”.
Time Travelers
Self (archive footage)
Time Travelers, a new documentary by Daniel Raim featuring interviews with John Bengtson and film historian Marc Wanamaker, reveals newly discovered connections between Buster Keaton’s MGM debut and the earliest films of his career.
Barney's Wall
Himself (archival footage)
What makes a rebel? This 78 minute documentary probes the psyche of bad-boy publisher and free speech warrior Barney Rosset, whose mid-century legal and cultural battles smashed sexual and political taboos in the United States — unleashing the counter-culture of the 1960s and introducing millions of young intellectuals to the most radical currents in literature, film, theater and politics. In his late eighties, coming to terms with his life, Barney Rosset began to obsessively sculpt an autobiographical 15′ x 22′ surreal wall mural, embedded with jewel-like vignettes crafted out of found objects, each a clue to the conflicts and obsessions that drove Barney’s lifetime rebellion against authority. A cast of artists, a neurologist, and a shaman connect the clues and piece together Barney’s life.
The Great Buster: A Celebration
Self (archive footage)
A celebration of the life and career of one of America's most influential and celebrated filmmakers and comedians—Buster Keaton—whose singular style and fertile output during the silent era created his legacy as a true cinematic visionary.
Buster Keaton The Shorts Collection 1917-1923
Includes all 32 of Keaton's extant silent shorts (thirteen of which were produced under the tutelage of comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle) These 2K restorations onto Blu-Ray promise to be the definitive representation of Keaton's early career.
Buster Keaton: The Genius Destroyed by Hollywood
Self
In 1926, Buster Keaton was at the peak of his glory and wealth. By 1933, he had reached rock bottom. How, in the space of a few years, did this uncontested genius of silent films, go from the status of being a widely-worshipped star to an alcoholic and solitary fallen idol? With a spotlight on the 7 years during which his life changed, using extracts of Keaton’s films as magnifying mirrors, the documentary recounts the dramatic life of this creative genius and the Hollywood studios.
Chaplin/Keaton: Duel of Legends
(archive footage)
Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton were two incredibly talented artists who enjoyed enormous worldwide success at a very young age. The two giants of the golden age of silent cinema were perceived to be constantly competing with each other for the crown of the king of laughter.
Looking for Charlie: Or, the Day the Clown Died
Himself (archive footage)
A documentary which explores the lives and tragic deaths of Marceline Orbes and Francis "Slivers" Oakley, the suicidal clowns who inspired Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
Notfilm
Self (archive footage)
NOTFILM is a feature-length experimental essay on FILM -- its author Samuel Beckett, its star Buster Keaton, its production and its philosophical implications -- utilizing additional outtakes, never before heard audio recordings of the production meetings, and other rare archival elements.
And the Oscar Goes To...
Self (archive footage)
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement.
Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The lives of Stan Laurel (1890-1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892-1957), on the screen and behind the curtain. The joy and the sadness, the success and the failure. The story of one of the best comic duos of all time: a lesson on how to make people laugh.
Kings of Comedy: Masters of the Silent Screen
A documentary about some of the comedians of the silent era featuring clips from their films and biographical information.
Edge of Outside
Buster (archive footage)
An hour-long documentary designed to celebrate the spirit of the independent filmmaker from D.W. Griffith to Quentin Tarantino. Interview footage and film clips are blended together to form a chronological approach to the subject matter.
Buster Keaton: From Silents to Shorts
(archive footage)
A documentary short included as an extra with "The Buster Keaton Collection".
Industrial Strength Keaton
Himself
Through newly restored and remastered shorts, features, forgotten industrial films, promotional films, commercials, live television appearances and out-takes, Industrial Strength Keaton reveals the continuing artistry of Hollywood's greatest laugh maker, paying homage to a career spanning nearly every form of recorded visual media from 1917 until his final work in 1965.
So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM
Self (archive footage)
A Turner Classic Movies (TCM) documentary about Keaton's discontented relationship with MGM and the events that eventually led to his career downfall.
Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume Two
Various
A collection of five silent comedy shorts co-starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Buster Keaton, and produced by their own Comique Film Company: BACK STAGE (1919), GOOD NIGHT, NURSE! (1918), CONEY ISLAND (1918), THE ROUGH HOUSE (1918), and THE GARAGE (1920). Volume Two of a two-volume DVD series from Kino Video. Musical score by the Alloy Orchestra.
Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume One
Various
A collection of five silent comedy shorts co-starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Buster Keaton, and produced by their own Comique Film Company: THE BELL BOY (1918), THE BUTCHER BOY (1917), OUT WEST (1918), MOONSHINE (1918), and THE HAYSEED (1919). Volume One of a two-volume DVD series from Kino Video. Musical score by the Alloy Orchestra.
That's Entertainment! III
(archive footage)
Some of MGM'S musical stars review the studios history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of 1929 to Brigadoon, from the first musical talkies to Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain.
Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend
Self (archive footage)
Her story is well-known - the lonely child who yearned for affection and approval which she finally seemed to find as Hollywood's greatest love goddess. But even though she scaled heights few could even dream of, she was one of the loneliest of stars. And yet, in spite of the breakdowns, the failed marriages, the sordid rumors surrounding her life -- and her death.
Going Hollywood: The '30s
(archive footage)
Robert Preston hosts this documentary that shows what people of the 1930s were watching as they were battling the Depression as well as eventually getting ready for another World War.
The Hollywood Clowns
(archive footage)
Glenn Ford narrates this hilarious look back at the greatest comedians in movie history.
That's Entertainment, Part II
(archive footage)
Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time including comedy and drama as well as classic musical numbers.
It's Showtime
Self (archive footage)
A collection of film clips profiling animal actors.
That's Entertainment!
(archive footage) (uncredited)
Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history.
4 Clowns
(archive footage)
Robert Youngson once again compiles scenes from the golden age of comedy's silent film era. Laurel and Hardy are shown battling a gum machine, and Hardy is a debaucherous Romeo whose amorous plans are thwarted by Rex, the Wonder Horse. Charley Chase is hampered by hiccups and a female professor, and he fleeces a drunken Oliver Hardy with a mannequin in a nightclub. The third part finds bachelor Buster Keaton desperately trying to get married by 7:00 PM in order to collect a $7-million-dollar inheritance. Keaton is pursued by money-hungry prospects in one of the best chase scenes ever filmed. Narration is provided by Jay Jackson.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Erronius
A wily slave must unite a virgin courtesan and his young smitten master to earn his freedom.
The Scribe
Journalist
Comedy short produced by the Construction Safety Association of Ontario, Canada. It demonstrates the do's and don'ts of construction site safety. The film is the last professionally filmed footage of film legend Buster Keaton, shot months before his death from lung cancer on February 1, 1966. He recreates several routines from his youth, as well as some new material for the film. Most notable was his recreation of a gag from his 1918 film The Bell Boy in which he mops the floor using only the tip of the mop, little by little while sitting on the floor.
War Italian Style
Gen. von Kassler
It's May 1943, and two Italian American soldiers, Joe and Frank, are searching the North African desert for a Nazi general called Von Kassler. Von Kassler's aide captures them, and arranges for them to escape with fake war plans. But, things don't go exactly as planned for either side.
Salute to Stan Laurel
Self
A program featuring original comedy skits written as a tribute to Stan Laurel.
Buster Keaton Rides Again
Himself
In the fall of 1964, just over a year before his death, Buster Keaton traveled to Canada to make The Railrodder, a short subject that now enjoys a small cult following. Documenting this mobile production in fascinating and unexpected detail, Buster Keaton Rides Again offers a rare glimpse of the comedy legend’s temperament, philosophies, hobbies, marriage (his third), and the occasionally combative creative process behind the scenes. An intimate look at one of cinema’s most enduring legends.
Film
The Man
A man attempts to evade observation by an all-seeing eye.
Sergeant Deadhead
Airman Blinken
An astronaut goes into space with a chimpanzee. When they return to Earth after their orbit, it is discovered that the chimp has the brains of the astronaut, and the astronaut has the brains of the chimp. Complications ensue.
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini
Bwana
When he's stationed in Tahiti, a sailor hires a witch doctor to keep an eye on his girlfriend.
The Railrodder
The Man
After literally swimming across the Atlantic Ocean, an Englishman takes a country trip across Canada on a railcar.
Beach Blanket Bingo
In the fourth of the highly successful Frankie and Annette beach party movies, a motorcycle gang led by Eric Von Zipper kidnaps singing star Sugar Kane managed by Bullets, who hires sky-diving surfers Steve and Bonnie from Big Drop for a publicity stunt. With the usual gang of kids and a mermaid named Lorelei.
Pajama Party
Chief Rotten Eagle
A Martian teenager sent to prepare for an invasion falls in love with an Earth girl.
The Big Parade of Comedy
(archive footage)
Film clips highlight the funniest scenes and brightest comic stars in MGM's history.
The Sound of Laughter
Elmer Butts
A compilation of film clips of comedies from 1930's.
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Jimmy the Crook
A group of strangers come across a man dying after a car crash who proceeds to tell them about the $350,000 he buried in California. What follows is the madcap adventures of those strangers as each attempts to claim the prize for himself.
30 Years of Fun
Three decades of fun packed into one convenient package with this compilation of classic black-and-white comedy clips featuring Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Laurel and Hardy.
There's No Business Like No Business
Himself
On behalf of the Arvin Corporation, Buster Keaton demonstrates the importance of using Maremont auto parts for potential repairs while running a petrol station.
The Triumph of Lester Snapwell
Lester Snapwell
A low budget industrial film shot for the Eastman Kodak company. The mildly funny film that shows all the troubles of a man named Lester Snapwell (Keaton), who, in the late 1860's, tries to photograph his sweetheart, Clementine, and her mother. However, he has too much trouble with the bulky camera. Then he is accidentally killed and father time transports him forward in time. In each successive period he struggles with the photographic technology of the day. Then he arrives in the 1960's where the new Kodak Instamatic" camera puts all his troubles to rest.
Simon Pure Beer
Himself
Crazy Days
Narrator Hughie Green tells "jokes" over clips of old silent films. Including greats such as Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, the Keystone Cops and more.
Langlois-Keaton à Paris
Self
Furtive traces of a visit, a certain February 22, 1962: Buster Keaton.
The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers
Self
A TV movie with intertwining music numbers and sketches.
The Home Owner
Himself / The Home Owner
A 25 minute sales film featuring Buster Keaton as a prospective home owner in Maryvale, a suburb of Phoenix. A Realtor takes Buster on a tour of some model tract homes and extols their virtues while Buster is constantly pursuing a sexy-looking blonde. After buying a home, Buster proceeds to wreak havoc in the community. He falls into another resident's pool with a shopping cart full of purchases from S. S. Kresge's, knocks over an unassuming waiter with a bowling ball at the local lanes and tries his hand at being a waiter a ritzy restaurant. The construction of the new hospital and golf course are then discussed, and the films ends with a panoramic view of the model tract homes.
The Devil To Pay
Diablos
A short silent (with narration), parodying science fiction films. The USA misfires a rocket which crash lands on Tartarus (or Hades), where Buster Keaton, as Diabolus, is enraged and seeks revenge.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Lion Tamer
From chicken thief to cabin boy, riverboat pilot to circus performer, Huck Finn outsmarts everyone on his way down the muddy Mississippi.
When Comedy Was King
edited from 'Cops' (archive footage)
A compilation featuring comedic stars of the silent era including Fatty Arbuckle, Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Charley Chase, and Laurel and Hardy.
Lifetime of Comedy
(archive footage)
Compilation of comedy sketches from the comedy kings Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Danny Kaye & Bing Crosby.
The Adventures of Mr. Pastry
Professor
Interested in becoming a serious actor, Mr. Pastry (Richard Hearne) seeks out the services of a down-and-out Professor (Buster Keaton) to help him become the dramatic thespian he hopes to be.
Around the World in Eighty Days
Train Conductor
Based on the famous book by Jules Verne the movie follows Phileas Fogg on his journey around the world. Which has to be completed within 80 days, a very short period for those days.
The Awakening
The Man
"The Awakening" is a 1954 short drama film of Douglas Fairbanks Presents anthology series based on Nikolai Gogol's short story "The Overcoat".
L'incantevole nemica
himself
The owner of a cheese factory fears communists and mistakes a meek youth who works for him for one of them. He invites him to his house to win his confidence and the youth falls in love with his daughter.
Limelight
Calvero's Partner
A fading music hall comedian tries to help a despondent ballet dancer learn to walk and to again feel confident about life.
Paradise for Buster
Buster
Buster leaves his job after learning that he inherited a farm from an old relative.
The Slappiest Days of Our Lives
(archive footage)
Laurel is a Scottish reporter suspected of being a spy by police detective James Finlayson. Although trailed by the latter, Stan, who is reporting on the movie world, manages to be hired by Mack Sennett. He makes his debut in Nevada, in the middle of gold diggers. After managing to clear his name he becomes, with Oliver Hardy, a big comedy star.
The Buster Keaton Show
Buster's shenanigans running a sporting goods store and his antics in a local theatre group.
Sunset Boulevard
Buster Keaton
A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.
The Misadventures of Buster Keaton
Buster
Feature film fashioned from parts of Keaton's short-lived TV series "The Buster Keaton Show."
In the Good Old Summertime
Additional Writing
Two co-workers in a music shop dislike one another during business hours but unwittingly carry on an anonymous romance through the mail.
In the Good Old Summertime
Hickey
Two co-workers in a music shop dislike one another during business hours but unwittingly carry on an anonymous romance through the mail.
You're My Everything
Butler
In 1924, stage-struck Boston blueblood Hannah Adams picks up musical star Tim O'Connor and takes him home for dinner. One thing leads to another, and when Tim's show rolls on to Chicago a new Mrs. O'Connor comes along as incompetent chorus girl. Hollywood beckons, and we follow the star careers of the O'Connor family in silents and talkies.
The Lovable Cheat
Goulard
Posing as a wealthy Parisian, Mercadet fleeces friends and casual acquaintances alike. He is forced into this life of crime to keep up appearances, so that his daughter Julie can land herself a rich husband.
A Duel to the Death
The First Fisherman
On the the bank of a peaceful river, two fishermen are... fishing! An idyllic scene indeed. At least until their lines get intertwined. At one of their two ends, a single fish! But whose end? Which of the two contenders is the legal owner of the aquatic vertebrate? To resolve the dispute, the two men decide to fight a pistol duel.
Boom in the Moon
An American soldier (Keaton) during World War II escapes from an airplane crash over the Pacific Ocean. He arrives on a beach believing he has landed in Japan, but he is actually in Mexico. He wanders into a fishing village and is arrested under the mistaken belief that he is a wanted serial killer. Keaton and another prisoner are put in the custody of an scientist who is planning to launch a manned rocket into outer space. The two prisoners, along with the scientist’s assistant, are blasted into space but their craft lands in an isolated portion of Mexico instead. They mistake a beekeeper wearing protective headgear as an alien, while the beekeeper believes the trio (who are wearing wizard robes) are escaped lunatics. The prisoners and the scientist’s assistant are apprehended by the local police, and the matter is quickly settled. The film is notable both as Keaton’s only Mexican production and as the last time Keaton had star billing in a feature film.
God's Country
Old Tarp / Mr. Boone
Lee Preston, aka Leland Bruce, kills a man in self defense but flees to the redwood country when the law makes it a murder charge. There he meets Lynn O'Malley, the niece of Sandy McTavish who runs the trading post. Lee learns the reason why this is good trapping country is because the timber barons across the lake are ruthlessly cutting the trees and driving the animals across the river. The trappers appeal to him to take a petition to the Governor which would prohibit the timber people from coming to their side of the lake. At first, because he is a wanted man, he refuses but does so later for the sake of the people even though he knows it will lead to his arrest.
She Went to the Races
Bellboy (uncredited)
A group of scientists develop a system to pick winners at the racetrack. Comedy.
That Night with You
Sam - Short Order Cook
In this musical comedy, a young singer becomes so desperate to appear on Broadway that she goes to a prominent producer and tells him that she is the daughter who resulted from his day-long marriage to a young woman he knew years ago. The producer is delighted and soon puts his daughter up on stage. The trouble begins when the girl's "mother" suddenly pays a call. For her own reasons, the woman decides to play along with the girl's ruse. Fortunately, by the story's end, the truth is revealed, all differences are reconciled and happiness ensues.
That's the Spirit
L.M.
A vaudeville performer returns from the dead to help his wife and daughter, who are being dominated by a greedy banker.
San Diego I Love You
Bus Driver
A harried daughter tries to keep her wacky family together while trying to sell her eccentric father's latest invention, a collapsible life raft.
Take It or Leave It
Himself
A young husband becomes a game-show participant in the hopes of winning the cash to pay his pregnant wife's doctor.
Forever and a Day
Wilkins
In World War II, American Gates Trimble Pomfret is in London during the Blitz to sell the ancestral family house. The current tenant, Leslie Trimble, tries to dissuade him from selling by telling him the 140-year history of the place and the connections between the Trimble and Pomfret families.
She's Oil Mine
Buster Waters, plumber
Buster fights a duel over a girl.
General Nuisance
Peter Hedley Lamar Jr.
A millionaire falls for an army nurse, who tells him she likes men in uniform. So he enlists at Camp Cluster. She still has no time for him, so he figures out how to get into the hospital and under her care.
So You Won't Squawk
Eddie
Mobster Louie the Wolf sends an unsuspecting handyman (Keaton) to gather up the collection money owed him, hoping the sap will get rubbed out by Slugger McGraw, a rival gangster. Keaton, however, innocently escapes all the perils that whiz about him without his even knowing it, much to the consternation of McGraw's hoods. When he finally does wake up to Louie's plot, Keaton provokes various policemen to chase him and leads them back to the hoodlum's hideout.
His Ex Marks the Spot
Buster - the husband
Buster's home life is disrupted when his ex-wife and her boyfriend move in.
Li'l Abner
Li'l Abner becomes convinced that he is going to die within twenty-four hours, so agrees to marry two different girls: Daisy Mae (who has chased him for years) and Wendy Wilecat (who rescued him from an angry mob). It is all settled at the Sadie Hawkins Day race.
Li'l Abner
Lonesome Polecat
Li'l Abner becomes convinced that he is going to die within twenty-four hours, so agrees to marry two different girls: Daisy Mae (who has chased him for years) and Wendy Wilecat (who rescued him from an angry mob). It is all settled at the Sadie Hawkins Day race.
The Villain Still Pursued Her
William Dalton
Victorian melodrama gets a big send-up in this spoof production of the old play "The Drunkard; or, The Fallen Saved." The play within the movie is the old one where evil villain Cribbs schemes to get his lusty clutches on the heroine by driving her naive husband to alcoholic ruin. Luckily, a temperance lecturer is on hand to set things straight, as is the great Buster Keaton as the drunkard's friend.
The Spook Speaks
Buster
A magician hires Buster as a housekeeper while he's away.
New Moon
Prisoner - 'LuLu'
A revolutionary leader romances a French aristocrat in Louisiana.
The Taming of the Snood
Buster Keaton
A jewel thief uses Buster as an unsuspecting dupe.
Pardon My Berth Marks
Elmer - Newspaper Copyboy
Buster, a reporter, takes a train trip and winds up innocently involved with a gangster's wife.
Nothing But Pleasure
Clarence Plunkett
To save money, Buster and his wife decide to drive to Detroit to buy a new car, then drive it home.
Hollywood Cavalcade
Buster Keaton
Starting in 1913 movie director Connors discovers singer Molly Adair. As she becomes a star she marries an actor, so Connors fires them. She asks for him as director of her next film. Many silent stars shown making the transition to sound.
Quick Millions
Story
In Hollywood the Jones family runs into crooks who convince them they have inherited a gold mine at the Grand Canyon.
Mooching Through Georgia
Homer Cobb
Man relates how he outwitted the Yankee army during the Civil War.
Mooching Through Georgia
Writer
Man relates how he outwitted the Yankee army during the Civil War.
Pest from the West
Sir
A millionaire vacationing in Mexico falls for a local girl and sets out to win her.
Pest from the West
Writer
A millionaire vacationing in Mexico falls for a local girl and sets out to win her.
The Jones Family in Hollywood
Story
Father goes to an American Legion convention in Hollywood and the family goes along, visiting a studio a causing havoc on the set.
Hollywood Hobbies
Himself (uncredited)
In this short film, two starstruck movie fans hire a tour guide and see a plethora of Hollywood stars.
Streamlined Swing
Director
A group of African-American waiters on a railway believe they have made a deal to secure a railroad dining car that they set up on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles as a diner. To bring in customers, they sing, their voices providing most of the musical accompaniment as well. At the diner, in front of a crowd of swells, the police deliver the bad news.
Hollywood Handicap
Director
A group of stable hands is given a race horse when its owner retires from the business. They raise money to run the horse in the Hollywood Derby at Santa Anita race track. Many Hollywood personalities attend the event.
Life in Sometown, U.S.A.
Director
A satirical visualization of strange and forgotten, but (at that time) nevertheless still existing laws in the U.S.A.
Love Nest on Wheels
Elmer
Buster, the eldest son in a family of hillbillies who manage a hotel, attempts to raise money to save the hotel from foreclosure.
Ditto
The Forgotten Man
Buster, an ice delivery man, falls for one of his customers, not knowing she has a twin sister living next door.
Jail Bait
Buster agrees to pose as a murderer to throw off the police while his room mate, a reporter, searches for the real killer.
Mixed Magic
Elmer 'Happy' Butterworth
When Buster Keaton goes to work as an assistant to a carnival magician, the results turn out to be less than magical.
The Chemist
Elmer Triple
Buster plays Elmer "Happy" Triple, a scientist who is expected to develop the next big thing. That big thing ends up to be a powder when combined with water, produces major blasts that make no sound, which catches the eyes of three robbers who want Elmer's secret powder.
Blue Blazes
Elmer
Buster becomes a fireman, but unfortunately not a particularly good one. He has a chance to prove himself, however, when three women are trapped in a burning building.
Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
Himself
Winners of the Lucky Stars National Dance Contest - one woman from each state of the United States - are welcomed to Palm Springs. Palm Springs being the desert playground for the movie stars, the women are introduced to the cavalcade of stars vacationing in Palm Springs at the time.
Grand Slam Opera
Elmer Butts
Elmer Butts is a contestant in a radio amateur hour show hoping to win the first price -- by dancing and juggling!
Grand Slam Opera
Writer
Elmer Butts is a contestant in a radio amateur hour show hoping to win the first price -- by dancing and juggling!
Three on a Limb
Elmer Brown
Scoutmaster Elmer Brown loses his heart to the pretty carhop who works in a drive-in diner. Complicating his romantic longings is her policeman fiancé. When he tries to eliminate Elmer by giving him traffic tickets for every conceivable violation, the girl takes pity on the martyred Elmer and they drive off together. She informs him that she is also fending off another suitor, Oscar; and to make matters worse, her father is backing the cop while her mother promotes Oscar. Eventually all three men wind up competing for her hand at a chaotic wedding ceremony that ends with Elmer winning his beloved.
The Invader
Leander Proudfoot
A bumbling yachtsman sails to the South of Spain with a fiery seductress, only to become the pawn in her dangerous game of love.
La Fiesta de Santa Barbara
Himself
La Fiesta de Santa Barbara is a 1935 American comedy short film directed by Louis Lewyn. It was nominated for an Academy Award at the 9th Academy Awards in 1936 for Best Short Subject (Color). It features a young, pre-stardom 13-year-old Judy Garland singing "La Cucaracha" with her two sisters (billed as "The Garland Sisters"). In the film, Hollywood stars participate in a Mexican-themed revue and festival in Santa Barbara. Andy Devine, the "World's Greatest Matador," engages in a bullfight with a dubious bovine supplied by Buster Keaton, and musical numbers are provided by Joe Morrison and The Garland Sisters. Comedy bits and dance numbers are also featured.
The Timid Young Man
Milton
Milton, a disappointed romantic, has sworn off women. He gives a lift to a female hitchhiker, whom he happily discovers is also a hurt soul and has sworn off men. Their trip together runs into interference from an aggressive driver who later reappears after the two have set up camp. He starts putting the moves on the woman, but when Milton's ex-girlfriend shows up, she gets into a fight with the interloper and gives Milton and his new pal the chance to slip away.
The E-Flat Man
Elmer
Elmer attempts to elope with his fiancée, but they escape her parents by driving off in a car that's actually owned by a wanted gangster. When they hear on the radio that the police are looking for them, they dump the car and hide out near a farmhouse. But the farmer's radio also broadcasts the couple's description, so they run away and start hitchhiking, only to be picked up by two policemen. They manage to flee into a railroad yard and hop a train that turns out to be refrigerated. Finally they decide to turn themselves in -- just as they learn that the real crooks have been apprehended.
Tars and Stripes
Apprentice Seaman Elmer Doolittle
Naval recruit Elmer is seemingly unable to discharge any of his duties without making life miserable for his irascible commanding officer, who winds up getting doused with paint, splattered with muck, and repeatedly tossed into the water due to Elmer's ineptitude. To make matters worse, Elmer takes a shine to the CO's girlfriend, which prompts her jealous boyfriend into several wrathful chases after Elmer. He eventually has Elmer locked in the brig -- but his girlfriend is in there too, so she can be together with her beloved Elmer.
Hayseed Romance
Elmer Dolittle
Elmer answers an ad for a handyman job and starts working for an older woman and her niece. He gets the impression that his employer wants to marry him, even as he finds himself falling in love with her niece. Elmer talks out his dilemma with himself (in a clever use of double-exposure which puts two Keatons onscreen together) and concludes that he must leave both women. But the aunt catches up with him and takes him at gunpoint to the local preacher. There Elmer discovers she wants him to marry her niece, which he does joyously.
One Run Elmer
Elmer
Elmer owns a gas station out in the California desert. Soon he has a business rival in Jim, who opens up another station, and is also trying to steal Elmer's girlfriend. She plays both rivals against the other and, because she is a baseball fan, both Elmer and Jim try to show each other up in the big local baseball game.
Palooka from Paducah
Jim Diltz
A hillbilly family, hard-hit by the end of Prohibition, decide to set the biggest brother up as a professional wrestler.
The King of the Champs-Élysées
Buster Garner / Jim le Balafré
In Paris, a stage-struck would-be actor is mistaken for an escaped convict.
Allez Oop
Elmer
When Buster's girlfriend falls for a trapeze artist, Buster tries to beat him at his own game.
The Gold Ghost
Wally
Dumped by his girlfriend, Buster drives west and winds up in a ghost town called Vulture City, where he appoints himself sheriff.
What! No Beer?
Elmer J. Butts
When Prohibition ends, a barber tries to get in the liquor business only to come up against mobsters.
Hollywood on Parade No. A-6
Self
A promotional film featuring movie stars at play.
Speak Easily
Producer
A professor gets mixed up with chorus girls in a Broadway musical.
Speak Easily
Professor Post
A professor gets mixed up with chorus girls in a Broadway musical.
The Passionate Plumber
Elmer E. Tuttle
Paris plumber Elmer Tuttle is enlisted by socialite Patricia Alden to help make her lover Tony Lagorce jealous. With the help of his friend Julius J. McCracken and through the high society contacts he has made through Patricia, Elmer hopes to find financing for his latest invention, a pistol with a range-finding light. Comic complications ensue when Elmer's effort to interest a military leader is misconstrued as an assassination attempt.
Casanova wider Willen
Reggie Irving
Jeffrey wants to marry Virginia, who refuses to marry unless her older sister, the hard-to-please Angelica, gets married first.
Sidewalks of New York
Harmon
A dim-witted slumlord tries to reform a gang of urban boys (and impress an attractive young woman) by transforming their rough neighborhood into a more decent place.
We're switching to Hollywood
Self
A German reporter visits Hollywood and is escorted through the MGM Studio by a German nobleman, who is working there as an extra. They meet and speak to several actors, primarily Buster Keaton, John Gilbert, Joan Crawford and Heinrich George. Then they meet Adolphe Menjou, who rehearses a long scene in German. A final scene shows stars arriving at a film premiere, including Jean Harlow, Norma Shearer and Wallace Beery.
The Stolen Jools
Policeman
Famous actress Norma Shearer's jewels are stolen… (Star-packed promotional short film intended to raise funds for the National Variety Artists Tuberculosis Sanatorium.)
Parlor, Bedroom and Bath
Reginald Irving
Jeffrey Haywood wants to marry to Virginia Embrey. However, Virginia refused to marry unless her older sister, the hard-to-please Angelica gets married first. Angelica, in turn, finds every man she knows too dull and predictable, and for this reason prefers to stay single. Jeff then tries to make Angelica interested in the mild-mannered and timid Reggie Irving passing him off as a notorious playboy to intrigue her. He asks his friend Polly to teach Reggie "how to treat a woman right", but he turns to be a disastrous learner.
De frente, marchen
Spanish-language version of Doughboys.
Doughboys
Elmer
Elmer, rich society loafer, falls for Mary, but she'll have nothing to do with him until (mistakenly thinking that he's hiring a new chauffeur) he accidentally volunteers for the army. Luckily, Mary's signed up to entertain the troops. Unluckily, Elmer's sergeant likes Mary, too. And worst of all, they're all about to ship out for France.
Estrellados
Canuto Cuadratin
A matinée idol and a bumbling manager fight for the love of a would-be starlet. Estrellados is the Spanish version of Free and Easy (1930) with Hispanic/Spanish-speaking actors.
Free and Easy
Producer
Gopher City Kansas hosts a beauty contest. The winner, Elvira Plunkett, and her mother go to Hollywood. The Chamber of Commerce also provides Elvira with an agent, Gopher City's own Elmer J. Butz. Elmer likes Elvira and the shy Elvira likes him, but Mrs. Plunkett, a formidable woman, has little use for hapless Elmer. On the train west, they meet movie star Larry Mitchell, who takes a shine to Elvira and helps her meet MGM directors once they get to Tinsel Town. Elmer, meanwhile, wants to help Elvira with her career and he also wants to be her man. Movie stardom does come to the Gopher City entourage, but to whom is a surprise. And who will win the lovely Elvira's hand?
Free and Easy
Elmer
Gopher City Kansas hosts a beauty contest. The winner, Elvira Plunkett, and her mother go to Hollywood. The Chamber of Commerce also provides Elvira with an agent, Gopher City's own Elmer J. Butz. Elmer likes Elvira and the shy Elvira likes him, but Mrs. Plunkett, a formidable woman, has little use for hapless Elmer. On the train west, they meet movie star Larry Mitchell, who takes a shine to Elvira and helps her meet MGM directors once they get to Tinsel Town. Elmer, meanwhile, wants to help Elvira with her career and he also wants to be her man. Movie stardom does come to the Gopher City entourage, but to whom is a surprise. And who will win the lovely Elvira's hand?
The Hollywood Revue of 1929
Self / Princess Raja
An all-star revue featuring MGM contract players.
Spite Marriage
Director
An unimpressive but well-intentioned man is given the chance to marry a popular actress, of whom he has been a hopeless fan. But what he doesn't realize is that he is being used to make the actress' old flame jealous.
Spite Marriage
Producer
An unimpressive but well-intentioned man is given the chance to marry a popular actress, of whom he has been a hopeless fan. But what he doesn't realize is that he is being used to make the actress' old flame jealous.
Spite Marriage
Elmer
An unimpressive but well-intentioned man is given the chance to marry a popular actress, of whom he has been a hopeless fan. But what he doesn't realize is that he is being used to make the actress' old flame jealous.
The Baby Cyclone
Stunt Double (uncredited)
A woman thinks a small dog is an angel pet in this silent comedy.
The Cameraman
Director
A photographer takes up newsreel shooting to impress a secretary.
The Cameraman
Buster
A photographer takes up newsreel shooting to impress a secretary.
Steamboat Bill, Jr.
William 'Willie' Canfield Jr.
The just out of college effete son of a no-nonsense steamboat captain comes to visit his father whom he's not seen since he was little.
Character Studies
Himself (uncredited)
Carter DeHaven announces that he will perform a series of "impressions." For each we see him applying makeup and changing the combing of his hair or putting on a wig. When he tilts his head down during each supposed makeover, up pops the actual celebrity (Keaton, Lloyd, Arbuckle, Valentino, Fairbanks, Coogan) he appears to have been making himself up as.
College
Director
Brilliant in his studies and dismissive of athletics, Ronald finishes high school at the top of his class. But in college his uptight attitude doesn't win him any points with his sports-loving classmates, and pretty coed Mary ignores him in favor of brutish jock Jeff. Hoping to impress Mary, Ronald makes a buffoon of himself at every sport imaginable.
College
Ronald, The Boy
Brilliant in his studies and dismissive of athletics, Ronald finishes high school at the top of his class. But in college his uptight attitude doesn't win him any points with his sports-loving classmates, and pretty coed Mary ignores him in favor of brutish jock Jeff. Hoping to impress Mary, Ronald makes a buffoon of himself at every sport imaginable.
Life in Hollywood No. 1
Part of a 7-part series exploring all aspects of Hollywood.
The General
Stunts
During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnnie Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.
The General
Johnny Gray
During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnnie Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.
The General
Editor
During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnnie Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.
The General
Producer
During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnnie Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.
The General
Screenplay
During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnnie Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.
The General
Director
During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnnie Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.
Battling Butler
Producer
Meek millionaire Alfred Butler goes on a camping excursion with his faithful servant. Once in the wilderness, Alfred ignores outdoor activities in favor of trying to woo a charming mountain girl, who wants nothing to do with her spoiled suitor. Trying to impress the girl, Alfred masquerades as boxing star "Battling" Butler.
Battling Butler
Alfred Butler
Meek millionaire Alfred Butler goes on a camping excursion with his faithful servant. Once in the wilderness, Alfred ignores outdoor activities in favor of trying to woo a charming mountain girl, who wants nothing to do with her spoiled suitor. Trying to impress the girl, Alfred masquerades as boxing star "Battling" Butler.
Battling Butler
Director
Meek millionaire Alfred Butler goes on a camping excursion with his faithful servant. Once in the wilderness, Alfred ignores outdoor activities in favor of trying to woo a charming mountain girl, who wants nothing to do with her spoiled suitor. Trying to impress the girl, Alfred masquerades as boxing star "Battling" Butler.
Go West
Producer
With little luck at keeping a job in the city a New Yorker tries work in the country and eventually finds his way leading a herd of cattle to the West Coast.
Go West
Friendless
With little luck at keeping a job in the city a New Yorker tries work in the country and eventually finds his way leading a herd of cattle to the West Coast.
Go West
Story
With little luck at keeping a job in the city a New Yorker tries work in the country and eventually finds his way leading a herd of cattle to the West Coast.
Go West
Director
With little luck at keeping a job in the city a New Yorker tries work in the country and eventually finds his way leading a herd of cattle to the West Coast.
The Iron Mule
Indian (uncredited)
A train known as the Iron Mule is loaded with passengers, and starts off on its trip. Along the way, the train faces numerous obstacles and delays. The engineer is prepared for most of them, but the real challenges come when the train is ambushed by Indians.
Seven Chances
Editor
Struggling stockbroker Jimmie Shannon learns that, if he gets married by 7 p.m. on his 27th birthday -- which is today -- he'll inherit $7 million from an eccentric relative.
Seven Chances
Producer
Struggling stockbroker Jimmie Shannon learns that, if he gets married by 7 p.m. on his 27th birthday -- which is today -- he'll inherit $7 million from an eccentric relative.
Seven Chances
James 'Jimmie' Shannon
Struggling stockbroker Jimmie Shannon learns that, if he gets married by 7 p.m. on his 27th birthday -- which is today -- he'll inherit $7 million from an eccentric relative.
Seven Chances
Director
Struggling stockbroker Jimmie Shannon learns that, if he gets married by 7 p.m. on his 27th birthday -- which is today -- he'll inherit $7 million from an eccentric relative.
The Navigator
Editor
The wealthy and impulsive Rollo Treadway decides to propose to his beautiful socialite neighbor, Betsy O'Brien. Although Betsy turns Rollo down, he still opts to go on the cruise that he intended as their honeymoon. When circumstances find both Rollo and Betsy on the wrong ship, they end up having adventures on the high seas.
The Navigator
Producer
The wealthy and impulsive Rollo Treadway decides to propose to his beautiful socialite neighbor, Betsy O'Brien. Although Betsy turns Rollo down, he still opts to go on the cruise that he intended as their honeymoon. When circumstances find both Rollo and Betsy on the wrong ship, they end up having adventures on the high seas.
The Navigator
Rollo Treadway
The wealthy and impulsive Rollo Treadway decides to propose to his beautiful socialite neighbor, Betsy O'Brien. Although Betsy turns Rollo down, he still opts to go on the cruise that he intended as their honeymoon. When circumstances find both Rollo and Betsy on the wrong ship, they end up having adventures on the high seas.
The Navigator
Director
The wealthy and impulsive Rollo Treadway decides to propose to his beautiful socialite neighbor, Betsy O'Brien. Although Betsy turns Rollo down, he still opts to go on the cruise that he intended as their honeymoon. When circumstances find both Rollo and Betsy on the wrong ship, they end up having adventures on the high seas.
Sherlock Jr.
Sherlock, Jr.
A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meagre skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.
Sherlock Jr.
Editor
A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meagre skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.
Sherlock Jr.
Producer
A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meagre skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.
Sherlock Jr.
Director
A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meagre skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.
Our Hospitality
Stunts
A young man falls for a young woman on his trip home; unbeknownst to him, her family has vowed to kill every member of his.
Our Hospitality
William McKay
A young man falls for a young woman on his trip home; unbeknownst to him, her family has vowed to kill every member of his.
Our Hospitality
Producer
A young man falls for a young woman on his trip home; unbeknownst to him, her family has vowed to kill every member of his.
Our Hospitality
Director
A young man falls for a young woman on his trip home; unbeknownst to him, her family has vowed to kill every member of his.
Three Ages
Producer
The rituals of courtship, romantic rivalry and love play out three times as a man vies with a villain for the girl. In the Stone Age, the rivalry is set off by dinosaurs, a turtle used as a ouija board, and a round of golf with stones. In ancient Rome, the men display their brawn through a chariot race, using dogs instead of horses. In contemporary times, the man finds himself overcome by modernity, including a very fragile car.
Three Ages
The Boy
The rituals of courtship, romantic rivalry and love play out three times as a man vies with a villain for the girl. In the Stone Age, the rivalry is set off by dinosaurs, a turtle used as a ouija board, and a round of golf with stones. In ancient Rome, the men display their brawn through a chariot race, using dogs instead of horses. In contemporary times, the man finds himself overcome by modernity, including a very fragile car.
Three Ages
Director
The rituals of courtship, romantic rivalry and love play out three times as a man vies with a villain for the girl. In the Stone Age, the rivalry is set off by dinosaurs, a turtle used as a ouija board, and a round of golf with stones. In ancient Rome, the men display their brawn through a chariot race, using dogs instead of horses. In contemporary times, the man finds himself overcome by modernity, including a very fragile car.
The Love Nest
Buster Keaton
In an attempt to forget his lost sweetheart, Buster takes a long trip at the sea when he's caught by pirates.
The Love Nest
Writer
In an attempt to forget his lost sweetheart, Buster takes a long trip at the sea when he's caught by pirates.
The Love Nest
Director
In an attempt to forget his lost sweetheart, Buster takes a long trip at the sea when he's caught by pirates.
The Balloonatic
Writer
Buster and Phyllis endure a number of outdoor adventures trying to prove to each other their survival skills. The balloon which lands Buster in the wilderness proves useful later on as their canoe is about go over a waterfall.
The Balloonatic
Director
Buster and Phyllis endure a number of outdoor adventures trying to prove to each other their survival skills. The balloon which lands Buster in the wilderness proves useful later on as their canoe is about go over a waterfall.
The Balloonatic
The Young Man (as 'Buster' Keaton)
Buster and Phyllis endure a number of outdoor adventures trying to prove to each other their survival skills. The balloon which lands Buster in the wilderness proves useful later on as their canoe is about go over a waterfall.
Our hospitality
Director
Our hospitality
Day Dreams
Writer
In order to impress the father of a girl he is keen on, Buster goes to the city in search of work. In his letters home he writes of his various jobs which her imagination expands into much nobler ones than those that he is actually attempting.
Day Dreams
The Young Man
In order to impress the father of a girl he is keen on, Buster goes to the city in search of work. In his letters home he writes of his various jobs which her imagination expands into much nobler ones than those that he is actually attempting.
Day Dreams
Director
In order to impress the father of a girl he is keen on, Buster goes to the city in search of work. In his letters home he writes of his various jobs which her imagination expands into much nobler ones than those that he is actually attempting.
Seeing Stars
Himself
First National gala celebrity banquet with stars.
The Electric House
Buster
Botany major Buster mistakenly graduates in electrical engineering and is hired to wire a new home.
The Electric House
Writer
Botany major Buster mistakenly graduates in electrical engineering and is hired to wire a new home.
The Electric House
Director
Botany major Buster mistakenly graduates in electrical engineering and is hired to wire a new home.
The Frozen North
The Bad Man
This satirical parody of William S. Hart's melodramatic films finds Buster in the frozen north, "last stop on the subway." He uses a wanted poster as his partner in robbing a gambling house. When he thinks he spies his wife making love to another man he shoots them both only to learn it isn't his cabin after all.
The Frozen North
Writer
This satirical parody of William S. Hart's melodramatic films finds Buster in the frozen north, "last stop on the subway." He uses a wanted poster as his partner in robbing a gambling house. When he thinks he spies his wife making love to another man he shoots them both only to learn it isn't his cabin after all.
The Frozen North
Director
This satirical parody of William S. Hart's melodramatic films finds Buster in the frozen north, "last stop on the subway." He uses a wanted poster as his partner in robbing a gambling house. When he thinks he spies his wife making love to another man he shoots them both only to learn it isn't his cabin after all.
The Blacksmith
Blacksmith's Assistant
Buster clowns around in a blacksmith's shop until he and the smithy get in a fight which sends the smithy to jail. Buster helps several customers with horses, then destroys a Rolls Royce while fixing the car parked next to it.
The Blacksmith
Writer
Buster clowns around in a blacksmith's shop until he and the smithy get in a fight which sends the smithy to jail. Buster helps several customers with horses, then destroys a Rolls Royce while fixing the car parked next to it.
The Blacksmith
Director
Buster clowns around in a blacksmith's shop until he and the smithy get in a fight which sends the smithy to jail. Buster helps several customers with horses, then destroys a Rolls Royce while fixing the car parked next to it.
My Wife's Relations
Writer
Buster is falsely accused of breaking a window by a woman and is taken into a courtroom. Thinking that Buster and the woman are engaged, the judge mistakenly marries them and Buster is quickly taken home by the woman to meet her family. At first unwelcoming, the family begins to treat Buster nice when they come to believe that he is going to inherit a large sum of money.
My Wife's Relations
The husband
Buster is falsely accused of breaking a window by a woman and is taken into a courtroom. Thinking that Buster and the woman are engaged, the judge mistakenly marries them and Buster is quickly taken home by the woman to meet her family. At first unwelcoming, the family begins to treat Buster nice when they come to believe that he is going to inherit a large sum of money.
My Wife's Relations
Director
Buster is falsely accused of breaking a window by a woman and is taken into a courtroom. Thinking that Buster and the woman are engaged, the judge mistakenly marries them and Buster is quickly taken home by the woman to meet her family. At first unwelcoming, the family begins to treat Buster nice when they come to believe that he is going to inherit a large sum of money.
Cops
Editor
Buster Keaton gets involved in a series of misunderstandings involving a horse and cart. Eventually he infuriates every cop in the city when he accidentally interrupts a police parade.
Cops
Writer
Buster Keaton gets involved in a series of misunderstandings involving a horse and cart. Eventually he infuriates every cop in the city when he accidentally interrupts a police parade.
Cops
The Young Man
Buster Keaton gets involved in a series of misunderstandings involving a horse and cart. Eventually he infuriates every cop in the city when he accidentally interrupts a police parade.
Cops
Director
Buster Keaton gets involved in a series of misunderstandings involving a horse and cart. Eventually he infuriates every cop in the city when he accidentally interrupts a police parade.
The Paleface
Writer
A butterfly collector unwittingly wanders into an Indian encampment while chasing a butterfly, but the tribe has resolved to kill the first white man who enters their encampment because white oil tycoons are trying to force them from their land.
The Paleface
Director
A butterfly collector unwittingly wanders into an Indian encampment while chasing a butterfly, but the tribe has resolved to kill the first white man who enters their encampment because white oil tycoons are trying to force them from their land.
The Paleface
Little Chief Paleface
A butterfly collector unwittingly wanders into an Indian encampment while chasing a butterfly, but the tribe has resolved to kill the first white man who enters their encampment because white oil tycoons are trying to force them from their land.
The Boat
Writer
Buster's handmade boat, The Damfino, is finished and is, of course, too large to get through the basement door. When he drives off with it in tow, the side of his house, then the whole thing, collapses. At the harbor he rides the boat out only to have it sink beneath him. The rest is a series of adventures he and his family have with the restored boat.
The Boat
Director
Buster's handmade boat, The Damfino, is finished and is, of course, too large to get through the basement door. When he drives off with it in tow, the side of his house, then the whole thing, collapses. At the harbor he rides the boat out only to have it sink beneath him. The rest is a series of adventures he and his family have with the restored boat.
The Boat
The Boat Builder
Buster's handmade boat, The Damfino, is finished and is, of course, too large to get through the basement door. When he drives off with it in tow, the side of his house, then the whole thing, collapses. At the harbor he rides the boat out only to have it sink beneath him. The rest is a series of adventures he and his family have with the restored boat.
The Play House
Audience / Orchestra / Mr. Brown - First Minstrel / Second Minstrel / Interctors / Stagehand
After waking up from his wacky dream, a theater stage hand inadvertently causes havoc everywhere he works.
The Play House
Writer
After waking up from his wacky dream, a theater stage hand inadvertently causes havoc everywhere he works.
The Play House
Director
After waking up from his wacky dream, a theater stage hand inadvertently causes havoc everywhere he works.
The Goat
The Goat
A series of adventures begins when Buster is mistaken for Dead Shot Dan, the evil bad guy.
The Goat
Writer
A series of adventures begins when Buster is mistaken for Dead Shot Dan, the evil bad guy.
The Goat
Director
A series of adventures begins when Buster is mistaken for Dead Shot Dan, the evil bad guy.
The High Sign
Writer
Buster is thrown off a train near an amusement park. There he gets a job in a shooting gallery run by the Blinking Buzzards mob. Ordered to kill a businessman, he winds up protecting the man and his daughter by outfitting their home with trick devices.
The High Sign
Director
Buster is thrown off a train near an amusement park. There he gets a job in a shooting gallery run by the Blinking Buzzards mob. Ordered to kill a businessman, he winds up protecting the man and his daughter by outfitting their home with trick devices.
The High Sign
Our Hero
Buster is thrown off a train near an amusement park. There he gets a job in a shooting gallery run by the Blinking Buzzards mob. Ordered to kill a businessman, he winds up protecting the man and his daughter by outfitting their home with trick devices.
Hard Luck
Writer
A down on his luck young man makes several attempts at committing suicide but fails them too. He then finds himself becoming more confident through a series of petty adventures, to such an extent that this becomes his undoing.
Hard Luck
Suicidal Boy
A down on his luck young man makes several attempts at committing suicide but fails them too. He then finds himself becoming more confident through a series of petty adventures, to such an extent that this becomes his undoing.
Hard Luck
Director
A down on his luck young man makes several attempts at committing suicide but fails them too. He then finds himself becoming more confident through a series of petty adventures, to such an extent that this becomes his undoing.
The Haunted House
Bank Clerk
Buster Keaton is a bank teller who becomes involved with a hold-up, counterfeiters, and a theatrical troupe posing as spooks in a haunted house.
The Haunted House
Writer
Buster Keaton is a bank teller who becomes involved with a hold-up, counterfeiters, and a theatrical troupe posing as spooks in a haunted house.
The Haunted House
Director
Buster Keaton is a bank teller who becomes involved with a hold-up, counterfeiters, and a theatrical troupe posing as spooks in a haunted house.
Neighbors
Writer
The Romeo and Juliet story played out in a tenement neighborhood with Buster and Virginia's families hating each other over the fence separating their buildings.
Neighbors
The Boy
The Romeo and Juliet story played out in a tenement neighborhood with Buster and Virginia's families hating each other over the fence separating their buildings.
Neighbors
Director
The Romeo and Juliet story played out in a tenement neighborhood with Buster and Virginia's families hating each other over the fence separating their buildings.
The Scarecrow
Farmhand
Buster competes with another farmhand for the love of the farmer's daughter.
The Scarecrow
Writer
Buster competes with another farmhand for the love of the farmer's daughter.
The Scarecrow
Director
Buster competes with another farmhand for the love of the farmer's daughter.
Convict 13
Editor
A young golfer is mugged by an escaped convict and finds himself in a prison where he foils a jailbreak.
Convict 13
Writer
A young golfer is mugged by an escaped convict and finds himself in a prison where he foils a jailbreak.
Convict 13
Director
A young golfer is mugged by an escaped convict and finds himself in a prison where he foils a jailbreak.
Convict 13
Unlucky Golfer / Golfeur malchanceux
A young golfer is mugged by an escaped convict and finds himself in a prison where he foils a jailbreak.
The Round-Up
Indian (Uncredited)
The adventures of a lovesick sheriff.
The Saphead
Bertie Van Alstyne
Nick Van Alstyne owns the Henrietta silver mine and is very rich. His son Bertie is naive and spoiled. His daughter Rose is married to shady investor Mark. Mark wrecks Bertie's wedding plans by making him take the blame for Mark's illegitimate daughter. Mark also nearly ruins the family business by selling off Henrietta stock at too low a price. Bertie, of all people, must come to the rescue on the trading floor.
One Week
Writer
The story involves two newlyweds, Keaton and Seely, who receive a build-it-yourself house as a wedding gift. The house can be built, supposedly, in "one week." A rejected suitor secretly re-numbers packing crates. The movie recounts Keaton's struggle to assemble the house according to this new "arrangement."
One Week
Editor
The story involves two newlyweds, Keaton and Seely, who receive a build-it-yourself house as a wedding gift. The house can be built, supposedly, in "one week." A rejected suitor secretly re-numbers packing crates. The movie recounts Keaton's struggle to assemble the house according to this new "arrangement."
One Week
The Groom
The story involves two newlyweds, Keaton and Seely, who receive a build-it-yourself house as a wedding gift. The house can be built, supposedly, in "one week." A rejected suitor secretly re-numbers packing crates. The movie recounts Keaton's struggle to assemble the house according to this new "arrangement."
One Week
Director
The story involves two newlyweds, Keaton and Seely, who receive a build-it-yourself house as a wedding gift. The house can be built, supposedly, in "one week." A rejected suitor secretly re-numbers packing crates. The movie recounts Keaton's struggle to assemble the house according to this new "arrangement."
The Garage
Mechanic / Fireman
Roscoe and Buster operate a combination garage and fire station. In the first half they destroy a car left for them to clean. In the second half they go off on a false alarm and return to find their own building on fire.
The Hayseed
Manager, general store
Buster manages the store while Roscoe delivers the mail, taking time out for hide-and-seek with Molly. The constable, also interested in Molly, steals $300 while being observed by Buster.
Back Stage
Stagehand
Roscoe and Buster give a bullying Strongman the what-for, but after the performance troupe quits it's up to Fatty and Buster to keep the show going.
The Cook
Assistant Chef (uncredited)
In an attempt at greater efficiency, the chef of a fancy oceanside restaurant and his assistant wreak havoc in the establishment. Adding to the complications is the arrival of a robber.
Good Night, Nurse!
Dr. Hampton
Roscoe's wife, tired of his endless drunkenness, reads of an operation that cures alcoholism and has him admitted to No Hope Sanitarium to get the surgery. Roscoe, wanting out, eventually disguises himself as a nurse to effect his escape.
The Moonshine
Editor
A feud between the Owens and the Gillettes ends when the last remaining Gillette is killed, but new trouble erupts for the mountain folk with the arrival of a U.S. revenue agent and his assistant.
The Moonshine
Revenue Agent
A feud between the Owens and the Gillettes ends when the last remaining Gillette is killed, but new trouble erupts for the mountain folk with the arrival of a U.S. revenue agent and his assistant.
The Bell Boy
Bellboy
At the Elk's Head Hotel bellhops torment the lobby, each other and guests. The elevator is powered by a stubborn horse. A sham robbery turns into a real one. And there is a chase on a runaway trolley.
Out West
Sheriff, saloon owner
The story involves Arbuckle coming to the western town of Mad Dog Gulch after being thrown off a train and chased by Indians. He teams up with gambler/saloon owner Bill Bullhum, in trying to keep the evil Wild Bill Hickup away from Salvation Army girl, Salvation Sue. Fatty and Buster have a series of adventures trying to beat St. John, until they discover his one weakness: his ticklishness.
A Country Hero
Vaudeville Artist
Fatty plays a village blacksmith in “Jazzville,” an imaginary rural village. There is a rivalry between Fatty and Cy Klone, the garage owner, over the affections of a pretty schoolteacher. A city chap unites the two rivals when he tries to steal the girl. An annual village ball features amateur talent in vaudeville stunts with Keaton as a wriggling Fatima who charms a long black stocking from a cigar box like a snake. The film is presumed lost.
Coney Island
Rival / Cop with Moustache
Arbuckle escapes the watch of his domineering wife and heads for Coney Island. Keaton arrives that same day with his attractive, and rather easy, girlfriend, who is immediately stolen from him by St. John.
Oh, Doctor!
Junior Holepoke
Roscoe is a doctor who falls in love with a pretty woman whose boyfriend, in turn, falls in love with Roscoe's wife's jewelry.
His Wedding Night
Delivery boy
Al and Roscoe, employees at a gas station, are rivals for Alice. When Buster delivers a wedding gown for Alice and begins modeling it, he is mistaken for Alice and is kidnapped by Al.
The Rough House
Gardener / Delivery Boy / Cop
Living under the same roof with his newly-wed wife and his mother-in-law, a careless Mr Rough sets the nuptial bedroom on fire, as the residence's cook tries to woo the maid who only has eyes for the charming delivery boy. As one thing leads to another, Mr Rough ends up preparing dinner for a pair of duplicitous guests, when, clearly, he should be staying out of the kitchen. Does Mrs Rough know the visitors' true intentions? But, above all, how will this disastrous dinner party at the Rough house end?
The Rough House
Writer
Living under the same roof with his newly-wed wife and his mother-in-law, a careless Mr Rough sets the nuptial bedroom on fire, as the residence's cook tries to woo the maid who only has eyes for the charming delivery boy. As one thing leads to another, Mr Rough ends up preparing dinner for a pair of duplicitous guests, when, clearly, he should be staying out of the kitchen. Does Mrs Rough know the visitors' true intentions? But, above all, how will this disastrous dinner party at the Rough house end?
The Rough House
Director
Living under the same roof with his newly-wed wife and his mother-in-law, a careless Mr Rough sets the nuptial bedroom on fire, as the residence's cook tries to woo the maid who only has eyes for the charming delivery boy. As one thing leads to another, Mr Rough ends up preparing dinner for a pair of duplicitous guests, when, clearly, he should be staying out of the kitchen. Does Mrs Rough know the visitors' true intentions? But, above all, how will this disastrous dinner party at the Rough house end?
A Reckless Romeo
Blind Organ Grinder
Roscoe flirts with a girl in the park. Later he takes his wife and mother-in-law to the movies only to see his flirtation showing on the screen.
The Butcher Boy
Buster
Customers and clerks frolic in a general store. Roscoe walks out of the freezer wearing a fur coat, then does some clever cleaver tossing. In Buster's film debut he buys a pail of molasses.