I’ve
reviewed my top five classic Buster Keaton shorts, but there are too many to
only highlight five. I don’t know what
has more laughs per minute than Buster’s silent shorts, so we’re looking at
more today. They’re not necessarily my
next five favorites, but they’re another five I love.
The
Haunted House (1921)
A
counterfeiting ring disguises their hideout as a haunted house, and it’s up to
Buster, a young bank clerk, to figure out their tricks, bring the crooks to
justice, and – of course – save the girl.
It’s noteworthy for some great disappearing-stair gags (Buster sure knew
how to get his comic money’s worth out of a set piece) and a wonderful sequence
in which Buster, working at the teller window, accidentally gets glue on his
hands and everything else and is generally
hilarious.
The
‘High Sign’ (1921)
Buster gets
a job at a shooting gallery and inadvertently joins the notorious Blinking
Buzzards. He’s sent to kill a rich man
who, coincidentally, has just hired Buster as his bodyguard. A house plays a big role here, too – the
tycoon Buster protects has rigged his home with trap doors and hidden escapes, which
Buster puts to excellent use during the chases.
The real highlight, though, is Buster’s clever way of posing as a crack
shot: imaginative, industrious, and very funny.
The
Paleface (1922)
Buster
is a hapless lepidopterist who befriends a Native American community. After a disastrous beginning, he helps them
outsmart the white developers trying to take their land. It gets a little White Savior in places and
the use of redface is unfortunate, but it’s ultimately a well-meaning little
yarn. The gags come fast and furious; Buster
makes an asbestos suit, conducts a war dance, and “scalps” a man’s toupee. Also, he literally falls 85 feet – amazing.
The
Electric House (1922)
Rounding
off the “crazy house” collection, Buster is mistaken for an electrician (I
know; if I had a nickel for every time that happened to me) and hired to
electrify a family home. This being
Buster, we’re not talking light switches.
No, we get escalators, assembly-line dishwashers, a pool table that sets
games by itself, and a bathtub that meets you at your bed. Things go haywire when the real electrician sabotages
Buster’s work, and the creative machine gags are superb.
The
Frozen North (1922)
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