I
enjoyed writing about the rest of Buster Keaton’s independent comedy shorts, so
I might as well keep it up. I’ve already
done my top five picks on the Arbuckle-Keaton stuff and, since I have eight to
go, I’ll give you four today and four more next week. There really is a lot of funny stuff to be
had here.
The
Butcher Boy (1917)
Buster’s
screen debut! Fatty works in a butcher
shop/general store, where he slices cuts of meat between battling a rival for
the affections of the girl he loves.
Buster plays an unsuspecting customer who causes a little havoc of his
own before getting caught in the crossfire of the dueling would-be lovers.
Best
Buster Bit: Buster’s first onscreen stunt – taking a sack
of flour to the face. As Buster later
described, the force of it puts his head where his feet had been. Talk about suffering for your art!
His
Wedding Night (1917)
Fatty
and another man fight over the same girl (sound familiar?) Serious (funny) business this time around, as
the rival actually tries kidnapping her – little does he know, though, he’s in
fact run off with Buster, who models the wedding dresses he delivers.
Best
Buster Bit: After discovering that the wedding dress has
fallen out of its box, Buster, in looking around for it, checks his pockets. For a wedding dress. Such glorious little moment.
Coney
Island (1917)
More of
Fatty trying to woo a girl, now with Buster playing his rival. Lots of clowning around on the rides, the
midway games, and the beach. Noteworthy
for Buster’s blatant delight when Fatty accidentally winds up with a women’s
bathing suit.
Best
Buster Bit: Buster gets a job as a lifeguard and,
stepping out of the changing rooms, does a backflip for absolutely no reason at
all – love it.
Moonshine (1918)
Fatty
and Buster play a pair of revenue agents on the prowl for bootleggers. This has a different comedy style than the other
Arbuckle shorts I’ve seen, and really, most silent films I’ve seen. It’s super meta, with the intertitles
constantly breaking the fourth wall. One
of my favorites is when Buster explains that all the extras went to lunch, offering
to go find them before Fatty decides they can do the explosion scene without
them.
Best
Buster Bit: After Busters takes a plunge in the river,
Fatty literally hangs him up to dry.
From a tree branch.
Upside-down. By his ankles. Ha!
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