Top Five Buster Keaton Stunts: Arbuckle-Keaton Shorts

Although Buster Keaton’s independent shorts are, for my money, more creative, more ambitious, and more tightly put-together than the stuff he did with Fatty Arbuckle, I can’t deny that Buster’s stunt work in these shorts is just off-the-charts incredible.  The Arbuckle-Keaton shorts have more instant-replay moments for me than any other period of Buster’s work.  Here’s to some truly breathtaking slapstick.  (Clips today, because pictures just aren’t enough!)

The Butcher Boy

It’s true that, even though taking a sack of flour to the face is no mean feat (a sack of flour thrown at his face – now that’s dedication!) this moment lacks the style and athleticism of other stunts listed here.  But it was the first, Buster’s maiden stunt on camera, and that makes it special.  Right from the start, one thing was clear:  no one can fall like Buster.

The Bell Boy

This scene is… it’s not even slapstick!  This is straight-up action, Buster being awesome just because he can.  It’s my all-time favorite stunt sequence of his.  The takedown of the burglar, the absolutely flawless execution of stunning, proto-parkour acrobatics, the fact that it’s all done in a continuous shot – amazing.

Back Stage

I love the no-handed cartwheels so much.  Especially in context; here’s Buster being silly onstage, he’s in drag that’s middling at best, he’s playing a pipe or recorder of some kind, and he’s just sort of prancing around.  Then, out of nowhere, a switch flips and he becomes this whirligig of no-handed cartwheels, one after the other, over and over, and when it finally ends in a fall, he switches right back to messing around.  In the midst of the stage hands’ awful little show, it’s a moment of genuine spectacle, and he just moves along from it like it’s no big deal.

Back Stage

Given the way this one is shot, it’s clear that Buster’s quarry is a dummy during the long shot, but it’s still wonderfully cool.  And anyway, whatever else is faked, it’s Buster throughout, doing fantastic things as usual.  I love the way he just swings up to the balcony, clamps onto his target, and lets gravity do the rest.  Plus, in the ensuing scuffle, he breaks out one of my favorite Buster fight moves, where he leaps up to kick someone in the chest with both feet.  Sorry, Thor – Buster did it first!

The Garage

Well, sure, he could’ve just slid straight down the fire pole.  But why would he do that when he can spiral all the way down, curling up so his legs are actually above his head?  After all, what’s the point of being an assistant mechanic/fireman if you can’t have a little fun?  Like others on this list, I love that it’s there just cuz, purely Buster being a boss because that’s how he rolls.