September
7th, 1919 – the day Back Stage
was released. It’s been nearly a year since I last did a 100 Years of Buster Keaton post, and it was only recently that it occurred to me why: this would’ve
been the stretch of time when Buster was serving in World War I. While Fatty
Arbuckle continued to make shorts throughout 1919, this would have been the
first he made after Buster returned home. A classic, and for good reason. Tons
of great gags (and stunts!), but these are my favorites (spoilers.)
The Traveling Star
The
stagehands are used to dealing with actors’ egos at the theatre. They have a
single star attached to a pulley system that they use to hang it over each
dressing room door in turn. That way, each arriving actor thinks they’re the star. Ha!
Unfortunate Sign Placement
Fatty has
pasted up a wall ad for a new show, involving the famous actress Miss Gertrude
McSkinny performing in The Little
Laundress. However, the placement of the words on the ad, combined with its
position right next to a sliding door, means that when the door is open, half
the sign is covered and what remains are the words “Miss Skinny Will Undress
Here at 2 P.M.” I love me a good sight gag.
Dancing Fails
This
whole sequence is terrific. The stagehands are trying to imitate a dancer in
the show. Fatty gets in on the action first, doing pretty well until he crosses
his ankles and they get stuck that way, leaving him teetering. But Buster’s
contribution is great, too. Attempting a complicated move, he winds up
staggering around the backstage area in a precarious limbo position, unable to
straighten back up. The cherry comes when Fatty winds up with a broom to knock
him off his feet; as Buster sits up, he shakes Fatty’s hand in a matter-of-fact
display of gratitude.
Wrestling with the Barbell
More
awesome physical comedy from Fatty and Buster. After getting an electrical
current to hit the barbell as the strongman is lifting it, they’ve knocked him
out and are now struggling to get the barbell off him. Neither is up to the
task, and Buster of course ends up trapped on the ground with the barbell lying
across his neck. His gravity-defying attempts to free himself are a total
Buster move, while Fatty’s efforts to help are well-meaning but wildly
ineffective.
The King and Queen
You can’t
talk about Back Stage without talking
about this sequence. Everything about Fatty and Buster playing the king and
queen in the show is a delight: their overly-dramatic posing, Fatty catching
the leaping Buster in his arms, and the two of them lounging by their “throne”
with Buster systematically yanking out Fatty’s leg hairs. There’s also Buster’s
amazing series of no-handed cartwheels, which isn’t really a gag but still
deserves mention just for being so damn cool.
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