Top Five Gags: The Love Nest

*Spoilers.*

IMDb just lists the release date for The Love Nest as “March 1923,” but the Buster Keaton Society says it was March 18, so that’s what I’m going with. When it comes to Buster’s independent shorts, this one can be something of an afterthought for me, but it actually has quite a few entertaining gags in it.

 

Swabbing the Deck

One of the (many) things I love about Buster is his talent for making things funny in the smallest of ways. During this sequence, the big-ticket moment is when he swings around and knocks another deckhand in the head with his mop, which is a terrific bit of physical comedy. But my favorite moment comes before that. When Buster first starts mopping, I just love the way he crouches down, choking up on the handle and almost dabbing at the deck with the mop. He then uses his foot to try and swipe the water around. In all his early films, his tumbling was incredible, but it’s little moments like this that really bring his personality to the forefront.

 

The Rifle

While dusting the cabin, Buster takes one of the rifles down from the wall and plays with it. The captain, who’s always ready to throw deckhands overboard for the slightest offense, walks in right as Buster points the rifle toward the door, naturally. After a quick deer-in-the-headlights moment and a bit of hemming and hawing, Buster tucks the rifle under arm and marches up onto the deck, then down the steps along the side of the ship, the captain watching him all the time. We see a shot underwater, and then Buster marches back up, carrying a fish. This is a deliberate, drawn-out gag that gets its humor from pacing itself. Buster’s unwavering calm in the face of the captain’s bafflement is awesome.

 

Serving Coffee

At this point, Buster has already seen the captain throw one deckhand overboard for accidentally spilling coffee on him (which can be tricky to avoid when the ship is rolling with the waves.) So when the captain demands to be served, Buster’s taking no chances! He whips out a funnel to ensure no coffee-related accidents. Everything’s going well, until he walks away and inadvertently drags the tablecloth after him.

 

Caught on a Rope

Buster’s on the run from the murderous captain, and as he’s chased around the deck, he completely clotheslines himself on a rope stretched across the path. I love the way he spins on the rope like a rotisserie chicken before landing on the ground in a classic Buster all-right-angles pose.

 

If the Boat Will Not Go to the Water…

Buster is trying to escape on the lifeboat, but he can’t get it off its little struts, let alone of the ship. But as the intertitle says, “If the boat will not go to the water, the water will come to the boat.” All it takes is a man with an axe, a vision and a wooden hull—easy peasy! Soon, the ship is sinking, and Buster waits for the water to rise up and meet the lifeboat. As a delightful capper, he sits in the lifeboat playing solitaire while he waits.