The Play House (1921)

Director:

Buster Keaton

Writers:

Edward F. Cline (writer)
Buster Keaton (writer)

Release Date:

6 October 1921 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy | Fantasy

Plot:

The opening scene, a dream sequence prior to the vaudeville routines which follow, is what makes this film famous...

Plot Keywords:

Vaudeville | Dream | Dream Sequence | Sight Gag | Orangutan

Cast

Buster Keaton

...

Audience / Orchestra / Mr. Brown - First Minstrel / Second Minstrel / Interctors / Stagehand

Runtime:

22 min | Spain:18 min | USA:20 min (2005 DVD release)

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

UK:U | Canada:G (Ontario) | Argentina:Atp | Spain:T

Company:

Joseph M. Schenck Productions

Trivia:

The multiple Busters on screen together were created in the camera, using a special lens with shutters to film only a portion of the scene at a time. Buster would perform one part, then the cameraman would crank the film back and open another shutter to film another part. A banjo player with a metronome helped Keaton to perform precisely at the right time for each take.

Quotes:

Interactor: Mr. Brown, I understand you had a cyclone in your town.
Mr. Brown /First Minstrel: Yes, sir, the wind blew so hard it blew a silver dollar into four quarters.
Second Minstrel: That nothing. The wind blew so hard it blew a wart off a man's nose and broke a window two blocks away.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

Mr. Keaton Brings Down The House

A BUSTER KEATON Silent Short.

You can expect a lively night when the Buster Keaton Minstrels entertain at THE PLAYHOUSE.

This hilarious little film is a tour de force for Keaton, who is often devastatingly funny. The amount of obvious effort that went in to making the special effects work is also impressive. Highlights: the opening minutes, with Buster playing absolutely everyone in the theater, from an old lady to a little boy, and, a little further on, Buster's peerless impersonation of a chimpanzee.

Born into a family of Vaudevillian acrobats, Buster Keaton (1895-1966) mastered physical comedy at a very early age. An association with Fatty Arbuckle led to a series of highly imaginative short subjects and classic, silent feature-length films - all from 1920 to 1928. Writer, director, star & stuntman - Buster could do it all and his intuitive genius gave him almost miraculous knowledge as to the intricacies of film making and of what it took to please an audience. More akin to Fairbanks than Chaplin, Buster's films were full of splendid adventure, exciting derring-do and the most dangerous physical stunts imaginable. His theme of a little man against the world, who triumphs through bravery & ingenuity, dominates his films. Through every calamity & disaster, Buster remained the Great Stone Face, a stoic survivor in a universe gone mad.

In the late 1920's Buster was betrayed by his manager/brother-in-law and his contract was sold to MGM, which proceeded to nearly destroy his career. Teamed initially with Jimmy Durante and eventually allowed small roles in mediocre comedies, Buster was for 35 years consistently given work far beneath his talent. Finally, before lung cancer took him at age 70, he had the satisfaction of knowing that his classic films were being rediscovered. Now, well past his centenary, Buster Keaton is routinely recognized & appreciated as one of cinema's true authentic geniuses. And he knew how to make people laugh...