Buster Keaton

Buster Keaton

Born: October 3, 1895
Died: February 1, 1966
in Piqua, Kansas, USA
Buster Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname The Great Stone Face. He was recognized as the seventh-greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Keaton the 21st-greatest male star of all time.

Movies for Buster Keaton...

Stunts: A Taste for Risk
Title: Stunts: A Taste for Risk
Character: Various Roles (archive footage)
Released: November 30, 2023
Type: Movie
The amazing story of stunts, men and women who risk their lives every day on set to get the perfect action scene.
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Navigators
Title: Navigators
Released: July 19, 2023
Type: Movie
December 1919. The American government deports 249 anarchists and radicals on the “Soviet Ark”. Five years later, this same ship becomes the decor of Buster Keaton’s slapstick comedy “The Navigator”.
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Time Travelers
Title: Time Travelers
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: June 16, 2020
Type: Movie
Time Travelers, a new documentary by Daniel Raim featuring interviews with John Bengtson and film historian Marc Wanamaker, reveals newly discovered connections between Buster Keaton’s MGM debut and the earliest films of his career.
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Barney's Wall
Title: Barney's Wall
Character: Himself (archival footage)
Released: May 4, 2019
Type: Movie
What makes a rebel? This 78 minute documentary probes the psyche of bad-boy publisher and free speech warrior Barney Rosset, whose mid-century legal and cultural battles smashed sexual and political taboos in the United States — unleashing the counter-culture of the 1960s and introducing millions of young intellectuals to the most radical currents in literature, film, theater and politics. In his late eighties, coming to terms with his life, Barney Rosset began to obsessively sculpt an autobiographical 15′ x 22′ surreal wall mural, embedded with jewel-like vignettes crafted out of found objects, each a clue to the conflicts and obsessions that drove Barney’s lifetime rebellion against authority. A cast of artists, a neurologist, and a shaman connect the clues and piece together Barney’s life.
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The Image Book
Title: The Image Book
Character: (film archive footage)
Released: October 11, 2018
Type: Movie
In Le Livre d’Image, Jean-Luc Godard recycles existing images (films, documentaries, paintings, television archives, etc.), quotes excerpts from books, uses fragments of music. The driving force is poetic rhyme, the association or opposition of ideas, the aesthetic spark through editing, the keystone. The author performs the work of a sculptor. The hand, for this, is essential. He praises it at the start. “There are the five fingers. The five senses. The five parts of the world (…). The true condition of man is to think with his hands. Jean-Luc Godard composes a dazzling syncopation of sequences, the surge of which evokes the violence of the flows of our contemporary screens, taken to a level of incandescence rarely achieved. Crowned at Cannes, the last Godard is a shock film, with twilight beauty.
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The Great Buster: A Celebration
Title: The Great Buster: A Celebration
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: October 5, 2018
Type: Movie
A celebration of the life and career of one of America's most influential and celebrated filmmakers and comedians—Buster Keaton—whose singular style and fertile output during the silent era created his legacy as a true cinematic visionary.
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Buster Keaton The Shorts Collection 1917-1923
Title: Buster Keaton The Shorts Collection 1917-1923
Released: July 17, 2016
Type: Movie
Includes all 32 of Keaton's extant silent shorts (thirteen of which were produced under the tutelage of comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle) These 2K restorations onto Blu-Ray promise to be the definitive representation of Keaton's early career.
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Buster Keaton: The Genius Destroyed by Hollywood
Title: Buster Keaton: The Genius Destroyed by Hollywood
Character: Self
Released: February 7, 2016
Type: Movie
In 1926, Buster Keaton was at the peak of his glory and wealth. By 1933, he had reached rock bottom. How, in the space of a few years, did this uncontested genius of silent films, go from the status of being a widely-worshipped star to an alcoholic and solitary fallen idol? With a spotlight on the 7 years during which his life changed, using extracts of Keaton’s films as magnifying mirrors, the documentary recounts the dramatic life of this creative genius and the Hollywood studios.
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Chaplin/Keaton: Duel of Legends
Title: Chaplin/Keaton: Duel of Legends
Character: (archive footage)
Released: February 4, 2016
Type: Movie
Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton were two incredibly talented artists who enjoyed enormous worldwide success at a very young age. The two giants of the golden age of silent cinema were perceived to be constantly competing with each other for the crown of the king of laughter.
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Looking for Charlie: Or, the Day the Clown Died
Title: Looking for Charlie: Or, the Day the Clown Died
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: January 1, 2016
Type: Movie
A documentary which explores the lives and tragic deaths of Marceline Orbes and Francis "Slivers" Oakley, the suicidal clowns who inspired Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
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Notfilm
Title: Notfilm
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: October 27, 2015
Type: Movie
NOTFILM is a feature-length experimental essay on FILM -- its author Samuel Beckett, its star Buster Keaton, its production and its philosophical implications -- utilizing additional outtakes, never before heard audio recordings of the production meetings, and other rare archival elements.
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And the Oscar Goes To...
Title: And the Oscar Goes To...
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: February 1, 2014
Type: Movie
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement.
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Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic
Title: Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: December 28, 2011
Type: Movie
The lives of Stan Laurel (1890-1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892-1957), on the screen and behind the curtain. The joy and the sadness, the success and the failure. The story of one of the best comic duos of all time: a lesson on how to make people laugh.
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Kings of Comedy: Masters of the Silent Screen
Title: Kings of Comedy: Masters of the Silent Screen
Character: (archive footage)
Released: December 31, 2007
Type: Movie
A documentary about some of the comedians of the silent era featuring clips from their films and biographical information.
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The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk
Title: The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: September 2, 2007
Type: Movie
Film historians, and survivors from the nearly 30-year struggle to bring sound to motion pictures take the audience from the early failed attempts by scientists and inventors, to the triumph of the talkies.
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Title: Legends
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: November 17, 2006
Type: TV
The story of the big names that have shaped the musical genres, plus an occasional stopgap for the new rock 'n' roll - comedy.
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Edge of Outside
Title: Edge of Outside
Character: Buster (archive footage)
Released: June 11, 2006
Type: Movie
An hour-long documentary designed to celebrate the spirit of the independent filmmaker from D.W. Griffith to Quentin Tarantino. Interview footage and film clips are blended together to form a chronological approach to the subject matter.
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Buster Keaton: From Silents to Shorts
Title: Buster Keaton: From Silents to Shorts
Character: (archive footage)
Released: March 7, 2006
Type: Movie
A documentary short included as an extra with "The Buster Keaton Collection".
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Industrial Strength Keaton
Title: Industrial Strength Keaton
Character: Himself
Released: January 17, 2006
Type: Movie
Through newly restored and remastered shorts, features, forgotten industrial films, promotional films, commercials, live television appearances and out-takes, Industrial Strength Keaton reveals the continuing artistry of Hollywood's greatest laugh maker, paying homage to a career spanning nearly every form of recorded visual media from 1917 until his final work in 1965.
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So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM
Title: So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: December 7, 2004
Type: Movie
A Turner Classic Movies (TCM) documentary about Keaton's discontented relationship with MGM and the events that eventually led to his career downfall.
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Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume Two
Title: Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume Two
Character: Various
Released: September 5, 2001
Type: Movie
A collection of five silent comedy shorts co-starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Buster Keaton, and produced by their own Comique Film Company: BACK STAGE (1919), GOOD NIGHT, NURSE! (1918), CONEY ISLAND (1918), THE ROUGH HOUSE (1918), and THE GARAGE (1920). Volume Two of a two-volume DVD series from Kino Video. Musical score by the Alloy Orchestra.
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Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume One
Title: Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume One
Character: Various
Released: September 5, 2001
Type: Movie
A collection of five silent comedy shorts co-starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Buster Keaton, and produced by their own Comique Film Company: THE BELL BOY (1918), THE BUTCHER BOY (1917), OUT WEST (1918), MOONSHINE (1918), and THE HAYSEED (1919). Volume One of a two-volume DVD series from Kino Video. Musical score by the Alloy Orchestra.
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That's Entertainment! III
Title: That's Entertainment! III
Character: (archive footage)
Released: July 1, 1994
Type: Movie
Some of MGM'S musical stars review the studios history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of 1929 to Brigadoon, from the first musical talkies to Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain.
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Title: Funny Business
Character: (archive footage)
Released: November 22, 1992
Type: TV
Funny Business is a documentary style television series about the craft of comedy consisting of six 50-minute episodes. The first episode aired in the UK 22 November 1992. The show was also shown in Germany and released on video. It was directed by David Hinton. The writers were Rowan Atkinson, Robin Driscoll, and David Hinton. It was produced by Tiger Television Productions. The show featured appearances by many comedians, including Rowan Atkinson who made an appearance both as the presenter/narrator, and as an aspiring comedy actor named Kevin. Atkinson demonstrated many of the principles of comedy in a manner which was instantly identifiable to anyone familiar with his Mr. Bean character.
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Title: Star Life
Character: Self
Released: August 4, 1990
Type: TV
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Dance Crazy in Hollywood
Title: Dance Crazy in Hollywood
Character: Self - Actor (archive footage)
Released: January 1, 1990
Type: Movie
American dancer and choreographer Hermes Pan recalls his life and work as he relives the glorious history of the Hollywood musical.
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Title: Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: September 30, 1987
Type: TV
A series about the life, career and works of the movie comedy genius.
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Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend
Title: Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: April 19, 1986
Type: Movie
Her story is well-known — the lonely child who yearned for affection and approval which she finally seemed to find as Hollywood's greatest love goddess. But even though she scaled heights few could even dream of, she was one of the loneliest of stars.
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Going Hollywood: The '30s
Title: Going Hollywood: The '30s
Character: (archive footage)
Released: January 1, 1984
Type: Movie
Robert Preston hosts this documentary that shows what people of the 1930s were watching as they were battling the Depression as well as eventually getting ready for another World War.
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The Hollywood Clowns
Title: The Hollywood Clowns
Character: (archive footage)
Released: March 23, 1979
Type: Movie
Glenn Ford narrates this hilarious look back at the greatest comedians in movie history.
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That's Entertainment, Part II
Title: That's Entertainment, Part II
Character: (archive footage)
Released: May 16, 1976
Type: Movie
Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time including comedy and drama as well as classic musical numbers.
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It's Showtime
Title: It's Showtime
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: March 31, 1976
Type: Movie
A collection of film clips profiling animal actors.
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That's Entertainment!
Title: That's Entertainment!
Character: (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: June 21, 1974
Type: Movie
Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history.
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4 Clowns
Title: 4 Clowns
Character: (archive footage)
Released: September 1, 1970
Type: Movie
Robert Youngson once again compiles scenes from the golden age of comedy's silent film era. Laurel and Hardy are shown battling a gum machine, and Hardy is a debaucherous Romeo whose amorous plans are thwarted by Rex, the Wonder Horse. Charley Chase is hampered by hiccups and a female professor, and he fleeces a drunken Oliver Hardy with a mannequin in a nightclub. The third part finds bachelor Buster Keaton desperately trying to get married by 7:00 PM in order to collect a $7-million-dollar inheritance. Keaton is pursued by money-hungry prospects in one of the best chase scenes ever filmed. Narration is provided by Jay Jackson.
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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Title: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Character: Erronius
Released: October 16, 1966
Type: Movie
A wily slave must unite a virgin courtesan and his young smitten master to earn his freedom.
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The Scribe
Title: The Scribe
Character: Journalist
Released: January 8, 1966
Type: Movie
Comedy short produced by the Construction Safety Association of Ontario, Canada. It demonstrates the do's and don'ts of construction site safety. The film is the last professionally filmed footage of film legend Buster Keaton, shot months before his death from lung cancer on February 1, 1966. He recreates several routines from his youth, as well as some new material for the film. Most notable was his recreation of a gag from his 1918 film The Bell Boy in which he mops the floor using only the tip of the mop, little by little while sitting on the floor.
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War Italian Style
Title: War Italian Style
Character: Gen. von Kassler
Released: November 26, 1965
Type: Movie
It's May 1943, and two Italian American soldiers, Joe and Frank, are searching the North African desert for a Nazi general called Von Kassler. Von Kassler's aide captures them, and arranges for them to escape with fake war plans. But, things don't go exactly as planned for either side.
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Salute to Stan Laurel
Title: Salute to Stan Laurel
Character: Self
Released: November 23, 1965
Type: Movie
A program featuring original comedy skits written as a tribute to Stan Laurel.
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Buster Keaton Rides Again
Title: Buster Keaton Rides Again
Character: Himself
Released: October 30, 1965
Type: Movie
In the fall of 1964, just over a year before his death, Buster Keaton traveled to Canada to make The Railrodder, a short subject that now enjoys a small cult following. Documenting this mobile production in fascinating and unexpected detail, Buster Keaton Rides Again offers a rare glimpse of the comedy legend’s temperament, philosophies, hobbies, marriage (his third), and the occasionally combative creative process behind the scenes. An intimate look at one of cinema’s most enduring legends.
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Film
Title: Film
Character: The Man
Released: September 4, 1965
Type: Movie
A man attempts to evade observation by an all-seeing eye.
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Sergeant Deadhead
Title: Sergeant Deadhead
Character: Airman Blinken
Released: August 18, 1965
Type: Movie
An astronaut goes into space with a chimpanzee. When they return to Earth after their orbit, it is discovered that the chimp has the brains of the astronaut, and the astronaut has the brains of the chimp. Complications ensue.
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How to Stuff a Wild Bikini
Title: How to Stuff a Wild Bikini
Character: Bwana
Released: July 14, 1965
Type: Movie
When he's stationed in Tahiti, a sailor hires a witch doctor to keep an eye on his girlfriend.
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The Railrodder
Title: The Railrodder
Character: The Man
Released: June 20, 1965
Type: Movie
After literally swimming across the Atlantic Ocean, an Englishman takes a country trip across Canada on a railcar.
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Beach Blanket Bingo
Title: Beach Blanket Bingo
Released: April 14, 1965
Type: Movie
In the fourth of the highly successful Frankie and Annette beach party movies, a motorcycle gang led by Eric Von Zipper kidnaps singing star Sugar Kane managed by Bullets, who hires sky-diving surfers Steve and Bonnie from Big Drop for a publicity stunt. With the usual gang of kids and a mermaid named Lorelei.
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Pajama Party
Title: Pajama Party
Character: Chief Rotten Eagle
Released: November 11, 1964
Type: Movie
A Martian teenager sent to prepare for an invasion falls in love with an Earth girl.
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The Big Parade of Comedy
Title: The Big Parade of Comedy
Character: Buster in 'The Cameraman' (archive footage)
Released: September 2, 1964
Type: Movie
Film clips highlight the funniest scenes and brightest comic stars in MGM's history.
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Title: The Hollywood Palace
Character: Self - Sketch Actor
Released: January 4, 1964
Type: TV
The Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly on ABC from January 4, 1964 to February 7, 1970. Originally titled The Saturday Night Hollywood Palace, it began as a mid-season replacement for The Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show which had lasted only three months. It was staged in Hollywood at the former Hollywood Playhouse on Vine Street, which was renamed The Hollywood Palace during the show's duration and is today known as Avalon Hollywood. A little-known starlet named Raquel Welch was cast during the first season as the "Billboard Girl", who placed the names of the acts on a placard.
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The Sound of Laughter
Title: The Sound of Laughter
Character: Elmer Butts
Released: December 17, 1963
Type: Movie
A compilation of film clips of comedies from 1930's.
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It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Title: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Character: Jimmy the Crook
Released: November 7, 1963
Type: Movie
A group of strangers come across a man dying after a car crash who proceeds to tell them about the $350,000 he buried in California. What follows is the madcap adventures of those strangers as each attempts to claim the prize for himself.
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Title: Burke's Law
Character: Mortimer Lovely
Released: September 20, 1963
Type: TV
Burke's Law is an American detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II.
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Title: The Greatest Show on Earth
Released: September 17, 1963
Type: TV
Johnny Slate successfully manages his circus as it moves from town to town.
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30 Years of Fun
Title: 30 Years of Fun
Character: (archive footage)
Released: February 10, 1963
Type: Movie
Three decades of fun packed into one convenient package with this compilation of classic black-and-white comedy clips featuring Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Laurel and Hardy.
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There's No Business Like No Business
Title: There's No Business Like No Business
Character: Himself
Released: January 1, 1963
Type: Movie
On behalf of the Arvin Corporation, Buster Keaton demonstrates the importance of using Maremont auto parts for potential repairs while running a petrol station.
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The Triumph of Lester Snapwell
Title: The Triumph of Lester Snapwell
Character: Lester Snapwell
Released: January 1, 1963
Type: Movie
A low budget industrial film shot for the Eastman Kodak company. The mildly funny film that shows all the troubles of a man named Lester Snapwell (Keaton), who, in the late 1860's, tries to photograph his sweetheart, Clementine, and her mother. However, he has too much trouble with the bulky camera. Then he is accidentally killed and father time transports him forward in time. In each successive period he struggles with the photographic technology of the day. Then he arrives in the 1960's where the new Kodak Instamatic" camera puts all his troubles to rest.
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Simon Pure Beer
Title: Simon Pure Beer
Character: Himself
Released: July 19, 1962
Type: Movie
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Crazy Days
Title: Crazy Days
Character: Various (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: July 12, 1962
Type: Movie
Narrator Hughie Green tells "jokes" over clips of old silent films. Including greats such as Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, the Keystone Cops and more.
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Langlois-Keaton à Paris
Title: Langlois-Keaton à Paris
Character: Self
Released: February 22, 1962
Type: Movie
Furtive traces of a visit, a certain February 22, 1962: Buster Keaton.
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The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers
Title: The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers
Character: Self
Released: January 6, 1962
Type: Movie
A TV movie with intertwining music numbers and sketches.
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The Home Owner
Title: The Home Owner
Character: Himself / The Home Owner
Released: November 9, 1961
Type: Movie
A 25 minute sales film featuring Buster Keaton as a prospective home owner in Maryvale, a suburb of Phoenix. A Realtor takes Buster on a tour of some model tract homes and extols their virtues while Buster is constantly pursuing a sexy-looking blonde. After buying a home, Buster proceeds to wreak havoc in the community. He falls into another resident's pool with a shopping cart full of purchases from S. S. Kresge's, knocks over an unassuming waiter with a bowling ball at the local lanes and tries his hand at being a waiter a ritzy restaurant. The construction of the new hospital and golf course are then discussed, and the films ends with a panoramic view of the model tract homes.
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The Devil To Pay
Title: The Devil To Pay
Character: Diablos
Released: November 9, 1960
Type: Movie
A short silent (with narration), parodying science fiction films. The USA misfires a rocket which crash lands on Tartarus (or Hades), where Buster Keaton, as Diabolus, is enraged and seeks revenge.
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Title: Route 66
Released: October 7, 1960
Type: TV
Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America in a Chevrolet Corvette sports car. The show ran weekly on Fridays on CBS from October 7, 1960 to March 20, 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for the first two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod was shown traveling on his own. Tod met Lincoln Case, played by Glenn Corbett, late in the third season, and traveled with him until the end of the fourth and final season. Among the series more notable aspects were the featured Corvette convertible, and the program's instrumental theme song, which became a major pop hit.
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Title: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Character: Lion Tamer
Released: July 21, 1960
Type: Movie
From chicken thief to cabin boy, riverboat pilot to circus performer, Huck Finn outsmarts everyone on his way down the muddy Mississippi.
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When Comedy Was King
Title: When Comedy Was King
Character: edited from 'Cops' (archive footage)
Released: March 29, 1960
Type: Movie
A compilation featuring comedic stars of the silent era including Fatty Arbuckle, Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Charley Chase, and Laurel and Hardy.
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Lifetime of Comedy
Title: Lifetime of Comedy
Character: (archive footage)
Released: January 1, 1960
Type: Movie
Compilation of comedy sketches from the comedy kings Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Danny Kaye & Bing Crosby.
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Title: The Twilight Zone
Character: Woodrow Mulligan
Released: October 2, 1959
Type: TV
A series of unrelated stories containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and/or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist.
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Title: The Donna Reed Show
Released: September 24, 1958
Type: TV
Revolves around typical family problems, such as firing a clumsy housekeeper, throwing a retirement bash for a colleague, and finding quality time away from the children.
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The Adventures of Mr. Pastry
Title: The Adventures of Mr. Pastry
Character: Professor
Released: June 21, 1958
Type: Movie
Interested in becoming a serious actor, Mr. Pastry (Richard Hearne) seeks out the services of a down-and-out Professor (Buster Keaton) to help him become the dramatic thespian he hopes to be.
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No Time at All
Title: No Time at All
Character: Harrison
Released: February 13, 1958
Type: Movie
An airliner flying nonstop at night from Miami to New York fails to check in, then disappears from radar. We see how its disappearance affects people on the ground.
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Around the World in Eighty Days
Title: Around the World in Eighty Days
Character: Train Conductor
Released: October 17, 1956
Type: Movie
Based on the famous book by Jules Verne the movie follows Phileas Fogg on his journey around the world. Which has to be completed within 80 days, a very short period for those days.
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Title: The Rosemary Clooney Show
Character: Self
Released: May 22, 1956
Type: TV
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Title: Screen Director's Playhouse
Character: Kelsey Dutton
Released: October 5, 1955
Type: TV
Presented by Eastman Kodak, this show was a series of original scripts directed by acclaimed directors and featuring well-known performers. The stories ranged from musicals to comedies and dramas.
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The Awakening
Title: The Awakening
Character: The Man
Released: July 14, 1954
Type: Movie
"The Awakening" is a 1954 short drama film of Douglas Fairbanks Presents anthology series based on Nikolai Gogol's short story "The Overcoat".
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L'Incantevole nemica
Title: L'Incantevole nemica
Character: L'apprenti boulanger dans la pièce de théâtre
Released: June 14, 1953
Type: Movie
The owner of a cheese factory fears communists and mistakes a meek youth who works for him for one of them. He invites him to his house to win his confidence and the youth falls in love with his daughter.
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Limelight
Title: Limelight
Character: Calvero's Partner
Released: October 23, 1952
Type: Movie
A fading music hall comedian tries to help a despondent ballet dancer learn to walk and to again feel confident about life.
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Title: This Is Your Life
Character: Self
Released: October 1, 1952
Type: TV
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience, including special guest appearances by colleagues, friends and family. Edwards revived the show in 1971-72, while Joseph Campanella hosted a version in 1983. Edwards returned for some specials in the late 1980s, before his death in 2005. The show originated as a radio show on NBC Radio airing from 1948 to 1952.
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Paradise for Buster
Title: Paradise for Buster
Character: Buster
Released: May 31, 1952
Type: Movie
Buster leaves his job after learning that he inherited a farm from an old relative.
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The Slappiest Days of Our Lives
Title: The Slappiest Days of Our Lives
Character: (archive footage)
Released: March 23, 1951
Type: Movie
Laurel is a Scottish reporter suspected of being a spy by police detective James Finlayson. Although trailed by the latter, Stan, who is reporting on the movie world, manages to be hired by Mack Sennett. He makes his debut in Nevada, in the middle of gold diggers. After managing to clear his name he becomes, with Oliver Hardy, a big comedy star.
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Life with Buster Keaton
Title: Life with Buster Keaton
Released: February 10, 1951
Type: Movie
Buster's shenanigans running a sporting goods store and his antics in a local theatre group.
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The Misadventures of Buster Keaton
Title: The Misadventures of Buster Keaton
Character: Buster
Released: December 31, 1950
Type: Movie
Feature film fashioned from parts of Keaton's short-lived TV series "The Buster Keaton Show."
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Title: The Colgate Comedy Hour
Character: Self
Released: September 10, 1950
Type: TV
The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show starred many notable comedians and entertainers of the era, including Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Donald O'Connor, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante, Ray Bolger, Gordon MacRae, Ben Blue, Robert Paige, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Broadway dancer Wayne Lamb and Spike Jones and His City Slickers.
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Sunset Boulevard
Title: Sunset Boulevard
Character: Buster Keaton
Released: August 10, 1950
Type: Movie
A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.
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Title: What's My Line?
Character: Self - Mystery Guest
Released: February 2, 1950
Type: TV
Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions.
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In the Good Old Summertime
Title: In the Good Old Summertime
Character: Hickey
Released: July 29, 1949
Type: Movie
Two co-workers in a music shop dislike one another during business hours but unwittingly carry on an anonymous romance through the mail.
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You're My Everything
Title: You're My Everything
Character: Butler
Released: July 22, 1949
Type: Movie
In 1924, stage-struck Boston blueblood Hannah Adams picks up musical star Tim O'Connor and takes him home for dinner. One thing leads to another, and when Tim's show rolls on to Chicago a new Mrs. O'Connor comes along as incompetent chorus girl. Hollywood beckons, and we follow the star careers of the O'Connor family in silents and talkies.
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The Lovable Cheat
Title: The Lovable Cheat
Character: Goulard
Released: May 11, 1949
Type: Movie
Posing as a wealthy Parisian, Mercadet fleeces friends and casual acquaintances alike. He is forced into this life of crime to keep up appearances, so that his daughter Julie can land herself a rich husband.
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Title: The Ed Sullivan Show
Character: Self - audience bow
Released: June 20, 1948
Type: TV
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
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Title: The Ed Sullivan Show
Character: Self
Released: June 20, 1948
Type: TV
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
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A Duel to the Death
Title: A Duel to the Death
Character: The First Fisherman
Released: January 1, 1947
Type: Movie
On the the bank of a peaceful river, two fishermen are... fishing! An idyllic scene indeed. At least until their lines get intertwined. At one of their two ends, a single fish! But whose end? Which of the two contenders is the legal owner of the aquatic vertebrate? To resolve the dispute, the two men decide to fight a pistol duel.
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Boom in the Moon
Title: Boom in the Moon
Released: August 2, 1946
Type: Movie
An American soldier (Keaton) during World War II escapes from an airplane crash over the Pacific Ocean. He arrives on a beach believing he has landed in Japan, but he is actually in Mexico. He wanders into a fishing village and is arrested under the mistaken belief that he is a wanted serial killer. Keaton and another prisoner are put in the custody of an scientist who is planning to launch a manned rocket into outer space. The two prisoners, along with the scientist’s assistant, are blasted into space but their craft lands in an isolated portion of Mexico instead. They mistake a beekeeper wearing protective headgear as an alien, while the beekeeper believes the trio (who are wearing wizard robes) are escaped lunatics. The prisoners and the scientist’s assistant are apprehended by the local police, and the matter is quickly settled. The film is notable both as Keaton’s only Mexican production and as the last time Keaton had star billing in a feature film.
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God's Country
Title: God's Country
Character: Old Tarp / Mr. Boone
Released: March 15, 1946
Type: Movie
Lee Preston, aka Leland Bruce, kills a man in self defense but flees to the redwood country when the law makes it a murder charge. There he meets Lynn O'Malley, the niece of Sandy McTavish who runs the trading post. Lee learns the reason why this is good trapping country is because the timber barons across the lake are ruthlessly cutting the trees and driving the animals across the river. The trappers appeal to him to take a petition to the Governor which would prohibit the timber people from coming to their side of the lake. At first, because he is a wanted man, he refuses but does so later for the sake of the people even though he knows it will lead to his arrest.
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She Went to the Races
Title: She Went to the Races
Character: Bellboy (uncredited)
Released: November 4, 1945
Type: Movie
A group of scientists develop a system to pick winners at the racetrack. Comedy.
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That Night with You
Title: That Night with You
Character: Sam - Short Order Cook
Released: September 28, 1945
Type: Movie
In this musical comedy, a young singer becomes so desperate to appear on Broadway that she goes to a prominent producer and tells him that she is the daughter who resulted from his day-long marriage to a young woman he knew years ago. The producer is delighted and soon puts his daughter up on stage. The trouble begins when the girl's "mother" suddenly pays a call. For her own reasons, the woman decides to play along with the girl's ruse. Fortunately, by the story's end, the truth is revealed, all differences are reconciled and happiness ensues.
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That's the Spirit
Title: That's the Spirit
Character: L.M.
Released: June 1, 1945
Type: Movie
A vaudeville performer returns from the dead to help his wife and daughter, who are being dominated by a greedy banker.
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San Diego I Love You
Title: San Diego I Love You
Character: Bus Driver
Released: September 29, 1944
Type: Movie
A harried daughter tries to keep her wacky family together while trying to sell her eccentric father's latest invention, a collapsible life raft.
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Take It or Leave It
Title: Take It or Leave It
Character: Himself
Released: July 17, 1944
Type: Movie
A young husband becomes a game-show participant in the hopes of winning the cash to pay his pregnant wife's doctor.
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Forever and a Day
Title: Forever and a Day
Character: Wilkins
Released: January 21, 1943
Type: Movie
In World War II, American Gates Trimble Pomfret is in London during the Blitz to sell the ancestral family house. The current tenant, Leslie Trimble, tries to dissuade him from selling by telling him the 140-year history of the place and the connections between the Trimble and Pomfret families.
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She's Oil Mine
Title: She's Oil Mine
Character: Buster Waters, plumber
Released: November 20, 1941
Type: Movie
Buster fights a duel over a girl.
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General Nuisance
Title: General Nuisance
Character: Peter Hedley Lamar Jr.
Released: September 18, 1941
Type: Movie
A millionaire falls for an army nurse, who tells him she likes men in uniform. So he enlists at Camp Cluster. She still has no time for him, so he figures out how to get into the hospital and under her care.
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Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1
Title: Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1
Character: Self
Released: August 15, 1941
Type: Movie
This edition of Screen Snapshots has more of a vaudeville flavor as opposed to Ralph Staub's usual candid-camera at home with the stars offerings. Ken Murray, assisted by the Brewer Twins, is the MC, while the Andrews Sisters sing "In Apple Blossom Time" and the pre-"Uncle Miltie" Milton Berle plays his clarinet. The rest of the players, with contract-player faces belonging to 20th-Century Fox, RKO Radio, Universal and Columbia, just pass through. Production Number 3851.
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So You Won't Squawk
Title: So You Won't Squawk
Character: Eddie
Released: February 21, 1941
Type: Movie
Mobster Louie the Wolf sends an unsuspecting handyman (Keaton) to gather up the collection money owed him, hoping the sap will get rubbed out by Slugger McGraw, a rival gangster. Keaton, however, innocently escapes all the perils that whiz about him without his even knowing it, much to the consternation of McGraw's hoods. When he finally does wake up to Louie's plot, Keaton provokes various policemen to chase him and leads them back to the hoodlum's hideout.
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His Ex Marks the Spot
Title: His Ex Marks the Spot
Character: Buster - the husband
Released: December 13, 1940
Type: Movie
Buster's home life is disrupted when his ex-wife and her boyfriend move in.
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Li'l Abner
Title: Li'l Abner
Released: November 9, 1940
Type: Movie
Li'l Abner becomes convinced that he is going to die within twenty-four hours, so agrees to marry two different girls: Daisy Mae (who has chased him for years) and Wendy Wilecat (who rescued him from an angry mob). It is all settled at the Sadie Hawkins Day race.
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Li'l Abner
Title: Li'l Abner
Character: Lonesome Polecat
Released: November 9, 1940
Type: Movie
Li'l Abner becomes convinced that he is going to die within twenty-four hours, so agrees to marry two different girls: Daisy Mae (who has chased him for years) and Wendy Wilecat (who rescued him from an angry mob). It is all settled at the Sadie Hawkins Day race.
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The Villain Still Pursued Her
Title: The Villain Still Pursued Her
Character: William Dalton
Released: October 11, 1940
Type: Movie
Victorian melodrama is sent up in this spoof of the old production "The Drunkard; or, The Fallen Saved." Dastardly villain Silas Cribbs schemes to get his lusty clutches on the virtuous heroine by driving her naïve husband to alcoholic ruin. Luckily, a temperance lecturer is on hand to set things straight, as is Buster Keaton as William Dalton, the drunkard's friend.
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The Spook Speaks
Title: The Spook Speaks
Character: Buster
Released: September 20, 1940
Type: Movie
A magician hires Buster as a housekeeper while he's away.
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New Moon
Title: New Moon
Character: Prisoner - 'LuLu'
Released: June 28, 1940
Type: Movie
A revolutionary leader romances a French aristocrat in Louisiana.
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The Taming of the Snood
Title: The Taming of the Snood
Character: Buster Keaton
Released: June 28, 1940
Type: Movie
A jewel thief uses Buster as an unsuspecting dupe.
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Pardon My Berth Marks
Title: Pardon My Berth Marks
Character: Elmer - Newspaper Copyboy
Released: March 22, 1940
Type: Movie
Buster, a reporter, takes a train trip and winds up innocently involved with a gangster's wife.
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Nothing But Pleasure
Title: Nothing But Pleasure
Character: Clarence Plunkett
Released: January 19, 1940
Type: Movie
To save money, Buster and his wife decide to drive to Detroit to buy a new car, then drive it home.
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Hollywood Cavalcade
Title: Hollywood Cavalcade
Character: Buster Keaton
Released: October 13, 1939
Type: Movie
Starting in 1913 movie director Connors discovers singer Molly Adair. As she becomes a star she marries an actor, so Connors fires them. She asks for him as director of her next film. Many silent stars shown making the transition to sound.
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Mooching Through Georgia
Title: Mooching Through Georgia
Character: Homer Cobb
Released: August 11, 1939
Type: Movie
Man relates how he outwitted the Yankee army during the Civil War.
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Pest from the West
Title: Pest from the West
Character: Sir
Released: June 16, 1939
Type: Movie
A millionaire vacationing in Mexico falls for a local girl and sets out to win her.
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Hollywood Hobbies
Title: Hollywood Hobbies
Character: Himself
Released: May 3, 1939
Type: Movie
In this short film, two starstruck movie fans hire a tour guide and see a plethora of Hollywood stars.
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Love Nest on Wheels
Title: Love Nest on Wheels
Character: Elmer
Released: March 26, 1937
Type: Movie
Buster, the eldest son in a family of hillbillies who manage a hotel, attempts to raise money to save the hotel from foreclosure.
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Ditto
Title: Ditto
Character: The Forgotten Man
Released: February 12, 1937
Type: Movie
Buster, an ice delivery man, falls for one of his customers, not knowing she has a twin sister living next door.
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Jail Bait
Title: Jail Bait
Released: January 8, 1937
Type: Movie
Buster agrees to pose as a murderer to throw off the police while his room mate, a reporter, searches for the real killer.
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Mixed Magic
Title: Mixed Magic
Character: Elmer 'Happy' Butterworth
Released: November 20, 1936
Type: Movie
When Buster Keaton goes to work as an assistant to a carnival magician, the results turn out to be less than magical.
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The Chemist
Title: The Chemist
Character: Elmer Triple
Released: October 9, 1936
Type: Movie
Buster plays Elmer "Happy" Triple, a scientist who is expected to develop the next big thing. That big thing ends up to be a powder when combined with water, produces major blasts that make no sound, which catches the eyes of three robbers who want Elmer's secret powder.
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Blue Blazes
Title: Blue Blazes
Character: Elmer
Released: August 21, 1936
Type: Movie
Buster becomes a fireman, but unfortunately not a particularly good one. He has a chance to prove himself, however, when three women are trapped in a burning building.
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Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
Title: Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
Character: Himself
Released: August 5, 1936
Type: Movie
Winners of the Lucky Stars National Dance Contest - one woman from each state of the United States - are welcomed to Palm Springs. Palm Springs being the desert playground for the movie stars, the women are introduced to the cavalcade of stars vacationing in Palm Springs at the time.
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Grand Slam Opera
Title: Grand Slam Opera
Character: Elmer Butts
Released: February 21, 1936
Type: Movie
Elmer Butts is a contestant in a radio amateur hour show hoping to win the first price -- by dancing and juggling!
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Three on a Limb
Title: Three on a Limb
Character: Elmer Brown
Released: January 3, 1936
Type: Movie
Scoutmaster Elmer Brown loses his heart to the pretty carhop who works in a drive-in diner. Complicating his romantic longings is her policeman fiancé. When he tries to eliminate Elmer by giving him traffic tickets for every conceivable violation, the girl takes pity on the martyred Elmer and they drive off together. She informs him that she is also fending off another suitor, Oscar; and to make matters worse, her father is backing the cop while her mother promotes Oscar. Eventually all three men wind up competing for her hand at a chaotic wedding ceremony that ends with Elmer winning his beloved.
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The Invader
Title: The Invader
Character: Leander Proudfoot
Released: January 2, 1936
Type: Movie
A bumbling yachtsman sails to the South of Spain with a fiery seductress, only to become the pawn in her dangerous game of love.
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La Fiesta de Santa Barbara
Title: La Fiesta de Santa Barbara
Character: Self
Released: December 7, 1935
Type: Movie
La Fiesta de Santa Barbara is a 1935 American comedy short film directed by Louis Lewyn. It was nominated for an Academy Award at the 9th Academy Awards in 1936 for Best Short Subject (Color). It features a young, pre-stardom 13-year-old Judy Garland singing "La Cucaracha" with her two sisters (billed as "The Garland Sisters"). In the film, Hollywood stars participate in a Mexican-themed revue and festival in Santa Barbara. Andy Devine, the "World's Greatest Matador," engages in a bullfight with a dubious bovine supplied by Buster Keaton, and musical numbers are provided by Joe Morrison and The Garland Sisters. Comedy bits and dance numbers are also featured.
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The Timid Young Man
Title: The Timid Young Man
Character: Milton
Released: October 25, 1935
Type: Movie
Milton, a disappointed romantic, has sworn off women. He gives a lift to a female hitchhiker, whom he happily discovers is also a hurt soul and has sworn off men. Their trip together runs into interference from an aggressive driver who later reappears after the two have set up camp. He starts putting the moves on the woman, but when Milton's ex-girlfriend shows up, she gets into a fight with the interloper and gives Milton and his new pal the chance to slip away.
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The E-Flat Man
Title: The E-Flat Man
Character: Elmer
Released: August 9, 1935
Type: Movie
Elmer attempts to elope with his fiancée, but they escape her parents by driving off in a car that's actually owned by a wanted gangster. When they hear on the radio that the police are looking for them, they dump the car and hide out near a farmhouse. But the farmer's radio also broadcasts the couple's description, so they run away and start hitchhiking, only to be picked up by two policemen. They manage to flee into a railroad yard and hop a train that turns out to be refrigerated. Finally they decide to turn themselves in -- just as they learn that the real crooks have been apprehended.
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Tars and Stripes
Title: Tars and Stripes
Character: Apprentice Seaman Elmer Doolittle
Released: May 3, 1935
Type: Movie
Naval recruit Elmer is seemingly unable to discharge any of his duties without making life miserable for his irascible commanding officer, who winds up getting doused with paint, splattered with muck, and repeatedly tossed into the water due to Elmer's ineptitude. To make matters worse, Elmer takes a shine to the CO's girlfriend, which prompts her jealous boyfriend into several wrathful chases after Elmer. He eventually has Elmer locked in the brig -- but his girlfriend is in there too, so she can be together with her beloved Elmer.
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Hayseed Romance
Title: Hayseed Romance
Character: Elmer Dolittle
Released: March 15, 1935
Type: Movie
Elmer answers an ad for a handyman job and starts working for an older woman and her niece. He gets the impression that his employer wants to marry him, even as he finds himself falling in love with her niece. Elmer talks out his dilemma with himself (in a clever use of double-exposure which puts two Keatons onscreen together) and concludes that he must leave both women. But the aunt catches up with him and takes him at gunpoint to the local preacher. There Elmer discovers she wants him to marry her niece, which he does joyously.
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One Run Elmer
Title: One Run Elmer
Character: Elmer
Released: February 22, 1935
Type: Movie
Elmer owns a gas station out in the California desert. Soon he has a business rival in Jim, who opens up another station, and is also trying to steal Elmer's girlfriend. She plays both rivals against the other and, because she is a baseball fan, both Elmer and Jim try to show each other up in the big local baseball game.
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Palooka from Paducah
Title: Palooka from Paducah
Character: Jim Diltz
Released: January 11, 1935
Type: Movie
A hillbilly family, hard-hit by the end of Prohibition, decide to set the biggest brother up as a professional wrestler.
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The King of the Champs-Élysées
Title: The King of the Champs-Élysées
Character: Buster Garner / Jim le Balafré
Released: December 10, 1934
Type: Movie
In Paris, a stage-struck would-be actor is mistaken for an escaped convict.
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Allez Oop
Title: Allez Oop
Character: Elmer
Released: May 25, 1934
Type: Movie
When Buster's girlfriend falls for a trapeze artist, Buster tries to beat him at his own game.
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The Gold Ghost
Title: The Gold Ghost
Character: Wally
Released: March 16, 1934
Type: Movie
Dumped by his girlfriend, Buster drives west and winds up in a ghost town called Vulture City, where he appoints himself sheriff.
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What! No Beer?
Title: What! No Beer?
Character: Elmer J. Butts
Released: February 10, 1933
Type: Movie
When Prohibition ends, a barber tries to get in the liquor business only to come up against mobsters.
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Hollywood on Parade No. A-6
Title: Hollywood on Parade No. A-6
Character: Self
Released: January 12, 1933
Type: Movie
A promotional film featuring movie stars at play. Includes Buster Keaton in a Napoleonic admiral suit in his "land yacht", a custom-built bus he occasionally lived in during the period.
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Speak Easily
Title: Speak Easily
Character: Professor Post
Released: August 13, 1932
Type: Movie
A professor gets mixed up with chorus girls in a Broadway musical.
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The Passionate Plumber
Title: The Passionate Plumber
Character: Elmer E. Tuttle
Released: February 6, 1932
Type: Movie
Paris plumber Elmer Tuttle is enlisted by socialite Patricia Alden to help make her lover Tony Lagorce jealous. With the help of his friend Julius J. McCracken and through the high society contacts he has made through Patricia, Elmer hopes to find financing for his latest invention, a pistol with a range-finding light. Comic complications ensue when Elmer's effort to interest a military leader is misconstrued as an assassination attempt.
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Casanova wider Willen
Title: Casanova wider Willen
Character: Reggie Irving
Released: October 19, 1931
Type: Movie
Jeffrey wants to marry Virginia, who refuses to marry unless her older sister, the hard-to-please Angelica, gets married first.
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Sidewalks of New York
Title: Sidewalks of New York
Character: Harmon
Released: September 26, 1931
Type: Movie
A dim-witted slumlord tries to reform a gang of urban boys (and impress an attractive young woman) by transforming their rough neighborhood into a more decent place.
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We're switching to Hollywood
Title: We're switching to Hollywood
Character: Self
Released: June 9, 1931
Type: Movie
A German reporter visits Hollywood and is escorted through the MGM Studio by a German nobleman, who is working there as an extra. They meet and speak to several actors, primarily Buster Keaton, John Gilbert, Joan Crawford and Heinrich George. Then they meet Adolphe Menjou, who rehearses a long scene in German. A final scene shows stars arriving at a film premiere, including Jean Harlow, Norma Shearer and Wallace Beery.
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The Stolen Jools
Title: The Stolen Jools
Character: Policeman
Released: April 4, 1931
Type: Movie
Famous actress Norma Shearer's jewels are stolen… (Star-packed promotional short film intended to raise funds for the National Variety Artists Tuberculosis Sanatorium.)
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Parlor, Bedroom and Bath
Title: Parlor, Bedroom and Bath
Character: Reginald Irving
Released: February 28, 1931
Type: Movie
Jeffrey Haywood wants to marry to Virginia Embrey. However, Virginia refused to marry unless her older sister, the hard-to-please Angelica gets married first. Angelica, in turn, finds every man she knows too dull and predictable, and for this reason prefers to stay single. Jeff then tries to make Angelica interested in the mild-mannered and timid Reggie Irving passing him off as a notorious playboy to intrigue her. He asks his friend Polly to teach Reggie "how to treat a woman right", but he turns to be a disastrous learner.
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Forward, March!
Title: Forward, March!
Released: December 11, 1930
Type: Movie
Spanish-language version of Doughboys.
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Doughboys
Title: Doughboys
Character: Elmer J. Stuyvesant, Jr.
Released: August 30, 1930
Type: Movie
Elmer, rich society loafer, falls for Mary, but she'll have nothing to do with him until (mistakenly thinking that he's hiring a new chauffeur) he accidentally volunteers for the army. Luckily, Mary's signed up to entertain the troops. Unluckily, Elmer's sergeant likes Mary, too. And worst of all, they're all about to ship out for France.
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Estrellados
Title: Estrellados
Character: Canuto Cuadratin
Released: July 7, 1930
Type: Movie
A matinée idol and a bumbling manager fight for the love of a would-be starlet. Estrellados is the Spanish version of Free and Easy (1930) with Hispanic/Spanish-speaking actors.
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The Voice of Hollywood
Title: The Voice of Hollywood
Released: April 28, 1930
Type: Movie
If you enjoy playing "Spot the Stars", this is the sort of short you'd enjoy. It's full of then-well-known Hollywood players, identified by name, who run through routines. This one, produced by Tiffany, is not particularly good as people run through canned bits, sometimes without much enthusiasm. Robert Woolsey plays a game a solitaire and it's hard to tell whether his bit was written that way or he improvised it to reflect his feelings.
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Free and Easy
Title: Free and Easy
Character: Elmer
Released: March 22, 1930
Type: Movie
Gopher City Kansas hosts a beauty contest. The winner, Elvira Plunkett, and her mother go to Hollywood. The Chamber of Commerce also provides Elvira with an agent, Gopher City's own Elmer J. Butz. Elmer likes Elvira and the shy Elvira likes him, but Mrs. Plunkett, a formidable woman, has little use for hapless Elmer. On the train west, they meet movie star Larry Mitchell, who takes a shine to Elvira and helps her meet MGM directors once they get to Tinsel Town. Elmer, meanwhile, wants to help Elvira with her career and he also wants to be her man. Movie stardom does come to the Gopher City entourage, but to whom is a surprise. And who will win the lovely Elvira's hand?
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The Hollywood Revue of 1929
Title: The Hollywood Revue of 1929
Character: Self / Princess Raja
Released: November 23, 1929
Type: Movie
An all-star revue featuring MGM contract players.
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Spite Marriage
Title: Spite Marriage
Character: Elmer
Released: March 24, 1929
Type: Movie
An unimpressive but well-intentioned man is given the chance to marry a popular actress, of whom he has been a hopeless fan. But what he doesn't realize is that he is being used to make the actress' old flame jealous.
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Tide of Empire
Title: Tide of Empire
Character: Drunk Cowboy Thrown Out of Saloon (uncredited)
Released: March 23, 1929
Type: Movie
California's gold discovery in 1848 draws a "tide of empire" to the area, which becomes ripe for bandits.
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The Baby Cyclone
Title: The Baby Cyclone
Character: Stunt Double (uncredited)
Released: September 26, 1928
Type: Movie
A woman thinks a small dog is an angel pet in this silent comedy.
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The Cameraman
Title: The Cameraman
Character: Buster
Released: September 10, 1928
Type: Movie
A photographer takes up newsreel shooting to impress a secretary.
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Steamboat Bill, Jr.
Title: Steamboat Bill, Jr.
Character: William 'Willie' Canfield Jr.
Released: May 9, 1928
Type: Movie
The just-out-of-college, effete son of a no-nonsense steamboat captain comes to visit his father whom he's not seen since he was a child.
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Character Studies
Title: Character Studies
Character: Himself (uncredited)
Released: November 20, 1927
Type: Movie
Carter DeHaven announces that he will perform a series of "impressions." For each we see him applying makeup and changing the combing of his hair or putting on a wig. When he tilts his head down during each supposed makeover, up pops the actual celebrity (Keaton, Lloyd, Arbuckle, Valentino, Fairbanks, Coogan) he appears to have been making himself up as.
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College
Title: College
Character: Ronald, The Boy
Released: September 10, 1927
Type: Movie
A bookish college student dismissive of athletics is compelled to try out sports to win the affection of the girl he loves.
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Life in Hollywood No. 1
Title: Life in Hollywood No. 1
Character: Self
Released: August 25, 1927
Type: Movie
Part of a 7-part series exploring all aspects of Hollywood.
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The General
Title: The General
Character: Johnny Gray
Released: December 25, 1926
Type: Movie
During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnny Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.
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Battling Butler
Title: Battling Butler
Character: Alfred Butler
Released: September 19, 1926
Type: Movie
A meek millionaire masquerades as a boxing star to win a girl's heart.
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Go West
Title: Go West
Character: Friendless
Released: November 1, 1925
Type: Movie
With little luck at keeping a job in the city a New Yorker tries work in the country and eventually finds his way leading a herd of cattle to the West Coast.
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The Iron Mule
Title: The Iron Mule
Character: Indian (uncredited)
Released: April 12, 1925
Type: Movie
A train known as the Iron Mule is loaded with passengers, and starts off on its trip. Along the way, the train faces numerous obstacles and delays. The engineer is prepared for most of them, but the real challenges come when the train is ambushed by Indians.
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Seven Chances
Title: Seven Chances
Character: James 'Jimmie' Shannon
Released: March 15, 1925
Type: Movie
Struggling stockbroker Jimmie Shannon learns that, if he gets married by 7 p.m. on his 27th birthday -- which is today -- he'll inherit $7 million from an eccentric relative.
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The Navigator
Title: The Navigator
Character: Rollo Treadway
Released: September 28, 1924
Type: Movie
The wealthy and impulsive Rollo Treadway decides to propose to his beautiful socialite neighbor, Betsy O'Brien. Although Betsy turns Rollo down, he still opts to go on the cruise that he intended as their honeymoon. When circumstances find both Rollo and Betsy on the wrong ship, they end up having adventures on the high seas.
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Sherlock Jr.
Title: Sherlock Jr.
Character: Sherlock, Jr.
Released: April 17, 1924
Type: Movie
A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meagre skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.
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Our Hospitality
Title: Our Hospitality
Character: William McKay
Released: November 19, 1923
Type: Movie
A young man falls for a young woman on his trip home; unbeknownst to him, her family has vowed to kill every member of his family.
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Three Ages
Title: Three Ages
Character: The Boy
Released: September 24, 1923
Type: Movie
The rituals of courtship, romantic rivalry, and love play out three times as a man vies with a villain for the girl. In the Stone Age, the rivalry is set off by dinosaurs, a turtle used as a ouija board, and a round of golf with stones. In ancient Rome, the men display their brawn through a chariot race, using dogs instead of horses. In contemporary times, the man finds himself overcome by modernity, including a very fragile car.
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The Love Nest
Title: The Love Nest
Character: Buster Keaton
Released: March 1, 1923
Type: Movie
In an attempt to forget his lost sweetheart, Buster takes a long trip at the sea when he's caught by pirates.
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The Balloonatic
Title: The Balloonatic
Character: The Young Man (as 'Buster' Keaton)
Released: January 22, 1923
Type: Movie
Buster and Phyllis endure a number of outdoor adventures trying to prove to each other their survival skills. The balloon which lands Buster in the wilderness proves useful later on as their canoe is about go over a waterfall.
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Day Dreams
Title: Day Dreams
Character: The Young Man
Released: November 27, 1922
Type: Movie
In order to impress the father of a girl he is keen on, Buster goes to the city in search of work. In his letters home he writes of his various jobs which her imagination expands into much nobler ones than those that he is actually attempting.
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Seeing Stars
Title: Seeing Stars
Character: Self
Released: October 29, 1922
Type: Movie
First National gala celebrity banquet with stars.
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The Electric House
Title: The Electric House
Character: Buster
Released: October 1, 1922
Type: Movie
Botany major Buster mistakenly graduates in electrical engineering and is hired to wire a new home.
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The Frozen North
Title: The Frozen North
Character: The Bad Man
Released: August 28, 1922
Type: Movie
This satirical parody of William S. Hart's melodramatic films finds Buster in the frozen north, "last stop on the subway." He uses a wanted poster as his partner in robbing a gambling house. When he thinks he spies his wife making love to another man he shoots them both only to learn it isn't his cabin after all.
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The Blacksmith
Title: The Blacksmith
Character: Blacksmith's Assistant
Released: July 21, 1922
Type: Movie
Buster clowns around in a blacksmith's shop until he and the smithy get in a fight which sends the smithy to jail. Buster helps several customers with horses, then destroys a Rolls Royce while fixing the car parked next to it.
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My Wife's Relations
Title: My Wife's Relations
Character: The husband
Released: May 15, 1922
Type: Movie
Buster is falsely accused of breaking a window by a woman and is taken into a courtroom. Thinking that Buster and the woman are engaged, the judge mistakenly marries them and Buster is quickly taken home by the woman to meet her family. At first unwelcoming, the family begins to treat Buster nice when they come to believe that he is going to inherit a large sum of money.
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Cops
Title: Cops
Character: The Young Man
Released: March 11, 1922
Type: Movie
Buster Keaton gets involved in a series of misunderstandings involving a horse and cart. Eventually he infuriates every cop in the city when he accidentally interrupts a police parade.
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The Paleface
Title: The Paleface
Character: Little Chief Paleface
Released: January 1, 1922
Type: Movie
A butterfly collector unwittingly wanders into an Indian encampment while chasing a butterfly, but the tribe has resolved to kill the first white man who enters their encampment because white oil tycoons are trying to force them from their land.
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The Boat
Title: The Boat
Character: The Boat Builder
Released: November 10, 1921
Type: Movie
Buster Keaton and family attempt to set sail in his handmade boat, The Damfino.
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The Play House
Title: The Play House
Character: Orchestra / Minstrels / Dancers / Audience / Stagehand
Released: October 26, 1921
Type: Movie
After waking from the dream of a theater peopled entirely by numerous Buster Keatons, a lowly stage hand causes havoc everywhere he works.
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The Goat
Title: The Goat
Character: The Goat
Released: May 15, 1921
Type: Movie
A series of adventures begins when Buster is mistaken for Dead Shot Dan, the evil bad guy.
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The High Sign
Title: The High Sign
Character: Our Hero
Released: April 18, 1921
Type: Movie
Buster is thrown off a train near an amusement park. There he gets a job in a shooting gallery run by the Blinking Buzzards mob. Ordered to kill a businessman, he winds up protecting the man and his daughter by outfitting their home with trick devices.
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Hard Luck
Title: Hard Luck
Character: Suicidal Boy
Released: March 14, 1921
Type: Movie
A down on his luck young man makes several attempts at committing suicide but fails them too. He then finds himself becoming more confident through a series of petty adventures, to such an extent that this becomes his undoing.
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The Haunted House
Title: The Haunted House
Character: Bank Clerk
Released: February 21, 1921
Type: Movie
Buster Keaton is a bank teller who becomes involved with a hold-up, counterfeiters, and a theatrical troupe posing as spooks in a haunted house.
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Neighbors
Title: Neighbors
Character: The Boy
Released: December 12, 1920
Type: Movie
The Romeo and Juliet story played out in a tenement neighborhood with Buster and Virginia's families hating each other over the fence separating their buildings.
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The Scarecrow
Title: The Scarecrow
Character: Farmhand
Released: November 7, 1920
Type: Movie
Buster competes with another farmhand for the love of the farmer's daughter.
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Convict 13
Title: Convict 13
Character: Golfer Turned Prisoner, Guard
Released: October 27, 1920
Type: Movie
A young golfer is mugged by an escaped convict and finds himself in a prison where he foils a jailbreak.
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The Round-Up
Title: The Round-Up
Character: Indian (Uncredited)
Released: October 10, 1920
Type: Movie
A lovesick sheriff protects his town, embroiled in a feud between a crafty bandit leader and the family of the prospector he stole from.
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The Saphead
Title: The Saphead
Character: Bertie Van Alstyne
Released: September 1, 1920
Type: Movie
Nick Van Alstyne owns the Henrietta silver mine and is very rich. His son Bertie is naive and spoiled. His daughter Rose is married to shady investor Mark. Mark wrecks Bertie's wedding plans by making him take the blame for Mark's illegitimate daughter. Mark also nearly ruins the family business by selling off Henrietta stock at too low a price. Bertie, of all people, must come to the rescue on the trading floor.
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One Week
Title: One Week
Character: The Groom
Released: August 29, 1920
Type: Movie
The story involves two newlyweds, Keaton and Seely, who receive a build-it-yourself house as a wedding gift. The house can be built, supposedly, in "one week." A rejected suitor secretly re-numbers packing crates. The movie recounts Keaton's struggle to assemble the house according to this new "arrangement."
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The Garage
Title: The Garage
Character: Mechanic / Fireman
Released: January 11, 1920
Type: Movie
Roscoe and Buster operate a combination garage and fire station. In the first half they destroy a car left for them to clean. In the second half they go off on a false alarm and return to find their own building on fire.
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The Hayseed
Title: The Hayseed
Character: Manager, general store
Released: October 26, 1919
Type: Movie
Buster manages the store while Roscoe delivers the mail, taking time out for hide-and-seek with Molly. The constable, also interested in Molly, steals $300 while being observed by Buster.
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Back Stage
Title: Back Stage
Character: Stagehand
Released: September 7, 1919
Type: Movie
Roscoe and Buster give a bullying Strongman the what-for, but after the performance troupe quits it's up to Fatty and Buster to keep the show going.
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The Cook
Title: The Cook
Character: The Waiter (uncredited)
Released: September 15, 1918
Type: Movie
In an attempt at greater efficiency, the chef and waiter of a fancy oceanside restaurant wreak havoc in the establishment. Adding to the complications is the arrival of a robber.
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Good Night, Nurse!
Title: Good Night, Nurse!
Character: Dr. Hampton
Released: June 30, 1918
Type: Movie
Roscoe's wife, tired of his endless drunkenness, reads of an operation that cures alcoholism and has him admitted to No Hope Sanitarium to get the surgery. Roscoe, wanting out, eventually disguises himself as a nurse to effect his escape.
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Moonshine
Title: Moonshine
Character: Revenue Agent
Released: May 12, 1918
Type: Movie
A feud between the Owens and the Gillettes ends when the last remaining Gillette is killed, but new trouble erupts for the mountain folk with the arrival of a U.S. revenue agent and his assistant.
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The Bell Boy
Title: The Bell Boy
Character: Bellboy
Released: March 18, 1918
Type: Movie
At the Elk's Head Hotel bellhops torment the lobby, each other and guests. The elevator is powered by a stubborn horse. A sham robbery turns into a real one. And there is a chase on a runaway trolley.
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Out West
Title: Out West
Character: Sheriff, saloon owner
Released: January 20, 1918
Type: Movie
The story involves Arbuckle coming to the western town of Mad Dog Gulch after being thrown off a train and chased by Indians. He teams up with gambler/saloon owner Bill Bullhum, in trying to keep the evil Wild Bill Hickup away from Salvation Army girl, Salvation Sue. Fatty and Buster have a series of adventures trying to beat St. John, until they discover his one weakness: his ticklishness.
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Coney Island
Title: Coney Island
Character: Rival / Cop with Moustache
Released: October 29, 1917
Type: Movie
Arbuckle escapes the watch of his domineering wife and heads for Coney Island. Keaton arrives that same day with his attractive, and rather easy, girlfriend, who is immediately stolen from him by St. John.
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Oh, Doctor!
Title: Oh, Doctor!
Character: Junior Holepoke
Released: September 30, 1917
Type: Movie
Roscoe is a doctor who falls in love with a pretty woman whose boyfriend, in turn, falls in love with Roscoe's wife's jewelry.
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His Wedding Night
Title: His Wedding Night
Character: Delivery boy
Released: August 20, 1917
Type: Movie
Al and Roscoe, employees at a gas station, are rivals for Alice. When Buster delivers a wedding gown for Alice and begins modeling it, he is mistaken for Alice and is kidnapped by Al.
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The Rough House
Title: The Rough House
Character: Gardener / Delivery Boy / Cop
Released: June 25, 1917
Type: Movie
Living under the same roof with his newly-wed wife and his mother-in-law, a careless Mr Rough sets the nuptial bedroom on fire, as the residence's cook tries to woo the maid who only has eyes for the charming delivery boy. As one thing leads to another, Mr Rough ends up preparing dinner for a pair of duplicitous guests, when, clearly, he should be staying out of the kitchen. Does Mrs Rough know the visitors' true intentions? But, above all, how will this disastrous dinner party at the Rough house end?
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A Reckless Romeo
Title: A Reckless Romeo
Character: Blind Organ Grinder
Released: May 21, 1917
Type: Movie
Roscoe flirts with a girl in the park. Later he takes his wife and mother-in-law to the movies only to see his flirtation showing on the screen.
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The Butcher Boy
Title: The Butcher Boy
Character: Buster
Released: April 23, 1917
Type: Movie
Customers and clerks frolic in a general store. Roscoe walks out of the freezer wearing a fur coat, then does some clever cleaver tossing. In Buster's film debut he buys a pail of molasses.