Max’s Drive-In Movie – Steamboat Bill Jr.

It’s hard to tell you how big of a fan of Buster Keaton I am. Not only do I love his on-screen character, but his filmmaking techniques are still second to none. I got to know Buster through reading about Clara Bow. First, about his Sunset Boulevard cameo, and then I went back and watched his films. The Navigator, The General, Sherlock Jr., Battling Butler, and, of course, Steamboat Bill Jr. I also watched his “shorts” that he made before features. There was no one like him. No one took a fall like he did. He was a natural acrobat. He didn’t use stunt men because the stunt men would say they could not do it like Buster Keaton. This movie has the most famous scene of Buster Keaton’s film career and possibly of silent movies in general.

He was a little off kilter compared to his comedy peers. He was more subtle than Chaplin or Harold Lloyd. Keaton used non-movement to his advantage. You would see him in a crowd easily. They would be moving along, and his stillness would get your attention. Buster was also an excellent filmmaker with the way he paced a movie. He didn’t fake stunts…he didn’t like cutting in at the last minute. He wanted the scene to be filmed in one shot and completely natural. Ok, enough of my love for Buster Keaton.. .well, nah, I’ll continue.

Buster Keaton’s Steamboat Bill, Jr. was released in 1928. It came near the end of the silent film era. Keaton plays William Canfield Jr., a young man who returns home to spend time with his Riverboat Captain dad after years away at college. His father, Steamboat Bill Canfield, is a tough old riverboat captain who is disappointed to find his son is more interested in music and fashion than life on the river. A generation gap that has been going on since time began. The film centers on their rocky relationship and a rivalry between competing steamboat owners. The scenes between Buster and Ernest Torrence, who plays his father, are very funny.

The movie was filmed during one of the most difficult periods of Keaton’s career. He was still making films independently before losing much of his creative freedom after signing with MGM. Even so, he poured everything he had into this production. The river scenes were expensive and complicated to film. Entire sets were built and later destroyed for the movie’s famous storm sequence.

Today, Steamboat Bill, Jr. is remembered for one of the greatest stunts in film history. During a tornado scene, the front wall of a house falls directly toward Keaton. He survives because he stands in the exact spot where an open window passes around him. There were no special effects. No trick photography. If he had missed his mark by even a few inches, he could have been seriously injured or killed. The front of that building weighed 2 tons, so it would not twist in the wind. The scene remains one of the most famous moments in silent film. The director turned his head away during that scene because he feared Buster would misjudge it.

Although the movie was not a major box office success when it was released, its reputation grew over the years. Many film historians now consider it one of Keaton’s masterpieces. Nearly a century later, this movie still feels relatable and shows why Buster Keaton is still remembered.

The making of Steamboat Bill, Jr. was almost as dramatic as the film itself. During production in 1927, the devastating Mississippi River floods were still fresh in the public’s mind. Keaton’s original ending involved a flood, but he decided to change it to a cyclone and storm sequence to avoid reminding audiences of a recent tragedy.

The final storm scenes were some of the most expensive ever filmed for a silent movie. Huge sets were built and then destroyed by giant wind machines, water pumps, and carefully planned special effects. Keaton insisted on doing most of the dangerous stunts himself, including the famous falling house facade scene. The film would also become his last truly independent production before he joined MGM. It was his final chapter of the creative freedom that made Buster Keaton one of the greats of film.

Complete Movie

Discover more from PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Unknown's avatar

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

25 thoughts on “Max’s Drive-In Movie – Steamboat Bill Jr.”

  1. Impressive to say the least. I’ve seen that clip, even on your site, before but didn’t know what movie it was from or the context.
    The girl on the poster looks kind of like Betty Boop. Who was the actress?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Oh that is Marion Byron…I think she was 16 years old…so Buster used his sister as a stunt for the girl because she was so yound. She does have a Clara Bow look as well. Many people thought Boop was made after Bow…

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  3. Pingback: Max’s Drive-In Movie – Steamboat Bill Jr. – MobsterTiger

  4. Buster and Sonny at the same time. You keep doing it to me. The hat scene in this film is one of my faves. How come back in those days they had the best assholes ever. The guy (Ernest Torrence) playing his dad is a prize. Im 20 seconds into that “hat” clip and my belly is getting sore.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. It was time for a Buster post CB…I was overdue. Ernest Torrence was great in this! The old hard sailor dad…a beret wasnt going to cut it with him.
      They did have some great “heavies” back then. I’ve been watching both Chaplin and Keaton lately. The routines they pull off are amazing…

      Like

      Reply

  5. Every time I review that scene I think ‘wow, way too close for comfort.’ But it is a classic, and it’s stood the testy of time. Here we are, appreciating it 98 years later. That is legacy.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yes it is…he did stunts that stunt men refuse to do…plus like I said…they could not fall like him. I don’t know how he did it without a mark…maybe he had something buried in the dirt that showed him exactly where to be.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. Max, as you saw, I wrote a story about Buster Keaton on Weds. GMTA with your post on the Great Man. He is one of the funniest actors of any time. So sorry to hear his creative freedom was lost when he moved to MGM. I’m glad there is an archive of his work for us to watch forever.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. We were enjoying a Keaton vibe together, Max. I got a movie catalogue last week that has just about every movie ever made it is (or seems like it) and I think I saw a box set for Keaton. May be worth buying. Who knows how long these late greats will be available.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Fantastic writeup Max. I need to get into Buster Keaton more. I’ve seen the clip you write about, where the front of the house falls and Keaton is saved by the open window. It is an absolutely wonderful spectacular feat. I need/want to watch the whole film.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment