The Bell Boy (1918)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Writers:

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle (screenplay), Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle (story)

Stars:

Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Al St. John

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle	...	Bellboy, barber
Buster Keaton	...	Bellboy
Al St. John	...	Desk Clerk
Alice Lake	...	Cutie Cuticle, manicurist
Joe Keaton	...	Guest
Charles Dudley	...	Guest

Storyline

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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Plot Keywords:

chase | horse | bellhop | hotel | elevator | 

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Genres:

Short | Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 March 1918 (USA)

Also Known As:

El botones

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Comique Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

33 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the few films in which Buster Keaton smiles.

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Goofs

In the scene where Buster is dripping mop water into the guest's top hat, long and close shots show his feet in different positions.

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Connections

Featured in Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (1987)

User Reviews

Two Great Comics in Fine Form

'Fatty' and Buster are both in fine form in this short feature. It has a couple slow stretches, and many of the scenes are only loosely connected, but it more than makes up for that with some great sequences. The duo of great comics are working as bellboys in a hotel, and they get involved in quite a few scrapes in just half an hour. There are a couple of great gadgets in the hotel that remind you of some of Keaton's later short features, and they get a lot of mileage from them. Watch also for a funny scene where 'Fatty' fills in as a barber. This is old-fashioned manic slapstick, quite unrefined, but if you're a fan of Arbuckle and/or Keaton, it's great stuff.