Neighbors (1920)

A young couple who live next to each other in tenement apartments do everything they can to be together despite of their feuding families.

Directors:

Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton

Writers:

Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton (screenplay),

Stars:

Buster Keaton, Virginia Fox, Joe Roberts

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Buster Keaton	...	The Boy
Virginia Fox	...	The Girl
Joe Roberts	...	Her Father
Joe Keaton	...	His Father
Edward F. Cline	...	The Cop
Jack Duffy	...	The Judge
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
The Flying Escalantes	...	Themselves

Storyline

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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Plot Keywords:

written and directed by cast member | romeo and juliet plot | marriage

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Genres:

Short | Comedy | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1920 (USA)

Also Known As:

Backyard

Company Credits

Production Co:

Joseph M. Schenck Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

18 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

The Boy: Her father's abused her long enough. I want to marry her and take her home to MY father!

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Connections

Featured in Historia del cine: Epoca muda (1983)

User Reviews

Wild & Crazy Fun - A Fabulous Short

This is one of the few short films that was understated on the back on the DVD. Usually they make it sound better than it often winds up. Despite little buildup, this was tremendous fun for 18 minutes.

The very beginning is very innocent as Harold and Virginia Fox exchange love notes through a peephole in a fence that divides their family's tenement properties. Quickly, the parents of each come out, intercept the messages, disapprove, meddle further and then get involved in one wild and crazy scene after another. Featured are some terrific stunts and just general madness and mayhem with one funny sight gag after another. This is so frenetic that it has to be seen, not read about. Just be ready for a wild ride of feuding neighbors and cops.

It does calm down for a minute or two when a judge makes the parents sign a "peace treaty." Harold then announces he and Virginia are going to get married.....and they try to do that but, a combination of pants that won't stay up (don't ask) and Virginia's father, Big Joe Roberts, break that up. Now we go back to slapstick and clever scenes as Buster's friends help get his girl back. It's another crazy finish, albeit a short one.

It's very inventive stuff and one of Harold's best. It is an extra on the "Seven Chances" DVD. Note: Playing Buster's dad in here was his real-life father, Joe Keaton.