The 'High Sign' (1921)

Directors:

Edward F. Cline
Buster Keaton

Writers:

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

Release Date:

18 April 1921 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy

Plot:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Shooting Gallery | Train | Police | Gun | Gunfire

Cast

Buster Keaton

...

Our Hero (as 'Buster' Keaton)

Runtime:

USA:21 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Venice Pier - Ocean Walk Front at Washington Boulevard, Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Joseph M. Schenck Productions

Trivia:

Buster Keaton's first independent two-reeler. He didn't consider it to funny enough and had it shelved upon its completion in 1920. It was released the following year when his film output was slowed by a broken leg.

Quotes:

Narration Card: The brutal bungalow of the Blinking Buzzards, a bold bad bunch of blood-thirsty bandits who would break into a bank, blow a battleship to bits or beat up a blue eyed baby blonde.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Popcorn of Doom (2003) (V)

Mr. Keaton Saves The Day

A BUSTER KEATON Silent Short.

Giving THE "HIGH SIGN" reveals members of the Blinking Buzzards, a nasty gang of ruffians who expect Buster to kill a wealthy old man - the same gentleman who's just hired Buster to be his bodyguard.

Lots of physical comedy in this little film, as Keaton first fools around a shooting arcade and then gets to outwit the Buzzards in the old man's mansion. The ingenious cutaway set, showing at once four rooms on two floors, was sized specifically to Buster's proportions and it's fun watching him rapidly use the trap doors & secret panels while being chased by the villains.

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

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