The Balloonatic (1923)

A hapless amusement park attendant finds his run away balloon ride has left him in a strange predicament.

Directors:

Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton

Writers:

Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline

Stars:

Buster Keaton, Phyllis Haver, Babe London

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Buster Keaton	...	The Young Man (as 'Buster' Keaton)

Storyline

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

balloon | canoe | waterfall | falling on someone | puddle | 

---

Genres:

Short | Comedy

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 1923 (USA)

Also Known As:

A léghajós

Company Credits

Production Co:

Buster Keaton Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

27 min 27 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Buster chases the fish up one fork of the creek and builds a dam there, but when the dam breaks he's shown being washed down the other fork of the creek.

---

Connections

Featured in Calendar: Episode dated 16 April 1962 (1962)

User Reviews

Buster & Phyllis Camping Out

Actually, there are only a few minutes of Buster Keaton and the big hot-air balloon in this 22-minute movie. Most of it is Buster and Phyllis Haver out in country, separately, canoeing and having adventures fishing and hunting. In the end, they get together for a few scenes including a "cute" ending with some waterfalls.

Overall, it's okay but nothing hilarious. Most of the gags are very loosely connected, but that's not unusual for a short silent comedy film. Buster provides most of the laughs but Haver, a new female face not seen by me before in a Keaton film, is not a bad comedienne.

I watched this right after a much faster-paced Keaton short ("Neighbors") so this looked a little slow in comparison.