Battling Butler (1926)

A love-struck weakling must pretend to be boxer in order to gain respect from the family of the girl he loves.

Director:

Buster Keaton

Writers:

Paul Girard Smith (adapted by: from the stage success of the same name), Al Boasberg (adapted by: from the stage success of the same name),

Stars:

Sally O'Neil, Walter James, Budd Fine

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sally O'Neil	...	The Mountain Girl
Walter James	...	Her Father
Budd Fine	...	Her Brother (as Bud Fine)
Francis McDonald	...	Alfred Battling Butler
Mary O'Brien	...	His Wife
Tom Wilson	...	His Trainer
Eddie Borden	...	His Manager
Buster Keaton	...	Alfred Butler
Snitz Edwards	...	His Valet

Storyline

Alfred's father wants him to make of a man of himself so sends him off on a hunting and fishing trip. He doesn't catch or shoot anything, but he does fall in love with a mountain girl. When her father and brothers laugh at this they are informed that he is Alfred "Battling" Butler, the championship fighter. From there on the masquerade must be maintained.

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Plot Keywords:

boxing | kicked in the butt | character name in title

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

19 September 1926 (USA)

Also Known As:

Box por Amor

Filming Locations:

Bakersfield, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Buster Keaton Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The close-up of Alfred Butler's hands as he opens the box with the wedding ring inside was shot with a hand double, since Buster Keaton was missing the tip of his right index finger.

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Crazy Credits

The "THE END" test is shown on a boxing bell.

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Connections

Featured in Sports on the Silver Screen (1997)

User Reviews

Not Keaton's funniest film, nevertheless a consistently good one

One of the best paced of all Keaton films, `Battling Butler' is not uproariously funny but is consistently amusing and entertaining. Being mistaken for an up-and-coming boxer, Alfred Butler (Keaton) falls in love and marries on the basis of this mistaken identity. Trying to keep his wife from finding out creates the needed comic situation to allow the humor to emerge. His leading lady, Sally O'Neil, sparkles in her supporting role. Snitz Edwards, humorous in his own right, is a delight as Keaton's valet. The final scene is a gem!