Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

The effete son of a cantankerous riverboat captain comes to join his father's crew.

Director:

Charles Reisner

Writer:

Carl Harbaugh (story)

Stars:

Buster Keaton, Tom McGuire, Ernest Torrence

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Buster Keaton	...	William Canfield Jr.
Tom McGuire	...	J.J. King
Ernest Torrence	...	William 'Steamboat Bill' Canfield
Tom Lewis	...	Tom Carter - First and Last Mate
Marion Byron	...	Kitty King - King's Daughter

Storyline

Willie is the effete son of riverboat captain "Steamboat Bill" coming to see his dad after years of separation. Bill tries to turn his son into a man. When his father is arrested, Willie decides to get him out of jail.

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Plot Keywords:

river | captain | rescue | riverboat | jail | 

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Taglines:

The Laugh Special of the Age. See It.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 May 1928 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wasser hat keine Balken

Filming Locations:

Sacramento River, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Buster Keaton Productions, Joseph M. Schenck Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For reasons unknown, Buster Keaton did not receive a directing credit, although all involved in the film concur that he co-directed the film.

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Goofs

During the final cyclone sequence, a cable pulling down the entire front of a building is clearly visible.

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Quotes

William 'Steamboat Bill' Canfield Sr.: I'll run on this river if I'm the only passenger on the boat.

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Connections

Featured in Silent Clowns: Buster Keaton (2006)

User Reviews

That Hurricane Scene Blew Me Away!

Reading the back of the video or DVD case can be misleading as it made this movie to be one in which Buster learns from his dad the ropes of running of steamboat. Well, in the end it looks like he did just that, but his "training" was about less than a minute in this 71-minute film.

The rest of the movie is about other things, such as Buster - reunited with a Dad who never knew him - meeting his father, getting a new outfit (especially a different hat), beginning a romance with the daughter of the competing steamboat operator, later trying to get his father out of jail, on and on.

The part that makes this one of the more memorable silent films of all time is the hurricane segment near the end. There are some amazing scenes in that, including a very famous one in which an entire side of house falls on Buster, who escapes without injury because an open door on the house is exactly where Keaton is standing. He had not been exactly on the right mark, the famous comedian could have been seriously injured in that stunt. The man had guts, that's for sure.

Anyway, our hero does show in the end that he learned a few things about navigating the boat as he rescues all the major characters following the hurricane. Great stuff and a suspenseful finish.