Blue Blazes (1936)

Buster becomes a fireman, but unfortunately not a particularly good one. He has a chance to prove himself, however, when three women are trapped in a burning building.

Director:

Raymond Kane

Writer:

David Freedman (story)

Stars:

Buster Keaton, Arthur L. Jarrett, Marlyn Stuart

Cast

Cast overview:
Buster Keaton	...	Elmer Whipple
Arthur L. Jarrett	...	Fire Chief
Marlyn Stuart	...	Fire Chief's Blonde Daughter
Rose Kessner	...	Fire Chief's Wife
Patty Wilson	...	Fire Chief's Brunette Daughter

Storyline

Buster becomes a fireman, but unfortunately not a particularly good one. He has a chance to prove himself, however, when three women are trapped in a burning building.

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 August 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fiamme azzurre

Company Credits

Production Co:

Educational Films Corporation of America

Technical Specs

Runtime:

17 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Wide Range Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

During the shots when Keaton is up the ladder tackling the fire (presumably shot indoors on a sound-stage), the sky is dark and it appears to be night-time. Every time the film cuts away to show people arriving in the street outside, the sun is shining and it's broad daylight.

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Connections

Featured in Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (1987)

User Reviews

Poor Keaton

Blue Blazes (1936)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Another weak picture between Buster Keaton and Educational. This time out Elmer (Keaton) is a bad fireman who finally gets sent off to a small town where he can't cause any trouble. Once there he loses his co-workers and ends up at the house of the man who demoted him and here he gets lucky when the house catches fire. BLUE BLAZES is yet another low-budget, poorly written and at time embarrassing picture that Keaton made after being let go of at MGM. One of the most embarrassing moments happens at the end when the "house", obviously a soundstage, catches fire and everything is taking place at nighttime but whenever we see the house from different angles it's now daytime and sunny. How anyone could have made a blunder like this is beyond me but it certainly looks like someone would have either caught it or perhaps everyone knew they were working on junk and just didn't bother going back and fixing the issue. Either way, this is a pretty laugh-less comedy where Keaton once again has to act down to the material. The majority of the running time features him acting stupid and not knowing what he's doing. There's one long sequence when he shows up at the house asking the wife if she knows where the fire is, knows where the fire house is or if she can help him find any fire. I'm sure this was meant to be funny but it isn't. Other attempts at comedy has Keaton constantly falling off the back of a truck or falling down holes. Again, I'm sure this was meant to be funny but it's not. The highlight of the film is when Keaton gets demoted to a "sissy" fire house where the man spend all day planting flowers and fixing dolls for little girls. This sequence is actually pretty funny and is the sole highlight of a forgettable movie.