The Cameraman (1928)

Hopelessly in love with a woman working at MGM Studios, a clumsy man attempts to become a motion picture cameraman to be close to the object of his desire.

Directors:

Edward Sedgwick, Buster Keaton (uncredited)

Writers:

Clyde Bruckman (story), Lew Lipton (story)

Stars:

Buster Keaton, Marceline Day, Harold Goodwin

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Buster Keaton	...	Buster Luke Shannon
Marceline Day	...	Sally Richards
Harold Goodwin	...	Harold Stagg
Sidney Bracey	...	Éditor Edward J. Blake (as Sidney Bracy)
Harry Gribbon	...	Officer Hennessy

Storyline

After becoming infatuated with a pretty office worker for MGM Newsreels, Buster trades in his tintype operation for a movie camera and sets out to impress the girl (and MGM) with his work.

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Plot Keywords:

bronx new york city | newsreel in plot | yankee stadium bronx new york city | slapstick comedy | monkey in sailor suit | 

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Taglines:

BUSTER KEATON WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH 'TILL YOU CRY in THE CAMERAMAN with Marceline Day. (Print Ad- Oxnard Daily Courier,((Oxnard, Calif.)) 5 November 1928)

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Family | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1928 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Kameramann

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$797,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min 69 min (Turner library print)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first film of Keaton's two-year deal with MGM, which he signed on January 26, 1928. The agreement required two films per year and paid Keaton $3,000 per week ($42,500 in 2017). This made him the third-highest paid actor at MGM. The studio paid him an additional $1,250 ($17,700 in 2017) for the story for this film. However, after realizing how much control over his film he had lost, Keaton would later call the deal "the worst mistake of my life".

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Goofs

At the end of the film when Buster and Sally are walking in the ticker tape parade that Buster mistakenly thinks is for him, some newsreel footage shows the parade is actually for Charles Lindbergh after his historic flight over the Atlantic which took place in 1927. Earlier in the film, after Buster purchases his movie camera, he opens his bank passbook and we see his last transaction when the account is closed is June 30, 1928.

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Quotes

Sally Richards: Don't be discouraged. No one would ever amount to anything if he didn't try.

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Connections

Referenced in Silent Movie (1976)

User Reviews

A kind hearted cameraman tries his best to break into the news reel business, and into a clerks heart.

Buster Keaton plays a kind hearted but bumbling cameraman trying his best to win over a clerk at MGM studios. Despite his best efforts, hilarious mishaps keep getting in the way. Among the funnier skits, A San Francisco Tong war, getting stuck in a dressing room with another man, and his constant antics with a local police officer. The film tugs your heart strings as you wish nothing but the best for this poor man. Strongly recommended if you like a light hearted and family friendly films everybody can enjoy. Fans of Charlie Chaplin and the Three Stooges will find Buster Keaton's work to be a breath of fresh air and even though it's a silent film, no sound is needed to appreciate everything this film has to offer.