The effete son of a cantankerous riverboat captain comes to join his father's crew.
Want to invest a few hours in front of the TV this weekend? Check out a few of our favorite binge-worthy streaming series.
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
1 win & 1 nomination.
See more awards »
Learn more
More Like This
The Cameraman
(1928)
Comedy
|
Romance
|
Family
Directors:
Edward Sedgwick,
Buster Keaton
Stars:
Buster Keaton,
Marceline Day,
Harold Goodwin
Cops
(1922)
Short
|
Comedy
|
Family
Directors:
Edward F. Cline,
Buster Keaton
Stars:
Buster Keaton,
Edward F. Cline,
Virginia Fox
The Scarecrow
(1920)
Comedy
|
Short
|
Family
Directors:
Edward F. Cline,
Buster Keaton
Stars:
Buster Keaton,
Edward F. Cline,
Luke the Dog
The Kid Brother
(1927)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Family
Directors:
Ted Wilde,
Harold Lloyd, and 2 more credits »
Stars:
Harold Lloyd,
Jobyna Ralston,
Walter James
The Boat
(1921)
Short
|
Comedy
|
Family
Directors:
Edward F. Cline,
Buster Keaton
Stars:
Buster Keaton,
Edward F. Cline,
Sybil Seely
The Thief of Bagdad
(1924)
Adventure
|
Family
|
Fantasy
Director:
Raoul Walsh
Stars:
Douglas Fairbanks,
Julanne Johnston,
Snitz Edwards
Speedy
(1928)
Certificate: Passed
Action
|
Comedy
|
Family
Director:
Ted Wilde
Stars:
Harold Lloyd,
Ann Christy,
Bert Woodruff
The Freshman
(1925)
Comedy
|
Family
|
Romance
Directors:
Fred C. Newmeyer,
Sam Taylor
Stars:
Harold Lloyd,
Jobyna Ralston,
Brooks Benedict
The Gold Rush
(1925)
Adventure
|
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Charles Chaplin
Stars:
Charles Chaplin,
Mack Swain,
Tom Murray
The Kid
(1921)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Family
Director:
Charles Chaplin
Stars:
Charles Chaplin,
Edna Purviance,
Jackie Coogan
Big Business
(1929)
Short
|
Comedy
|
Family
Directors:
James W. Horne,
Leo McCarey
Stars:
Stan Laurel,
Oliver Hardy,
James Finlayson
Bringing Up Baby
(1938)
Comedy
|
Family
|
Romance
Director:
Howard Hawks
Stars:
Katharine Hepburn,
Cary Grant,
Charles Ruggles
Edit
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 | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (19) »
Storyline
Following through on a promise to his mother, William Canning Jr. goes to River Junction to meet his father who has not seen him since he was a child. The younger Canning isn't quite what the elder was expecting but the old man has bigger problems. He's being put out of business by J.J. King, who not only owns the local hotel and bank, but has recently introduced a new paddle wheel steamer that puts Cannings older boat, the Stonewall Jackson, to shame. Bill Jr. and Kitty King take a liking to each other much to the dismay of both of their fathers. When a fierce storm hits River Junction, Bill Jr. is forced to save Kitty, her father and his father. Written by garykmcd
Plot Keywords:
hurricane | riverboat | forbidden love | father son relationship | national film registry |Taglines:
The screen's first big Mississippi thriller See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
20 May 1928 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
El héroe del río See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
SilentColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1
Edit
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The hat that Buster Keaton quickly removes from his head and hands back to the clerk with a frown is Keaton's own trademark porkpie hat. See more »Goofs
During the final cyclone sequence, a cable pulling down the entire front of a building is clearly visible. See more »Quotes
Tom Carter - First and Last Mate: [gives his gun to Steamboat Bill] There's not a jury that would convict you.See more »
Contribute to This Page
On IMDb TV, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream now with Prime Video.
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.