The Play House (1921)

Director:

Buster Keaton
(more)

Writers:

Edward F. Cline (writer)
Buster Keaton (writer)

Release Date:

6 October 1921 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy | Fantasy

Plot:

The opening scene, a dream sequence prior to the vaudeville routines which follow, is what makes this film famous...

Plot Keywords:

Vaudeville | Dream | Dream Sequence | Sight Gag | Orangutan

Cast

Buster Keaton	...	Audience / Orchestra / Mr. Brown - First Minstrel / Second Minstrel / Interctors / Stagehand
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Edward F. Cline	...	Orangutan trainer (uncredited)
Virginia Fox	...	Twin (uncredited)
Joe Roberts	...	Actor-Stage Manager (uncredited)

Directed by
Buster Keaton
Edward F. Cline		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Edward F. Cline		writer
Buster Keaton		writer

Produced by
Joseph M. Schenck	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Robert Israel		(1995)

Cinematography by
Elgin Lessley		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Buster Keaton		(uncredited)

Music Department
Robert Israel	....	musical director (1995 edition)

Other crew
Fred Gabourie	....	technical director (uncredited)
Joseph M. Schenck	....	presenter (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Joseph M. Schenck Productions

Distributors

• First National Pictures (1921) (USA) (theatrical)
• Andrés Vicente Gómez Montero (1982) (Spain)
• Image Entertainment (1995) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Kino Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Kino Video (USA) (VHS)
• Laughsmith Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD) (restored version)
• Punto Zero (2008) (Italy) (DVD)
• REX Film (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (video)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Video Yesteryear (video)

Other Companies

• Film Preservation Associates  special contents (2001)

Runtime:

22 min | Spain:18 min | USA:20 min (2005 DVD release)

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

UK:U | Canada:G (Ontario) | Argentina:Atp | Spain:T

Company:

Joseph M. Schenck Productions

Trivia:

The multiple Busters on screen together were created in the camera, using a special lens with shutters to film only a portion of the scene at a time. Buster would perform one part, then the cameraman would crank the film back and open another shutter to film another part. A banjo player with a metronome helped Keaton to perform precisely at the right time for each take.

Quotes:

Interactor: Mr. Brown, I understand you had a cyclone in your town.
Mr. Brown /First Minstrel: Yes, sir, the wind blew so hard it blew a silver dollar into four quarters.
Second Minstrel: That nothing. The wind blew so hard it blew a wart off a man's nose and broke a window two blocks away.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

The Play House was a quite hilarious Buster Keaton short though the first half where there are multiples of him wasn't the most funny part for me

I just watched The Play House which was the first film that was presented in the "Industrial Strength Keaton" DVD collection of various Buster Keaton films from the silents to the end of his life. The first half where he appears in various incarnations of himself was quite impressive especially when 9 of him appear together in the same frame. Some amusing, if not hilarious, gags occur there. The rest of the short has Buster being an actual stagehand/performer who goes through more hilarious mishaps that has to be seen to be believed. I especially loved the way he put out a man's fiery beard or got a woman out of a water tank. Not to mention how he impersonates a monkey. Or how he tells one twin sister from another. So on that note, I highly recommend The Play House.