Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

Director:

Charles Reisner

Writer:

Carl Harbaugh (story)

Release Date:

20 May 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance

Tagline:

The Laugh Special of the Age. See It.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Captain | River | Riverboat | Rescue | Banker

Cast

Buster Keaton	...	William Canfield Jr.
Tom McGuire	...	John James King
Ernest Torrence	...	William 'Steamboat Bill' Canfield Sr.
Tom Lewis	...	Tom Carter, first mate
Marion Byron	...	Kitty King (credit only)

Runtime:

71 min | Argentina:73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Australia:G | UK:U | Portugal:M/6 | Sweden:Btl | Spain:T | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Sacramento River, California, USA

Company:

Buster Keaton Productions

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.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

William Canfield Jr.: That must have happened when the dough fell in the tool chest.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Céline et Julie vont en bateau - Phantom Ladies Over Paris (1974)

Amazing Storm Sequence

In the riverside town of River Junction, Captain William Canfield (Ernest Torrence) has an old steamship and disputes the passengers with the powerful banker John James King (Tom McGuire), who has a brandy new passenger vessel. William is informed that his unknown son William Canfield Jr. (Buster Keaton) will arrive by train from Boston to visit him. When Willie arrives, William trains him to work with him in his ship. However, Willie meets his friend Marion King (Marion Byron), the daughter of James King, and they date each other, against the will of their fathers. When a hurricane reaches River Junction, Willie rescues his father and his future father-in-law from the river.

"Steamboat Bill Jr." has a silly but funny beginning, and an amazing hurricane sequence, with very bold scenes. The timing and the physical capability of Buster Keaton are very impressive, and in the present days it is impossible to imagine shooting the scenes in the storm without the use of computer, so convincing they still are. From his biography, I have seen that he died of lung cancer, not in an accident as I might guess, meaning that he has survived to his risky scenes usual in most of his films. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Marinheiro de Encomenda" ("Sailor by Order")