Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) User Reviews (103)

The Adventures of Steamboat Billy

[lugonian · 8/10 · 25 March 2005]

STEAMBOAT BILL JR. (United Artists, 1928), directed by Charles F. Reisner, stars Buster Keaton in his third independent production following THE GENERAL (1926) and COLLEGE (1927), his most effective and daring, as well as a premise that personifies him best. It is a fine character study as well, and since Keaton is quite a character, the role he plays is that of a weakling of a son who tries to impress his burly, strong-willed father, wonderfully played by veteran actor Ernest Torrence.

Story: Set in River Junction, Mississippi, William Canfield (Torrence), better known as "Steamboat Bill," owns a riverboat called "The Stonewall Jackson." He has a rival, John James King (Tom Maguire), a wealthy citizen, who attempts to cause Bill's financial ruin with his new river packet called "King" after himself. Canfield receives a telegram from Boston that his son, whom he hasn't seen since he was a baby, is arriving in town by train. Excited about the union, he is soon disappointed when he finds Bill Canfield Jr. (Buster Keaton) not to be the physical built of himself but a weakling sporting checkered clothes and beret, a mustache and playing a ukulele. Also returning home to River Junction is Mary (Marion Byron), King's daughter, whom Bill has already met while attending college. Because Bill and Mary love one another and Canfield and King have become rivals, the fathers attempt to keep these two apart.

A story with enough ingredients for comedy. With the love plot resembling that of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," there is no tragedy involved, but methods of the youths trying to get together at times without the knowledge of their feuding fathers. Scenes involving the meek Keaton and the rugged Torrence are extremely funny, their introduction being with Torrence at the train station to meet the son he hasn't seen in years, to be identified with a carnation, only to find practically every man at the station is wearing one. The element of surprise in finding his son not to be what's expected has been reworked numerous times on screen, the most famous being Universal's comedy-western, DESTRY RIDES AGAIN (1939), where the eagerly awaited sheriff believed to be a strong physical type only to arrive in town only to be a "horse of a different color" (James Stewart). Like Stewart's character, Keaton is considered a fool by many, but on the contrary, he's the opposite, in fact, intelligent when intelligence is needed, especially when it comes to rescuing his father from drowning in a jail cell during a flood that nearly has water covering over his head. Other scenes worth mentioning include father taking son by the hand like a small child to the barber shop to eliminate his mustache, and later to the clothing store where father attempts to change son's image into something more manly. But the high point is that of natural disasters of cyclone and flood that nearly wipes away the town, with the confused Bill actually becoming the hero during all this confusion, leading to the most celebrated scene where Keaton is seen standing in an empty street staring at the damaged surroundings, with the entire facade of a house falling down on him, with the open window frame of the house passing safely over his body, leaving him unharmed. A very dangerous stunt, which might have proved fatal, done without the technology of special effects or computers nearly succeeds in outshining Harold Lloyd's thrill comedies of the day. This alone needs to be seen to be believed. Even when all this is over, there are even more elements of surprises. Watch for them.

STEAMBOAT BILL JR. was introduced to public television around 1983 as part of a weekly series known as SPROCKETS, accompanied by a standard piano score. Later revived to cable television, it was then seen on American Movie Classics starting in 1995 where it was part of that station's annual film preservation series, and ending its run there in 1999. The movie was later presented on Turner Classic Movies in 2001 where it is played as part of its "Silent Sunday Nights." Initially accompanied with an excellent piano score by William Perry from the Paul Killiam collection, TCM sadly discontinued using this print in December 2004 in favor of a restored copy (which is fine) accompanied by scoring that happens to be one the worst ever composed for a silent movie. A pity because STEAMBOAT BILL Jr. is such a fine and exciting comedy, worthy to film students to studying the art and genius of Buster Keaton. Fortunately someone must have been in agreement with the bad scoring considering a new organ score was used in a crisp pint that aired June 21, 2005. Though scoring for STEAMBOAT BILL Jr. has varied in either VHS or DVD formats over the years, personally, the William Perry piano accompaniment is the best of its kind.

The last true Buster Keaton classic from the silent era, and surprisingly something that didn't do financially well when distributed in theaters. In fact, it's been said that United Artists withheld its release for almost a year. Today STEAMBOAT BILL Jr. is critically acclaimed and hailed as one of Keaton's masterpieces, a notch below THE GENERAL but an improvement over COLLEGE. Thanks to television revivals and video/DVD, Buster Keaton comedies such as this should never go out of style. (***)

Simple story with INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS physical comedy

[BobbyT24 · 7/10 · 12 January 2016]

This was the last of Buster Keaton's "Big 3" movies - "College", "The General" and "Steamboat Bill, Jr." In my opinion, all three should be seen to be believed. There never has been, nor will ever be, another actor who did his own death-defying stunts that had such skill as an actor to carry an entire picture by himself. Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was considered a legend of physical prowess. I'd match Buster up against him any day of the week. Jackie Chan is the closest thing we have today to doing his own death-defying stunt work. But even Jackie would never dream of pulling off the most dangerous work as Buster. To this day, people still marvel at the physicality of the tiny Keaton.

My order of preference for story-telling of these three is: General, College, and Steamboat Bill. My order of preference for death-defying feats is: Steamboat Bill, General and College in that order.

"Steamboat Bill, Jr." is not the most creative at story-telling. Basically it's plot device after plot device to move Buster to and from one dangerous stunt to the next more dangerous stunt. How he pulls this off with such ease is still a marvel. And the comedy from "Ol' Stoneface" is still funny today. The hat-switch scene where Buster and his father go through a series of hats while Buster looks right at the camera as though it is the mirror is comedy brilliance. In all of Buster's best comedies, he figures out how to maneuver huge objects through the funniest and most insanely difficult ways possible - trains in "The General", a crew boat in "College", and he maneuvers a really large steamboat with only an insanely simple yet complex set of ropes in "Steamboat Bill, Jr.". Just watch Buster shimmy down FIVE levels of the boat to basically shake hands, only to shimmy BACK UP those same five levels in mere seconds. It is astonishing the athleticism and creativity he could pull off in one single, UNEDITED scene shot with only one camera. Astounding.

The supporting cast is mainly there as foils for Buster's laughs. However, Marion Byron (a mere 16 at the time of filming) is wonderful as the dainty love interest in this Romeo & Juliet story between feuding river boats. It is decently acted by all involved but this is Buster's show and everyone knows it.

The ultimate payoff is in the dramatic and DANGEROUS hurricane that hits the tiny town in the finale. There is a reason that ONLY Buster is in all the scenes in the hurricane. Nobody else would be crazy enough to be caught dead in something like that simply for a movie. It's borderline suicidal actually. They blow up an ENTIRE town right in front of our eyes using six jet engines creating a wind storm so strong Buster could literally lean at a 45-degree angle into the wind and not fall. In several scenes, there is only one take because once the building explodes into a pile of kindling within inches of the real-life Buster they can't rebuild it. For him to keep a stoneface when the world is physically demolished right in front of him, and he keeps acting in the midst of all that chaos... My mind can't fathom that kind of bravery from a screen legend.

I can reasonably believe that by today's standards, the insurance companies would NEVER allow the stunts Buster Keaton pulled off in this story. Simply breathtaking isn't a strong enough word. DEATH-DEFYING is the only word that can be used for the now-legendary scene of a wall collapsing all around Buster, save for a lone open window that saves Buster from certain death. It is said that half the crew stayed away from the set that day simply because they couldn't watch Buster die in real-life from that wall in the event Buster was only a couple inches from his mark and the stunt went horribly wrong. He would have been crushed without a doubt. How many movies have ever done something as dangerous around their major star simply for a scene in a movie? I can say without equivocation - none. Watch and rewind that scene - I promise you won't believe what you see. The weight of that wall is not break-away kindling. It is a SOLID wall of bricks and mortar weighing at least a few thousand pounds. When it SLAMS into the ground around Buster, you see what damage would have been done to him had it hit him. But as you rewind the tape, watch Buster through the entire sequence in slow-motion. You will see that he NEVER FLINCHES!!! I read that he was having a really bad day in his personal life that day but this is unreasonably suicidal as a scene. It is legendary for a reason. There will never be anything like it again.

Buster made the impossible seem routine. He was just a little feather being brutally tossed all over that town from one dangerous stunt to another. If you can't see true genius in his timing and physical superiority, you are missing a once-in-a-century entertainer.

Buster Keaton was a national treasure. His "Big 3" movies need to be in the Smithsonian for many millennia. That way, in a thousand years when our society is viewed by that generation, I hope they view Buster's movies and see what the best of us looked like at one time. He is my favorite silent movie comedian, with Harold Lloyd a distant second and Charlie Chaplin third. But nobody touched Buster. He's my hero.

As a movie, the story is maybe a 5 for it's simplicity. As a study of physical comedy and dangerous stunts, this is a 50 out of 10. Thank you, Buster. You are missed.

That Hurricane Scene Blew Me Away!

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 19 September 2006]

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.

The whole Keaton kaboodle

[highclark · 10/10 · 3 January 2005]

Buster Keaton was a lunatic. He had to have been. The stunts he was able to pull off in this movie leave me questioning his sanity. This film has moments where you won't believe his stunts weren't done via some nifty camera forgery. It's just amazing that his stunts were accomplished while one camera(yes, just one) was aimed at a spot that was marked for Buster to hit. This precision had to be met or death and disaster could follow. This was most apparent in the cyclone scene with the wall of a house that fell to the ground. Any deviation by an inch from the mark and a house could fall on top of Buster's head. I had to watch that scene over and over again. This film is filled with great gymnastics from Buster, as he did hit all of his marks. Although this movie has some of Buster's best comedic gymnastics, there are a couple of memorable scenes of pantomime. There's the scene near the beginning of the film when Buster is trying on an array of hats for his father. Buster looks right into the camera as if looking into a mirror, just a great effect. And later there's another scene where Buster tries to break his father out of jail by pantomiming the instructions of escape by using only his hands and a loaf of bread. By the end of the film you'll be marveling at Buster's dexterity while he operates the steamboat by climbing up and over or jumping down and around the ship, running the ship by himself and with the help of a few helpfully placed ropes. This movie has it all for Buster fans. 10/10.

Clark Richards

In a word, a masterpiece. In six more, a joy from start to finish.

[imogensara_smith · 10/10 · 14 August 2006]

Steamboat Bill, Jr. was the first Keaton film I saw in a theater. I'd seen all of his silent films on video and thought nothing could increase my admiration for them, but the reaction of the packed house at New York's Film Forum blew me away. The audience roared with almost uninterrupted laughter, breaking into spontaneous applause whenever Buster did something particularly clever or heroic. This experience confirmed for me that Steamboat Bill, Jr. belongs with Keaton's masterpieces, and it might be his funniest feature film. From the low-key opening to the spectacular finale, not a moment is wasted.

Like much of Keaton's best work, this is a piece of Americana, set in the fictional Mississippi town of River Junction. Steamboat Bill (Ernest Torrence) is a towering, crusty captain of a battered old boat, struggling to survive the competition from a "floating palace" owned by J.J. King, the richest man in town. Bill is expecting a visit from his son, whom he hasn't seen since infancy, and who has been in college in the East. "I bet he's taller'n me!" he crows, and we think: uh-oh. Sure enough, when Buster appears, not only is he petite, he's kitted out with a striped blazer and polka-dot tie, a beret, a ukulele, and a ludicrous little moustache dabbed on his lip. Their reunion is something less than joyful. Young Willie is thrilled to find that his girlfriend from Boston is also in town—unfortunately, she's King's daughter. Romeo and Juliet, anyone?

Craggy Ernest Torrence, who specialized in hissable villains, is a superb foil for Buster, serving as both the film's "heavy" and as the object of Buster's efforts to earn approval. At the other end of the height scale is tiny, vivacious Marion Byron, just sixteen at the time, and an effective love interest. The first half of the film follows the clash between gruff, manly father and effete son. Willie is quickly relieved of his moustache and college duds. In one highlight, he tries on an array of hats, using the camera as a mirror and showing off an equally diverse array of subtle facial expressions, culminating in comic horror when Buster's trademark porkpie hat is placed on his head. Willie's idea of "work clothes for the boat" is a dashing naval uniform; while strutting on deck he trips, stumbles and collides with everything possible—watch for one of Buster's greatest pratfalls when a coil of rope is pulled from under him and he dives forward and spins around on the back of his neck. After he sneaks out at night to visit King's daughter, his enraged father gives him a ticket back to Boston. But before Willie can leave, his father is arrested following an altercation with King, and Junior vows to get Senior out of jail.

A storm is brewing when Willie arrives at the jail, carrying a loaf of bread for his father. Bill wants nothing to do with his son, whose attempts to convey that there are tools hidden in the loaf, without letting the jailer catch on, culminate in a brilliant little pantomime in which Buster, with just his eyes and his fingers, acts out a prison-break. Finally the tools fall out of the soggy bread and clatter to the floor, prompting the movie's funniest title card. Willie looks at them with innocent surprise and says: "That must have happened when the dough fell in the tool box."

In the end, Senior remains in jail while Junior winds up in the hospital. The storm has by now become a cyclone, and thus begins the incomparable finale. When the entire hospital building is ripped from its foundations, Willie ventures dazed into the storm. The wind is so strong that he leans at a 45 degree angle when he tries vainly to walk into it. Houses collapse into splinters. In a haunting scene, Willie takes refuge in a half-ruined theater, where he encounters ghosts of Buster's vaudeville childhood. The whole cyclone sequence is unsurpassed in its surreal and violent beauty. Finally Willie returns to the boat and manages to pilot it himself, vaulting up and down the decks like Douglas Fairbanks and more than proving his manly worth as he comes to the rescue of the other characters.

During the making of Steamboat Bill, Jr., Buster's producer Joseph Schenck informed him that he was dissolving the independent Keaton studio and handing him over to MGM. The crass commercialism and regimented working style at MGM would crush Buster's creativity and spirit, spitting him out five years later as an unemployable alcoholic. It's almost impossible to believe that this inspired, hilarious, warm-hearted film was made under such a cloud. Buster did say later that if he hadn't been so depressed about his situation (his marriage was on the rocks too), he would not have undertaken the most dangerous stunt of his career, when he stands still while the entire front of a building crashes down over him, and he's saved because he's standing in the path of a window frame. Buster's life depended on his hitting a position marked on the ground; if he'd been a few inches off, the façade would have squashed him like a bug. His co-director couldn't stand to watch the scene being filmed, and the cameraman later told his son that he shot the scene with his eyes closed. On-screen, the effect is miraculous and oddly calm, a triumph of geometry. It's an indelible image, and a perfect symbol of a man who ultimately refused to be crushed.

In the Top 3 of Keaton's films.

[Louie-12 · 1 June 1999]

This is one of Keaton's best, just behind The General and Sherlock Jr. The story is much more coherent without the surreality of Sherlock Jr., yet has more of Keaton's famous physical comedy that wasn't as prevelant in The General.

Everyone talks about the Wall Falling Scene. It is astounding to be sure, but for sheer belly laughs, watch the scene in which Bill Jr. is made to try on a multitude of hats by his father. Note that the one hat Bill Jr. seems to hate is Keaton's own signature "Porkpie" hat.

silent comedy gold! an excellent choice for a first Keaton to see

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 27 June 2007]

Call shenanigans on me as a movie-buff, but I've never fully completed watching a Buster Keaton film (I've seen most of the General, but not enough to give a fair estimate). What luck then to find Steamboat Bill Jr in a 1 dollar bin, because Keaton does indeed live up to the hype! Although it's still on my mind to say that Chaplin is the genius of silent comedy, Keaton's wit in the staging of purely physical gags and even in the wording of the title cards is top-notch and is a standard to live up to for comedians today. It's got some things that are almost textbook in the realm of slapstick (he's standing right under a house about to fall on him, thank goodness for the window space!), but it's also very original in some other ways, if only in little details. I loved seeing the jail-house scene, where on sees the mood totally laid out- suspense in the guise of mishaps involving a huge loaf of bread loaded with tools to get Bill's father out of jail. The twists that happen involving the jailman, and the escape, are worth checking out the film alone.

Other little gags speak to how well Keaton could work gags big and small, be it riding a flying tree (!) to the water, or just trying to set up a plank to go to Stonewall Jackson's ship. There's even a sequence that I would show immediately to those wanting to get a sense of Keaton at his best, which actually involves as much reaction from those around him as Keaton himself, with the trying-on-the-hats sequence, where one is too small, or too big, or just too goofy. It almost goes way too over the top in the climax (how many things in town can Bill Jr go around in a tailspin, including winding up on what looks like a film set, ha!), but why carp? It's an exemplary form of showing a level of sophistication in doing dumb things, which includes sincerely dumb dialog ("Hey, my son's coming to visit, I haven't seen him since he was a baby" "I bet he's a grown lad now"). I'm sure the General will stay a Keaton classic for decades to come, but as far as purely accessible comedy on all levels Steamboat Bill Jr is hard to beat from the era.

Risking your life for a couple of seconds of comedy... all in a day's work for Buster...

[atwarwiththebarmyarmy · 10/10 · 1 September 2006]

Okay. Obvious bit first.

This is indeed the source of the most famous scene in all of silent comedy (alongside, perhaps, Chaplin's cogs and Lloyd's clock). Caught up in a hurricane, hiding under a bed that's whisked away in the wind, Buster staggers to his feet only for the front of a house to fall all around him. Except - the tiny window falls directly over Buster. Who just stands there, staring.

We've all seen this a thousand times or more. Before I even knew who Keaton was I'd seen this scene. But even now, going back to watch it (again and again) - it's an extraordinary moment. Keaton had two nails hammered into the ground, marks for his feet, and two inches of room either side. Two inches left, two inches right, Buster would have been killed. Dead centre, and it's wondrous. Perfection. It had to be.

And he doesn't even FLINCH.

But there's something else about it...

Here's a scene, the big scene, not just expensive but incredibly dangerous. Half the crew refuse to watch. Anywhere else, you might imagine this stunt as the grand conclusion, milked for all it's worth. But that was never the Buster Keaton way. Everything had to be done perfectly (the golfing accident in Convict 13, for example, 78 takes...), and if that meant nearly killing yourself for a few seconds three quarters of the way through, so be it. Do the perfect gag, move on, do some more.

Extraordinary. Staggering. Unbelievable.

But, heavens, there's more, so much more... from Buster throwing away his own hat in disgust, to the dough that fell into the toolbox, to Buster's seemingly limitless capacity for wearing clothes under his nightshirt, to all those stunts in the hurricane, to the ingenious ending - a joy, an absolute joy. Unremittingly wonderful.

So this makes him better than Chaplin? Forget it. All I hear is competition, comparison, Keaton better/not better than Chaplin, Laurel better/not better than Lloyd, and all combinations in between. IT DOESN'T MATTER. This could only be a Keaton film, in the same way that Chaplin's best is unmistakeably Chaplin, Lloyd's best unmistakeably Lloyd, Laurel's best unmistakeably Laurel (and Hardy). There's no point bickering. There aren't any prizes to be won. Just accept - just rejoice - that for a brief few years, some of mankind's darkest years, the world was blessed with four unique comic geniuses. It probably never happened before, it maybe never will again. We were, are, will be, all of us, amazingly lucky to have them. And to always have them. So pull up a chair, grab a drink and a loved one, and settle down to this glorious film. And when it's done, stick on 'The Kid' for good measure... and 'Liberty'... and 'Never Weaken'...

... and rejoice ...

Buster Keaton risks life and limb to deliver some premium silent slapstick entertainment

[ackstasis · 7/10 · 29 August 2007]

'Steamboat Bill, Jr.' perhaps marked the end of a golden era for fans of silent comedy genius Buster Keaton. The film was the last produced by Keaton's independent production team before his move to MGM, from which point, it is often said, his work had a marked decline in quality. However, having not yet seen any of Keaton's later works, I am still reserving my judgment. In any case, let us return to the tour-de-force that is 'Steamboat Bill, Jr.'

The first half of this film is amusing, without being uproariously so, basically acting as a lead-up to the fantastic climactic storm sequence. The crusty, irritable captain of a battered steamboat (Ernest Torrence) receives a letter from his estranged son, informing him that he has plans to visit after so many years of separation. However, Steamboat Bill Sr's enthusiasm at having the assistance of a younger version of himself quickly evaporates when Steamboat Bill Jr (Keaton) arrives in town, sporting a delicate moustache and a sophisticated French artist's hat. Furious, Bill Sr sets about improving his son's image, only to find that his son won't accept any drastic changes quite so willingly. Bill Sr is even more aghast when he discovers that Keaton has already fallen in love Marion King (played by Marion Byron, just seventeen years old when the film was released), the pretty daughter of John James King (Tom McGuire), his arch enemy and main rival in the steam-boating business. This section of the film contains some clever sight gags – including a hilarious routine involving a multitude of different hats – but it noticeably lacks the frenetic energy and remarkable stunt-work that is the reason we love to watch Buster Keaton.

The second half of the film, however, is a completely different story. When a destructive cyclone bears down upon the small riverside town, all hell breaks loose, and young Steamboat Bill Jr finds himself wondering precariously through a crumbling labyrinth of abandoned streets and buildings. As he endeavours to rescue his father, who is locked up in the local jail, Keaton endures the savagery of the hurricane winds and flying debris, frequently dodging tumbling building walls. The storm is probably the most ambitious extended silent comedy sequence since Harold Lloyd scaled the skyscraper in 'Safety Last! (1923),' and it is remarkable how, in the absence of any elaborate special effects, it all seems so believable. The storm effects were created using six powerful Liberty-motor wind machines and a 120-foot crane, and directors Charles Reisner and Keaton (uncredited) unleashed the machines' wrath on $135,000 worth of breakaway street sets specially built for the film.

In one extremely memorable stunt – which has since become legendary – Keaton stands willfully still as an entire building wall tumbles down on top of him, his only saving grace being the attic window that was intricately positioned to pass over his body. Believe it or not, there were no optical tricks employed to pull off this shot; the wall was very much solid, and Keaton's death would have been very much real had he positioned himself incorrectly. Reportedly, half of the film's crew walked off the set on the day that this stunt was performed, lest it went horribly wrong and Keaton was killed. If all this wasn't remarkable enough, then consider this final fascinating observation: throughout the entire stunt, as the mammoth wall thunders down upon him and his entire life hangs in the balance, Keaton doesn't even flinch once

8/10

[desperateliving · 8/10 · 21 September 2003]

For the first time since he was a baby, an effete Buster Keaton comes home from Boston to visit his steamboat captain father, who's being troubled by the head of the other, finer steamboat, J.J. King. Of course King's daughter is home to visit her father, too! This completely delightful comedy glides right along, with outstanding physical comedy from Keaton. The lightness of the film is a benefit, as is the short 70m running time. There's no shortage of brilliant gags, my favorite being Keaton trying to get his jailed father to accept his homemade loaf of bread. ("That must of [sic] happened when the dough fell in the tool chest.") I loved the opening, as well, with Bill going along to different shops with his son in order to prepare him for the boat, and the hilarious scene in the hat shop as Junior eyes himself in the mirror as his father suggests these awful hats. The ending is just amazing (and dangerous!), as buildings fall apart due to an awful wind, with Buster doing a disappearing act and fighting to stand up straight and retain his composure. 8/10

Physical Comedy above All, with a Blow You Away End

[secondtake · 7/10 · 30 June 2009]

Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

Romeo and Juliet, Buster Keaton Style

A series of mishaps and confusions make for a stream--or a river--of comic laughs. For my taste, Chaplin's sentimentalism trumps Buster Keaton's supposed modernity (such is film criticism), but this is fast, funny, and even awesome at its best. Sadly, my version (streaming on Netflix) had terrible soundtrack music.

The General is a better movie, overall, if you want an introduction to Keaton, and I assume it's no coincidence that he helped write and direct that, as Chaplin did his own films. There are enough great moments here--physical slips and gags, slapstick tricks, and fast turns of event to make it funny, don't get me wrong. But the slim plot takes too long, and it lacks the gravitas or true romance (even though the romance is on the surface by fifteen minutes or so in) that comedy often really depends on.

The great hat scene near the beginning has him try on his own famous hat and reject it, probably appropriate since this is his last film where he controls the movie (before his now notorious move to MGM). And when he pulls out the giant loaf of bread in the jail it's hilarious. But beyond funny plot elements, Keaton is most important, or most fun, for his stunts, so don't let the story and the thin supporting actors drag you down before he really gets going. And I don't mean to give short shrift to the leading woman, Marion Byron, who is perky and adorable, and the perfect siren for the perky and adorable Keaton.

The ending (the last twenty minutes) is pretty astonishing stuff. The effects with the wind and collapsing buildings, and the sheer marvels of acrobatic stunts by Keaton, are a thrill. This is what made him enduring, and don't miss it.

Amazing Storm Sequence

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 30 October 2005]

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")

Death Deifying Keaton!

[colinpsquires · 7/10 · 2 September 2020]

Steamboat Bill, Jr. is a charming comedy, action, adventure film of sorts that brings you back to the 1800's. Staring Buster Keaton and Ernest Terrence as the dynamic father and son duo that the film centers around. Their relationship proves funny and relatable as they are at odds for most of the films duration. Overall this movie is quite enjoyable with some dull spots sprinkled throughout, but there is never a sequence that drags too long before you're laughing again. With that said any dull spots Steamboat posses is more than made up for with an impressive final sequence performed by Keaton. Stunts, that Keaton appears almost lucky to have pulled off at times, happen one after another in the films masterful closing. I would recommend Steamboat Bill, Jr. to anyone in need of a relaxing hour that wont require any stressing or understanding in order to have a good time.

Steamboat Bill, Jr.

[cmantafounis · 5/10 · 22 September 2021]

A rather conflicting watch. Starts off very, very slowly, and really only becomes worthwhile in the final half hour. While in most other respects I prefer Keaton, it is clear he is not on Chaplin's level as a storyteller - this is overwhelmingly apparent in the narrative-driven opening, featuring an underdeveloped and uninteresting plot about Buster failing to live up to his father's expectations, parallel to a shoehorned love story. Largely without any major gags for the first 45 minutes; what is present is not exactly noteworthy (e.g. The excruciatingly long hat scene, which has too tepid a payoff to justify its inclusion). The goofy sound effects in the score only detract from any humour, and serve to date this further than even his shorts. Since this section is almost entirely devoid of laughs, and the plot feels haphazard at best, my attention was turned more towards the capable directing on display: a long pan to open, multiple wide shots with varied depth of field, and a hole in a window pane framed as a spotlight onto a fight (circa 41 mins in). Once we reach the jail scene, things take exponential leaps in the right direction - the comically large bread immediately signifies what to expect, and it plays out well, the highlight being a trick shot wherein Keaton throws a stone such that it breaks a window from the inside but bounces back into the room. (Note that there is an error in this scene, where an intertitle uses "would of" instead of "would have" - grammatical mistakes from 100 years ago, forever recorded for posterity!) The hurricane finale that follows is fantastic, with the film itself thankfully disregarding its hollow story; the scale of destruction demonstrated here is captivating, including houses being demolished or flying away, and one of the most famous shots in film history as the stone-faced Keaton perfectly dodges a collapsing wall (this man was either a genius or crazy, possibly both). Also features some novel effects work with Buster flying away on a tree. In short, it *blew* me away. (You know, I'm something of a comedian myself.) Too bad that almost an hour of mediocrity preceded it, making the meh severely outweigh the exceptional. Ends up right down the middle, 5/10. Go watch Sherlock Jr. Instead.

Blow

[tedg · 24 January 2007]

This follows a pattern that Keaton would follow in a few of his most amazing films. The first half would just set up the situation and incidentally give a few mild jokes along the way. The second part is structured around a frantic set of stunts that are both comic and athletic. These must have astonished when they were new; its an odd thing that all the really interesting effects in films of this era were not for science fiction or action, but comedy.

Today, these effects and particularly Keaton's, astonish ever so much more. Jackie Chan is the closest we have now, or recently. Chan knows that when we see something that we know is real: Chan jumping off a helicopter for instance, and when that is done with a comic tone, for some reason we chuckle more deeply.

(Stephen Chow's projects are a twist on this. We know the stunts aren't real, but they are much more extreme, and they deliberately reference other movies.) This collection of stunts has Keaton take a large river steam paddlewheeler, a rig it up to operate the boiler room by ropes from the pilothouse. Keaton's agility is absolutely phenomenal: today such acrobatics would surely be computer generated. Its not obvious that the man is risking his life. But as with his railroad movie, it is obvious that this is a real machine in a real raging river during real serious wind, though the wind might be generated with machines.

This is big stuff, important to watch and real thrill.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Keaton and the hurricane - astounding

[fred-houpt · 8/10 · 2 November 2006]

I had never seen this before and finally watched it last night. The majority of the film up to the last 10 minutes is pretty standard silent movie making with not much to stand up and take notice of. For the life of me I don't know how Keaton didn't kill himself or break his bones as he repeatedly falls or flips or is thrown down large distances. He just gets up, dusts himself off, rubs his head a bit and then gets back to work. It is much fun to watch but you think, this has got to hurt, doesn't it? I mean, it would hurt me if I had any of these pranks fall upon me.

What everyone talks about is the last part of the film where a huge storm blows throw the small town. You can see that the wind is all artificial and that's fine. What is so hilarious is how it makes Keaton look, as he tilts, leans and wallows against a fantastically strong wind and rain storm. The special effects of having buildings crash down all around him are breathtaking and very funny. Obviously he and the director had to block out exactly to the square inch where Keaton had to walk lest a crumbling building crush him as it came down.

There are some buildings that appear to fall out of the sky and then within seconds are torn apart, all of the wooden beams just collapsing within inches of Keaton as he struggles to move out of the way. One after the other, building after building is torn up and Keaton is dashed about like a leaf in so many hilarious attempts to stay on his feet. How he didn't get seriously hurt in that section of the film is purely miraculous.

There are some rather obvious limitations to the special effects at that time but as we watch we don't care: it's just so much fun seeing how Keaton avoids getting demolished as the sets are dismantled in such a fury. The hurricane scene is one of the marvels of the history of cinema and is worth waiting for at the end. Keaton, with Chaplin, was a master of physical humor, often at the expense of what must have been terrific punishment for his body. No one would be allowed by a producer or director or insurance company to make these types of films today. The closest I have seen anyone come to this is the hair raising antics of Jackie Chan; and we should remember that he has broken so many bones in his body in the process of making his films. I am not aware of how badly Keaton suffered, but he must have had his bruises along the way. Terrific silent action but ridiculous musical score added only most recently; the film transfer was fine. Keaton at his best, not to be missed.

Fun and charming!

[Boba_Fett1138 · 8/10 · 24 December 2007]

These early Buster Keaton movies are always both fun and charming to watch.

The movie is mostly fun because of its physical humor and charming because of the almost childish innocence that is in Keaton's performance. The movie also has a lot of comedy in its dialog. Surprising for a silent movie. Like often, the movie also further more features a cute little love-story involving Keaton and the young Marion Byron.

The story isn't much special and it's very typical for a '20's silent genre movie. It's however fun and interesting enough to hold your interest throughout but of course the movie is not dependent of it. The concept and its settings provides the movie with a couple of entertaining, silly and also original moments.

Once more Keaton also shows us his skills as a stuntman. He does some extreme dangerous stuff here. Of course stunts in those days were also much more dangerous than now, no matter how often much more spectacular it's looking all. Some of the things he does in this movie are really amazing, with of course the spectacular classic ending as the highlight- and most impressive of them all, when a cyclone hits the town and Keaton manages to run across collapsing buildings without getting hit and without him getting blown away, while also other large object are flying at him.

A great watch.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

David Jeffers for Tablet SIFFblog

[rdjeffers · 8/10 · 29 September 2005]

Monday September 26, 2005 7:00pm The Seattle Paramount Theater

"I know what it is - you're ashamed of my baking."

In his last independent film "Steamboat Bill, Jr." Buster Keaton serves up his usual antics along with the most frightening and dangerous stunt he ever attempted. A crusty old riverboat captain, "Steamboat Bill" hasn't seen his boy since he was a babe. When "Willie" arrives in River Junction (by train) both father and son are disappointed. Bill expected a strapping lad that could fill his boots while the boy finds his old man a little rough around the edges. The first casualties are Willie's beret and mustache, "Take that barnacle off his lip." Keaton's father "Big Joe" has a small part as the barber. Watch for Buster's trademark porkpie hat in the hat scene, another hilarious inside joke. Willie bumps into Marion King (Marion Byron in her film debut), a cutie from school, and romance ensues. The two soon discover their fathers are enemies. John King owns the town along with the new riverboat. He'd like nothing more than to run Bill Sr. and his old steamer "Stonewall Jackson" out of town and off the river. "This floating palace should put an end to that 'thing' Steamboat Bill is running." The youngsters are forbidden to see each other but of course they disobey. Bill Sr. sends Willie packing just as King has the old man thrown in jail. Willie is duty bound to spring his dad and shows up with a loaded loaf of bread. "That must of happened when the dough fell in the tool box." The jailbreak fails just as a terrific storm arrives and Willie finds himself in a town of collapsing buildings. As in "The General", Buster is then forced into various acts of heroism, a tiny little fellow with almost super-human strength. Keaton used the Sacramento River as his location for River Junction, entirely built for the film and largely destroyed in the storm. Several accounts claim much of the crew walked off the set rather than participate in the filming of a scene in which a building façade falls into the street while Keaton stands precisely where a second story window is located. The wall was constructed at full weight. Had the calculations for this stunt been off a matter of inches, Keaton would have been killed. In another stunt, Buster clings to a large tree which is uprooted by the storm and flung into the river. A crane was used to lift the tree and lower it into the river. "Steamboat Bill, Jr." is brimming with the physical gags that had long been Keaton's stock in trade by 1928. Some gems to look for include a charming scene when Willie serenades a crying baby, his jailhouse pantomime and his walk down the road as he leaves town, then turns back, with the girl on his heels.

Excellent Keaton

[terrapinhelpgroup · 10/10 · 6 January 2002]

This is my personal favourite Keaton film(Just above the General and Sherlock Jr)making me laugh continuously every time I watch it.It contains some of his all time best scenes- the prison sequence (Buster trying to convey to his father that yes he really does want the bread) and the hat shop (Self-referentialism goes way back-and was that a Chaplin Bowler he threw off in disgust?)and a touching father-son relationship-unusual in that Buster's relationships to other people in his films are usually fairly token. (Villain,girl)

And of course the cyclone sequence with one of the most famous shots in Silent Film history.

Very good, though maybe not essential

[I_Ailurophile · 7/10 · 17 November 2021]

While readily entertaining with lightly amusing levity, 'Steamboat Bill, Jr.' declines to immediately engage the audience with sight gags and robust physical comedy as we typically expect of Buster Keaton's hit films. These are slowly introduced into the mix of situational humor, complemented with some cleverly penned intertitles, after what seems like more than a few minutes of pure exposition. We're informed quickly made that this 1928 picture, Keaton's last free of major studio involvement, isn't necessarily as heartily invigorating as his other classics. Even so, it's still pleasantly enjoyable all the way through, with an ace up its sleeve.

To read of the production history informs of substantial expenses and resources devoted to the picture, arranging daring stunts and all the components of some particular scenes including elaborate set pieces. These are certainly impressive, though it's worth noting that such renowned instances are relegated to the second half of the picture, and are sparing in their deployment. In the meanwhile, of course Keaton and his co-stars put in great performances full of significant physicality, and pointedly exaggerated body language and expression. And there's no question that 'Steamboat Bill, Jr.' is a solidly good time, providing some laughs and consistent fun from start to finish. At the same time, however, it's simply not as persistently, roundly funny as other Keaton films absolutely are. With or without such comparison, this just isn't as striking.

This isn't to say that 'Steamboat Bill, Jr.' is bad. Far from it! The inventive stunts are superb; the climactic sequence is genuinely exciting, with considerable, admirable work poured into all aspects to realize it. This is an entertaining feature, make no mistake. Yet it's a movie that's more about story and sophisticated production design than it is about comedy, and as well as it keeps our attention to that end, overall it just doesn't feel remarkable, or completely absorbing. Unlike 'The general,' or 'Go west,' this doesn't inspire a recommendation a must-see.

Still - it's hard to go wrong with Buster Keaton. Even when he falters. His pictures are handily above average, and well outpace many other titles. More than 90 years after this premiered, it still holds up very well, and that alone says much. One needn't necessarily go out of their way to watch 'Steamboat Bill, Jr.,' but if you have the opportunity, it remains highly enjoyable and worth checking out.

In search of lost male

[luisguillermoc3 · 9/10 · 1 May 2010]

For the giant and modest father, William Canfield (aka Steamboat Bill), the days go by holding a tough competition with JJ King, the shipping magnate and owner of many other companies fairly representative. King has a daughter petite and attractive and Canfield has a son, who has not seen for several years, and has just announce their arrival, having completed their studies. His father saved him his greatest hopes and seem to feel that, at least in this, surpass who leads in finance... but -¡horrible disappointment!- When he discovers that the child bears his name, is often a boy, almost half of its height and, on top, gesture... that led him to warn the friend who accompanied him to the reception: "If you say what you're thinking, ¡strangle you!".

As a good parent, old-fashioned , Canfield wants to impose their views and William struggle to preserve itself as it is. And soon, to "disgrace" of that parent, the boy and girl are attracted, resulting in at all costs, a romance how Romeo and Juliet, full of funny situations and accurate criticism of a sickly society that, in things essential as the individuality, tends to develop in a circle. ¿Do you not have the impression that, almost a century later, things still happen like that?

Charles F. Reisner, a former villain in some films of Chaplin, who later addressed to the Marx Brothers' "The Big Store", here's his one lucky encounter with Buster Keaton, and get round a film bursting with grace and wit that also has one of the scenes visual effects –the cyclone- best planned and most enchanting of all silent films.

As anecdote says that by the end of the film took two shots: one smiling Keaton -to break the myth of the "stone face"- and another with the usual hero of "expressionless"... the public of the previews chose to keep the myth.

Anyone wishing to meet one of the most fascinating of film art... BUSTER KEATON is his name.

Keaton fits the bill in "Steamboat Bill, Jr."

[sme_no_densetsu · 7/10 · 12 December 2010]

"Steamboat Bill, Jr." stars Buster Keaton as the effete son of a riverboat captain who visits his father after years apart. Bill Sr., embarrassed by his son's lack of manliness, immediately sets out to teach him the ways of a riverboat crewman. Meanwhile, Bill Jr. is more interested in the daughter of his father's chief competitor.

I found the story to be pretty interesting though the pacing left a little to be desired. The film's extended climax, however, is spectacular. I only wish that the rest of the film was as exciting and inventive.

Keaton's acting is solid throughout and the film features his single most famous stunt; one whereby an entire building facade falls on top of him with only an open window preventing him from being crushed. The supporting cast is satisfying as well, particularly Ernest Torrence as Bill Sr. and the foxy Marion Byron as Keaton's love interest.

Visually, the film's direction is well handled, especially in the climactic scenes which make use of special effects. The score that accompanied the film when I saw it was by the Alloy Orchestra, which I thought was pretty good but not outstanding.

In the end, I enjoyed this film more than Keaton's most acclaimed film, "The General". However, while the film's climax is a definite must-see the rest of the film doesn't quite live up to the same standard.

The Height of Physical Comedy

[williampsamuel · 8/10 · 17 January 2015]

There has never been another actor like Buster Keaton. Others have come close, but none have truly matched his level of physical comedy. And certainly no one else has performed this brand of acting while also directing and writing his own gags. He was and is one of Hollywood's all time greatest stars and filmmakers. And Steamboat Bill Jr. is one of his best works.

The story is interchangeable with dozens of other silent comedies. Young man travels to meet father who he has not seen since childhood. Father is not impressed with son. Young man meets love of his life, but their fathers, who are bitter rivals, forbid them to see each other. Old man faces serious legal and/or financial trouble. No points for guessing that the young man will save both his father and the girl from a great peril, or that love will triumph in the end.

So it's entirely predictable from beginning to end, but it doesn't matter. We know going in that the plot is little more than a thread to hang the jokes from. We came simply to laugh and be entertained. And rest assured, you will be entertained.

Keaton is in full form here, delivering all his now-classic gags. He comes off as a naive innocent and a clumsy oaf, whose every action results in delightful mayhem. When shown the boiler room on his father's steamboat, he of course leans against the wrong lever and rear ends their competitor's boat. His late night attempt to visit his girlfriend inevitably leaves him in the drink. And from the moment I saw his ukulele, I knew it was destined to be destroyed I comic fashion.

What makes this material work is that despite their broadness, Keaton's mishaps do seem to be accidents. We never get the sense that he's deliberately being clumsy to make sure we get the joke. In most movies today, many of these gags would be only mildly amusing at best, and quickly become repetitive, yet that doesn't happen here. I wonder if that's because silent film is such a different medium from modern talkies, and creates a different mindset in viewers. Or perhaps it's Keaton's ability to play the material completely strait. He wasn't called the "Stone Face of Comedy" for nothing.

And what elevates Steamboat Bill above even Keaton's other works is the fantastic storm sequence. He out-mimes even Marcel Marceau here, pushed along by an imaginary wind, and bending so far forward that we wonder what keeps him from falling down. And the effects are incredible for their time. Buildings collapse or are picked up as though they were doll houses. Keaton at one point clings to an oak tree, and both he and the oak are lifted into the air and deposited in the river. I was at a complete loss to explain how they created many of these effects, the level of technology being what it was.

The most amazing scene however, was not an effect at all. The iconic shot of a wall falling on Keaton, who is unharmed because he is standing in the path of an open window, is exactly what it looks like. They actually dropped a two-ton wall on the star, and if he had been more than a few inches off, he could easily have been killed. You just don't see devotion like that today.

"Looks like you'll have to find a new river".

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 3 May 2011]

This is probably the only movie on the IMDb where most of the positive reviewers have the film rated below it's overall average. I find myself pretty much in the same category; for me individual scenes stand out but the picture overall seemed almost tedious. However I can admire Keaton's creativity for putting it together the way he did. A genius at comic timing, you probably won't find a better choreographed disaster than the famous falling wall gag. The hat shuffle is also quite amusing, but the most entertaining I thought was the cleverly done uprooted tree in flight with Keaton hanging on for dear life. In between the high spots though, the story seemed to lag at times as the father/son relationship got tiring, and the potential romance with Miss Kitty King (Marion Byron) didn't really bloom in any meaningful way. The most amazing thing about the picture had to be Keaton's amazing athleticism in clambering about the Stonewall Jackson and the way he physically resisted the gale force winds. With no stunt double and literally inches from disaster with one false move, I now have an admiration for Keaton's craft that will have me seek out additional films in which he appears.

Steamboat Slapstick

[Michaelc2502 · 5/10 · 2 February 2021]

In this classic, we see Buster Keaton perform his usual brand of slapstick physical comedy. Keaton plays the son of a fisherman, but much to his father's dismay, he is effeminate and clumsy. Some strengths of this film were the acting (at least the physical acting). While I can not say the acting overall is on par with what would come in the following decades, the dedication to the stunts performed by both Keaton and some of the other actors was very impressive. The stunts are also quite funny, of course. Without spoiling too much, my favorite part of the film was the wind sequence seen in the last fifteen minutes. The last five had me feeling genuinely anxious and on the edge of my seat. Any weaknesses mostly just comprise of my lack of silent films seen, thus not being too familiar with some things (and the racial depictions, but this was made in 1928 of course). Overall, an enjoyable and important film.