We all need a good laugh these days so Saturday September 13th we will screen three comedy shorts by Buster Keaton starring Buster Keaton & Sybil Seely.
The Boat is a classic retelling of Keaton’s favorite theme of Man Versus Machine. Buster builds a boat for the family in his garage, but alas, its too big to get it out and so ensues a comedy of errors. The accompanying themes of calamity and destruction pave the way for the “little man” to regain control of the situation. The boat’s name, Damfino (or “damn if I know”) reflects Keaton’s own reaction to the perplexing and challenging world he confronts in his films. Dated 1921. Duration 23 minutes.
The Scarecrow – Buster plays a farmhand who competes with his housemate to win the love of the farmer’s daughter. Running from a dog that he believes is rabid, he races around brick walls, jumps through windows, and falls into a hay thresher that rips off most of his clothes. After her father sees him in this compromising position, he is forced to flee and borrow a scarecrow’s clothes in a nearby field as a disguise. After he escapes, he runs into Sybil and trips into a kneeling position while tying his shoes which Sybil interprets as a proposal. They speed off on a motorcycle, with Joe and the farmer (played by Buster’s father, Joe) in hot pursuit. Scooping up a minister during the chase, they are married on the speeding motorcycle and splash into a stream, where they are pronounced man and wife. Dated 1920. Duration 21 minutes.
One Week – The story involves a newlywed couple who receive a kit house as a wedding gift. The instructions describe how to construct the house by assembling materials in numbered packing crates. A rejected suitor secretly renumbers packing crates, and the result is a lopsided structure with revolving walls, kitchen fixtures on the exterior, and upper-floor doors that open onto thin air and other problems ensue. Dated 1920. Duration 19 minutes.
Doors & bar open 11am. Coffee, tea, refreshments and snacks available. Tickets $15 and free for kids 13 and under.