KEATON B-BATTLING BUTLER/FROZEN NORTH/HAUNTED HOUSE (DVD) DVD

Battling Butler
Battling Butler has to be the strangest of Buster Keaton's silent features. Based on the musical comedy of the same name, the film casts Keaton as wimpy millionaire Alfred Butler, who goes on a vacation in the mountains in the company of his faithful valet (Snitz Edwards). While communing with nature, Alfred falls in love with a beautiful young girl (Sally O'Neil), who barely acknowledges his existence. Without his master's knowledge, the valet tries to smooth the path of romance by telling the girl that Alfred is, in reality, boxing champion Battling Butler (Francis McDonald). The real champ, a mean-spirited sort, gets wind of this deception and decides to allow Alfred to continue the charade, fully intending to mop the floor with the puny millionaire in the boxing ring. But on the night of the big fight, Alfred suddenly gets tired of being pushed around and turns into a savage opponent, leaving the bullying Butler positively groggy. At this point our hero discovers that the girl would have loved him whether he was Battling Butler or not, and all ends well. Played as traditional Keaton comedy for most of its running time, Battling Butler goes dramatic with a vengeance in the climactic fight scene, with Keaton really giving his ring opponent a going over. The final scene is all the more powerful because it is so completely unexpected; if it surprises today's audiences, one can only imagine the effect it had on Buster Keaton's fans way back in 1926. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Buster Keaton as Alfred Butler Sally O'Neil as The Mountain Girl Snitz Edwards as Martin The Valet Francis McDonald as Alfred "Battling" Butler Mary O'Brien as His Wife Tom Wilson as His Trainer Eddie Borden as His Manager Walter James as The Mountain Girl's Father Budd Fine as The Mountain Girl's Brother

Crew Buster Keaton - Director Bert Haines - Cinematographer Devereaux Jennings - Cinematographer Joseph M. Schenck - Producer Al Boasberg - Screenwriter Paul Gerard Smith - Screenwriter Ballard MacDonald - Screenwriter Lex Neal - Screenwriter Charles Smith - Screenwriter Fred Gabourie - Technical Director

Battling Butler
Buster Keaton once claimed that Battling Butler was his favorite out of all the films he made, but at the time he said it, he was an aging, bitter man whose career was at its nadir. Before his death in 1966, Keaton would finally get the credit he deserved as one of silent comedy's greats, and Battling Butler wasn't one of the films that got him there -- especially when compared to his best work, such as The Navigator, The Cameraman and, of course, The General. But neither is Battling Butler a bad film -- it's far more amusing than Keaton's weaker silent features, such as Seven Chances and The Three Ages. Battling Butler was based on an English musical comedy -- not the most promising start for a Keaton picture. But Keaton was able to adapt it to his own style and he wholeheartedly threw himself into the role of the coddled rich boy turned fighter -- he actually trained hard to prepare for the ending scene in which he fiercely battles the real "Battling" Butler (Francis McDonald). In fact, Keaton's appearance in boxing getup almost gives things away -- instead of the smooth, flabby body expected of the wimp he plays, he displays a small but well-muscled physique. To the trained eye, he looks fitter than McDonald's pugilist! Although the film's power is contained in the intensity of the climax, where the two Butlers battle it out, Keaton's fine comic touches throughout are its soul -- for example, his character's idea of "roughing it," which includes valet, gourmet meals and a different outfit for every hunting and fishing occasion, or his woefully inept attempts at training (he can't even enter the ring without getting tangled up in the ropes). Keaton's valet/sidekick -- the little, funny-faced Snitz Edwards -- also adds a lot of humor, and while Sally O'Neil (like most of Keaton's leading ladies) doesn't have a lot to do, she's pleasantly spunky. Even if this isn't one of Keaton's finest pictures, it's still far better than most comedies of its day, and it grossed more than any of his other films in the 1920s. In fact, its success enabled Keaton to later spend the large amounts of money it took to make The General such a timeless classic...and if Battling Butler really did hold a special place in his heart, perhaps that's the reason why. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: Additional Features: none specified MPAA Rating: DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: Content Length: 108 min Part of Series: The Art of Buster Keaton   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 0. Chapter Selections 1. "Battling Butler" Opening Titles [3:21] 2. The Great Outdoors [3:52] 3. Gone Fishin' [7:31] 4. A Marriage Proposal [7:40] 5. The Prize Fight [4:11] 6. A Hero's Welcome [6:05] 7. Checking In [3:31] 8. Training the Champ [6:00] 9. The Two Mrs. Butlers [4:27] 10. Learning the Ropes [9:34] 11. Road Work [3:18] 12. Battling Butler vs. Alabama Murderer [6:50] 13. Battling Butler vs. Battling Butler [4:54] 14. "Haunted House" Opening Titles [3:47] 15. Sticking Around [5:36] 16. Opera Critics [1:31] 17. House of Horrors [3:52] 18. Ghosts on the Loose [5:48] 19. "Frozen North" Opening Titles [2:18] 20. Woman Trouble [6:45] 21. Home Away From Home [4:50] 22. A Dramatic Finish [3:35]