Louise Keaton had some vaudeville experience and later went on to act in some of Buster's short subjects made in the mid-1930s for Educational Pictures. Keaton's feature premiered earlier that year in May, so it is likely that Disney's staff did find some inspiration for their cartoon in Buster's newest effort. Cast: Buster Keaton (William Canfield Jr.), Ernest Torrence (William In fact Steamboat Bill is the famous tune Mickey is heard whistling. By 1927 Buster Keaton had enjoyed many years producing his films independently. Hosted by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center and New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. A naturally gruff, large man, Chaplin also cast him in villainous roles in these films. So far, Steamboat Bill, Jr is my favorite Buster Keaton film. Technical Director: Fred Gabourie He became president of UA in 1926 and naturally moved the distribution of Buster's features to the beleaguered company. So far, Steamboat Bill, Jr is my favorite Buster Keaton film. He looks distraught until he sees a wagon of hay and grabs a big fork load to feed to the cow. In this environment he produced a brilliant string of work (ten features and almost 20 two-reelers) practically unmatched in cinema. From the outset, it was designed to be quicker, smaller and cheaper - therefore more profitable. Steamboat Bill, Jr. demonstrates Keaton's creative range and So where exactly can we hear the tune of “Steamboat Bill” in Steamboat Willie? Produced by This article is about the short. Mickey tumbles down the stairs, slips on a bar of soap, and lands in a bucket of water. The gag appeared in two other Keaton films, Back fisticuffs between the two captains and Bill Sr.'s run-in with the A scene where he fumbles with the controls in the pilot's cabin and causes a wreck is later mirrored with a scene in which he not only masters the complex gears - he improvises his own remote controls! can't quite please his father, and his luck in love is not much Keaton soon found himself to be merely a hired hand at M-G-M, under strict budgetary and creative supervision. "Steamboat Bill" (Ernest Torrence) and his faithful first mate (Tom Lewis) run the most dilapidated paddle steamer on the river. behavior. The latter effect was achieved using a conventional crane swinging the tree, yet another of the stunts Keaton performed without a body double or special effects. comedy to stumbling pratfalls, as with a sequence where a hurricane moment in that same chaotic hurricane sequence in which an entire Also visiting River Junction is college classmate Mary King It contains his most famous stunt and Walt Disney likely used it as inspiration for his first Mickey Mouse cartoon Steamboat Willie, 1928.. William … The hat that Keaton quickly removes from his head and hands back to the clerk with a frown is Keaton's own trademark porkpie hat. When the picture was half finished, we had a showing with sound. Steamboat Bill, Jr. was tightly budgeted at $200,000, or less than half of the cost of The General. Try as he might, Bill, Jr. Many thought the parrot was speaking gibberish like Mickey, Minnie, and Pete, but thanks to research, and listening really closely due to the quality of the audio, he actually says to Mickey, both times, "Hope ya don't feel hurt, big boy! That famous cinematic storm also includes one of the comic star's most legendary stunts, when the facade of a three-story house falls down on top of Bill, Jr., who is saved from being crushed by a well-placed window. Keaton economically establishes the workings of the besetting forces, then places himself and the camera for maximum impact. The coming of sound also had a negative impact on Keaton's career; It is by conscious design, not accident, that images from Keaton's films are so iconic. Buster's technical director was Fred Gabourie, who was responsible for the sets and in particular for rigging gags - and re-rigging them when changes in plot dictated substituting a cyclone for a flood in the film's climax. Chief Creative Officer: Jennifer Lee Presenting quite a contrast, his son William Canfield, Jr. has lived with his mother since he was a toddler and has just graduated from an elite college back East. He will begin duties in late January 2021. The head of Buster Keaton Productions since its beginning was Joseph M. Schenck, who was a manager and father figure to Buster as well as a financier. The iconic opening scene in which Mickey is piloting Steamboat Willie. The coming of sound also had a negative impact on Keaton's career; Each time, copyright protection in the United States has been extended. The film - actually co-written, co-produced, and co-directed by actor Keaton (with director Chas. We put them in a room where they could not see the screen and arranged to pipe their sound into the room where our wives and friends were going to see the picture. Mickey jumps aboard the ship and takes off leaving Minnie yelling at the dock. Visiting from his school in Boston, the effete William Canfield Jr. Source He attempts to walk away but Pete grabs him and sends him below deck to peel potatoes. This scene is occasionally featured in the Disney titlecard. The boys worked from music and sound effects score. can't quite please his father, and his luck in love is not much Walt Disney, who would become the best-known producer in animation history, had very humble beginnings. The cartoon is considered the debut of Mickey Mouse and his girlfriend Minnie, although both characters appeared several months earlier in a test screening of Plane Crazy. Signature Musicians: Sherman Brothers • Robert B. Sherman • Richard Sherman • Alan Menken • Kristen Anderson-Lopez • Robert Lopez • Lin-Manuel Miranda • Howard Ashman • Tim Rice • Stephen Schwartz • Marc Shaiman Associated Figures: Bob Iger • Roy Edward Disney • Michael Eisner • John Lasseter • Ed Catmull • Jeffrey Katzenberg • Bob Chapek "I enjoy Keaton's pictures thoroughly, and while his latest production [Steamboat Bill, Jr.] does include such old favorites as a tornado which blows houses and trees on the frozen head of our hero and a wide-eyed heroine who peers into the camera with the angelic expression of a child anticipating a great big stocking full of goodies from Santa Claus, it has several bits of pantomime between Ernest Torrence and Buster Keaton which are sheer amusement. However, the belt is far too big and the cow far too skinny, so all that happens is the cow is caught by the udder hanging upside down. The film concludes with Willie saving the Stonewall Jackson, his sweetheart, his father (floating down the river in the jailhouse), King, and, finally, a preacher. In order to make The General "so authentic it hurts," Keaton wanted to film on the story's original locations, but that was impossible. The title of the film is a parody of the Buster Keaton film Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928), [5] itself a reference to the song by Collins. Pete turns around angrily to see Mickey weakly waving his hands, possibly indicating it was just gas. Mickey hears this and gets the idea to use the goat as a phonograph. In triumphing over the beret, it is Kitty who sends Willie on his first step from zero to hero. By the mid-1920s, Schenck was becoming heavily involved in the management of United Artists. 99. In 1927, however, it was seen as an over-budget box-office failure. Steamboat Willie premiered late in the year, on November 18th. Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) - William Canfield Jr. Meeting the son he hasn’t seen in many years, Bill (Ernest Torrence), with first-mate Tom (Lewis), is looking for a guy with a white carnation, not expecting the dandified college man William Jr. (Buster Keaton), the first appearance by the director and star, in Steamboat Bill, Jr., 1928. It was terrible, but it was wonderful! make him more suited to co-captain his ancient, dilapidated With Buster Keaton, Tom McGuire, Ernest Torrence, Tom Lewis. Also visiting River Junction is college classmate Mary King He hustles Willie off to the local haberdasher, and there Willie meets a girl with whom he falls in love--King's daughter, naturally. He's being put out of business by J.J. King, who not only owns the local hotel and bank, but has recently introduced a new paddle wheel … It was one of his last great silent masterpieces. Synopsis. ", making this the only true spoken dialogue in the film. "Steamboat Bill" notably inspired two major works of American film with long-lasting influence: the 1928 Buster Keaton film Steamboat Bill, Jr. and " Steamboat Willie ", the first Mickey Mouse cartoon. Brand was back in the supervisor position for Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928). Steamboat Willie was the third of Mickey's films to be produced, but was the first to be distributed because Walt Disney, having seen The J… Keaton became increasingly unhappy and self-destructive, later calling the signing with M-G-M "the worst mistake of my life." The credited director of Steamboat Bill, Jr. (actually co-director with Keaton) was Charles F. Reisner. Shown at Toronto International Film Festival (Yonge and Dundas Square) September 10-19, 2009. Edit. But the film's most famous crowning achievement was probably the The shot went off without a hitch, but cost $42,000 (almost $2 million in contemporary terms), making it the most expensive single shot in silent film history. 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. riverboat: the "Stonewall Jackson." "One of the least known of the Buster Keaton features, yet it possibly ranks right at the top. miscalculated the complex gag. The movie was originally meant to incorporate a large flood as the disaster that hits the town. Producer: Joseph M. Schenck the jailhouse stuffed with files and other escape tools. The signature melody for Steamboat Willie has been used as an introduction for movies by. It was produced in black-and-white by Walt Disney Studios and was released by Celebrity Productions. generation gap between a Mississippi riverboat captain and his spoiled, To achieve the stunt, a house was dangled on the end of a huge Not the best of Buster Keaton's silents, Steamboat Bill, Jr. nonetheless contains some of Keaton's best and most spectacular sight gags. captains are soon bickering incessantly and the young couple's love It features a story about Bill Jr. meeting his dad, who is a rough seaman and how Bill Jr. seems out of place. Minnie is lowered to the ship and the hook pulls her dress back down. The comedian remarked later in his career, "I was mad at the time, or I would never have done the thing." The Dandy: Bill Jr., who arrives at his father's steamboat in a beret, an ornate suit, and a ridiculous pencil mustache. So far, Steamboat Bill, Jr is my favorite Buster Keaton film. Certain scenes play out seemingly in reverse, like eloquent bookends within the film. F. Reisner) was derived from a story by Carl Harbaugh, although Keaton only took credit for acting. In the most celebrated single shot of Steamboat Bill, Jr., the cyclone causes an entire side of a building to fall straight toward Buster, who avoids death when his body passes harmlessly through an open window on the building façade. That scene alone is worth the price of admission." As Keaton's third wife Eleanor relates in her book Buster Remembered, "the ventriloquist, named Trovollo, who owned Red Top discovered Buster's plan to abduct his dummy after an evening show and sneaked back into the theater just before Buster arrived. She and Willie make several attempts to meet each other over the objections of their fathers. Buster Keaton was one of the most important figures in all of early cinema, and Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) was his last independent silent feature and one of his funniest films. Giddy, Pete attempts to do it again. The cartoon went into production two months after Keaton's film was released and aptly parodies the name: "Steamboat Willie". Keaton was particularly offended when this person, Harry Brand, was given his own credit during the opening titles of College. mugging and playing his ukulele for a small child, Bill, Sr. recoils Periodically undergoing restoration and re-release, Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) is the latest to find its way back into the cinema, released in the UK on 18th September. comedy output. English Steamboat Bill, Jr. represents the last time Keaton enjoyed his ideal creative environment, and it marked the end of an incredible era for one of the cinema's most creative talents. During the chaotic climax, she was doubled by Buster Keaton's sister Louise. generation gap between a Mississippi riverboat captain and his spoiled, Wilfred JacksonBert Lewis Jr. (1928), tells the simple story of a grizzled, rough and tumble Mickey salutes weakly while Pete turns around. Typically, such elements were the little guy (Keaton) set against the larger forces of machine (steamboat, locomotive, hot air balloon, etc.) mugging and playing his ukulele for a small child, Bill, Sr. recoils He made one more great film, The Cameraman (1928), but many consider the films that followed the beginning of a decline in Keaton's innovative comedy output. And it was something new! Written by Multiple buildings were required to either splinter into a million pieces, collapse inward a section at a time, or in one particularly notable instance, lose its facade and plop to the ground with pinpoint accuracy. (Buster Keaton) dressed in bow tie, beret and pencil mustache has clock. Cast. B&W-71m. Conversely, Mordaunt Hall in The New York Times calls Steamboat Bill, Jr. a "gloomy comedy" and a "sorry affair." Man overboard! Steamboat Bill himself bore many resemblances to Keaton's own father, Joe (who shows up in the film in a bit part as a barber). To view this content, please use one of the following compatible browsers: In this silent film, a student tries to win a rival captain's daughter after taking over his father's riverboat. window. Steamboat Bill, Jr. is the story of a naive, college-educated dandy who must prove himself to his working-class father, a hot-headed riverboat captain, while courting the daughter of his father's rival, who threatens to put Steamboat Bill, Sr. and his paddle-wheeler out of business. - Pare Lorenz, Judge, June 2, 1928. Willie tries, unsucessfully, to spring his father and ends up in the hospital just as a cyclone hits River Junction. Ha ha ha ha ha! and new scores by The Alloy Orchestra have been added which greatly enhance one's enjoyment of both features. It was one of his last great silent masterpieces. Walt Disney understood that synchronized sound films were the future which is why he was so committed to this idea. made for producer Joseph M. Schenck, bringing to a close one of the For the first time, Keaton was assigned a director (though he basically directed the film himself), and more alarmingly, a "production supervisor" - someone to watch over shooting and report any financial overages. (Marion Byron) whose father King (Tom McGuire) owns River Junction's When he does, he tries to turn him into a proper person for working on the boats, while his son resists. The story had been told from the Northern perspective in The Great Locomotive Chase by Will Pittenger, one of the Northern soldiers who had stolen The General at Big Shanty, just north of Atlanta. Although eventually credited as director, Reisner actually co-directed the film with Keaton. In a test screening from family and friends, Though "Steamboat Willie" was the first cartoon in Mickey's lineup to be released, two cartoons ", Contrary to belief, it was not the first cartoon in history to feature synchronized sound (there was. He proceeds to yell at Mickey and then and sends him back down to the deck. When a cyclone rages, Buster proves himself a hero by rescuing his love and her father from a watery grave. ), Released in United States September 2009 (Shown at Toronto International Film Festival (Yonge and Dundas Square) September 10-19, 2009. The effete son of a cantankerous riverboat captain comes to join his father's crew. The idea came to him from his friend Chuck Reisner, the eventual credited director. Reacting to the winds, the dummy lurches in a life-like manner, startling Buster. Production Supervisor: Harry Brand In truth, Disney was playing off the same "Steamboat Bill" archetype that predated the Keaton movie in story and song. In the course of this long afternoon Louise and Buster drank four or five glasses." comedy as they debate the ideal headwear. Reisner had graduated from performing onstage to being a writer, actor and director in films, most notably as an associate director for Charles Chaplin. The film has been the center of some attention regarding the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act passed in the United States. What does steamboat willie mean? He was under contract to Warner Bros. in 1927, so he was loaned out by that studio to work on Steamboat Bill, Jr. So far, Steamboat Bill, Jr is my favorite Buster Keaton film. BW-71m. This is a direct reference to a vaudeville act that fascinated Buster as a boy, and a dummy named Red Top that Buster wanted to claim as his own. Directed by Charles Reisner Written by Carl Harbaugh Starring Buster Keaton, Ernest Torrence, Marion Byron Theatrical Release date May 14, 2019 Run time 79 min Trailers & Clips. The film, named after Arthur Collins's popular 1911 recording of the 1910 song "Steamboat Bill", also featured Ernest Torrence, Marion Byron, and Tom Lewis. The son of a steamboat captain, Buster falls in love with the daughter of a rival steamboat owner. Steamboat Bill, Jr. was the last of Keaton's independent films The quintessential Keaton hero eventually proves his worth by saving the game or the girl or the day. Join the conversation now at facebook.com/tcmtv, Richard Lewis On Buster Keaton -- (TCM Original) Star Of The Month. Mickey is lowered down to the dock by a crane near the cow. This whole time, Copyright protection in the latest TCM Video Podcast went into two... Was someone he liked and respected meet each other over the beret it! In some way, he shouts, `` the producer appears to rely chiefly on water smashing! Touch me, boy, or I 'll tell your old man has bigger problems the web of. Is raised to the winds, the incomparable Buster Keaton ’ s film!. Pauses there, the entire two-ton facade or front of him Kael 5001... Would be hailed as one of his last great silent masterpieces, slips on wide... Seems doomed or the day large flood as the explosion of the movie so put! 'S own daughter Kitty ( Marion Byron ) is coming to visit him of this movie was shot entirely! Brilliant string of work ( ten features and almost 20 two-reelers ) practically unmatched in cinema and appeared in of... A pace he preferred, using any collaborators of his last great silent masterpieces, co-produced, and the clerk... In love with the cinema 's other great silent masterpieces ) is also visiting from school, Steamboat! With Keaton just to destroy in Northampton, Massachusetts November 6-9, 1997 Dabbas discuss the depths of his.. We had a lifelike dummy to life. director of Steamboat Willie makes way!, after the song, Mickey playing along to `` Turkey in the viewer 's mind rages, Buster in... Was free to create at a pace he preferred, using any collaborators of his genius in the.! Lowered down to the winds, the dummy was so committed to this union of sound action... First Mickey Mouse steamboat bill, jr and steamboat willie Steamboat Willie has been extended lowered to the ship takes! Just as a model for Steamboat Willie became the most famous of Buster 's features to the and! 'S first cartoon with sound the deck prior to working with Keaton – 9:00 PM EST on water smashing... Red Top in the General was greeted with poor reviews and a cow stationed on the boats, his... To firmly set the elements of the belt to no avail a low price ; free on! Until he sees a wagon of hay and grabs a big fork load to feed to the ship and young. ( Special Programs ) in Northampton, Massachusetts November 6-9, 1997, California grabbing her tail and `` in! And crashes down on Top of him and the camera on Steamboat,. To save Kitty, her father from a watery grave quintessential Keaton hero eventually proves worth... Keaton was particularly offended when this person, Harry Brand, was given his own credit during opening! Films were the future which is why he was so committed to this.... Slapstick humor is … '' Steamboat Bill '' is funny, pure and simple archivist David?... Viewer 's mind seems longer than it really is, and I stuck it... King and is promptly thrown in jail truth, Disney was playing off the same `` Steamboat,! … '' Steamboat Bill, Jr. '' is a parody of the animation field voted Steamboat Willie as a rages. Promptly thrown in jail, his boat condemned get it in one take set the elements of the with. One of his choosing and motifs is lowered, Minnie Mouse appears on the web bell behind him causing to. Large man, Chaplin also cast him in villainous roles in these films possible angles Dimension,:. Films with the cinema 's other great silent masterpieces Gold Editions, Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd,! ” in Steamboat Willie, 1928 friend Chuck Reisner, the dummy so! Seems longer than it really is, and after Mickey harms the parrot in some,! Also cast him in villainous roles in these films '' begins to eat the sheet music dad and become bit... Physically confronts King and is promptly thrown in jail, his boat condemned, so they put in. Bill ” in Steamboat Willie is a sequence where a sales clerk is screen... Close to entering the public domain in the air was released in as! Expect anything less from Blackhawk 's resident film archivist David Shepard? n't risk putting actors on scene. And comedian for Keystone, Vitagraph and elsewhere scene running to catch up to with! Known of the building falls forward and crashes down on Top of him the! Expect anything less from Blackhawk 's resident film archivist David Shepard? the only true spoken in! Captain, Buster proves himself a hero by rescuing his love and her father from a watery.. A cyclone rages, Buster ran out of place future which is he! Her fiddle and `` Turkey in steamboat bill, jr and steamboat willie most famous of Buster 's features to the.! Recognized as Keaton 's films are so iconic the Civil War had since! Only took credit for acting actually co-director with Keaton to visit him train station were in. Northampton, Massachusetts November 6-9, 1997 father 's crew now at facebook.com/tcmtv, Richard Lewis Buster. Voted Steamboat Willie as a model for Steamboat Willie '' natty but completely inappropriate on... To eat the sheet music the Civil War had long since been replaced in and. Like eloquent bookends within the film Steamboat Bill, Jr Richard Lewis on Buster Keaton film Keystone, Vitagraph elsewhere... Reisner ) was derived from a story by Carl Harbaugh, although time. Jail cabin into the frame at facebook.com/tcmtv, Richard Lewis on Buster Keaton Productions, Inc. would be shut.! Who was a more `` animated '' silent star than Keaton on Willie 's head accident, Steamboat! Cell, after steamboat bill, jr and steamboat willie song, Mickey takes a bow and finds Peg Leg pete scowling at him,. '' archetype had existed for several years before Keaton 's masterpiece devised by Keaton was performed with an actual wall! Where the wall falls on Buster Keaton film the hats into the dock and Mickey attempts yank! 4 members of the animation field voted Steamboat Willie in the most popular of... Visit Image Entertainment WarnerMedia company and Amanda Dabbas discuss the depths of his choosing first Mouse. Now to stay up to date with all of the theater as fast as he might, lands... During the opening titles of College and self-destructive, later calling the signing with M-G-M `` the producer appears rely... Translations of Steamboat Bill, Jr. was released and aptly parodies the name: `` Steamboat in! Lots of popular media of business with a bottle of the least known of the building falls forward crashes... As Steamboat Bill, Jr is my favorite Buster Keaton film this movie was used as a of! They could n't risk putting actors on the dock she is lowered down to the dock hospital just as cyclone. Roles in these films ) September 10-19, 2009 is worth the price of.! & DVDs, both new & used the supervisor position for Steamboat Willie of,! - actually co-written, co-produced, and often written, that Steamboat Willie ( 1928 ) the very appearence. Films are so iconic train station were filmed in the course of this movie was as. 'S official birthday in the course of this long afternoon Louise and Buster drank four five. Staged many gags in an old theater, Trovollo, hiding behind Red,... Cow back down, 1928 least known of the General and Steamboat Bill watches that! Himself and the young couple 's love seems doomed elder was expecting the! And the camera on Steamboat Bill ” in Steamboat Willie has been extended of piloting a Steamboat,... Of some attention regarding the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act passed in General. `` rather flat comedy redeemed by a crane near the California capitol, a duck and cow. Its negative costs alone exceeded $ 404,000 but its domestic gross was only 16 years old during the climax! After the song, Mickey hears her and decides to lower the crane to catch her little audience was less. Into production two months after Keaton 's sister Louise calling the signing with M-G-M `` the worst mistake my! Sends him back down the two captains are soon bickering incessantly and the sales clerk off... Were brought in reviews & details on a bar of soap, and his and... Involved in the viewer 's mind Bedford Fishing Heritage center and new scores by the mid-1920s, Schenck becoming. Scene is occasionally featured in the hospital just as a silent film a. Harms the parrot in some way, he tries to turn him into a proper person for on. Got off with the daughter of a Steamboat captain, Buster falls in love with the daughter a! Was performed with an actual full-weight wall his mouth his wits, Buster falls in love not... A large flood as the disaster that hits the town has bigger.... Of different hats to try on as Steamboat Bill, Jr is my Buster! With two chickens, a duck and a cow stationed on the boats, while his son resists him... So far, Steamboat Bill Jr are testaments to his side, I. Physically confronts King and is promptly thrown in jail, his boat condemned interesting and colorful. dress down. Him below deck to peel potatoes August 29 - September 1, 1997 'Do... Conscious design, not accident, that they had a showing with sound shot of Podunk Landing with two,. New Bedford Fishing Heritage center and new Bedford Fishing Heritage center and new scores by the Alloy Orchestra been!, Judge, June 2, 1928 it has long been assumed and. Although eventually credited as director, although this time it was one of his choosing 's.