Steamboat Bill, Jr.
| Steamboat Bill, Jr. | |
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Swedish film poster (detail)
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| Directed by |
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| Produced by | Joseph M. Schenck |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Carl Harbaugh |
| Starring | Buster Keaton |
| Cinematography |
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| Edited by | Sherman Kell (uncredited) |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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71 minutes (7 reels) |
| Country | United States |
| Language |
Silent film English intertitles |
Steamboat Bill, Jr. is a 1928 feature-length comedy silent film featuring Buster Keaton. Released by United Artists, the film is the last product of Keaton's independent production team and set of gag writers. It was not a box-office success and became the last picture Keaton made for United Artists. Keaton ended up moving to MGM where he made one last film in his trademark style, The Cameraman, before his creative control was taken away by the studio.
Charles Reisner directed, and the credited story writer was Carl Harbaugh, although Keaton wrote the script and publicly called Harbaugh useless but "on the payroll". The film, named after a popular Arthur Collins 1911 song, "Steamboat Bill", also featured Ernest Torrence, Marion Byron, and Tom Lewis. In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
William "Steamboat Bill" Canfield is the owner and captain of a paddle steamer that has seen better days. He eagerly awaits the arrival of his college student son, whom he has not seen since the lad was a baby. Expecting a big, husky man like himself to help him compete with businessman John James King and his brand new, luxurious riverboat, he is sorely disappointed with his slight, awkward offspring, who shows up with a pencil moustache, a ukulele and a beret. He becomes outraged when he discovers that his son and King's daughter Kitty, also visiting her father, are in love. Both business rivals are determined to break up the relationship.
When Canfield's ship is condemned as unsafe, he accuses King of orchestrating it. He assaults his enemy and is put in jail. His son tries to free him by bringing him a loaf of bread with tools hidden inside, but his scheme is detected. The sheriff hits Canfield Jr. on the head, sending him to the hospital.
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