Steamboat Bill Jr. Overview:

Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928) was a Silent Films - Black-and-white Film directed by Buster Keaton and Charles Reisner and produced by Joseph M. Schenck.

BlogHub Articles:

Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928): Buster Keaton The Human Tumbleweed

By 4 Star Film Fan on Mar 9, 2021 From 4 Star Films

Whatever your thoughts on silent movies, be it based on misinformation, overt loathing, or verging on utter veneration, one has to admit there’s something to the simplicity of these films. And by simplicity, I’m referring to the construction of their stories. They rarely seem to get bogg... Read full article


TCM Classic Film Festival Day 2: The Dawn of Technicolor, STEAMBOAT BILL JR., REBECCA, BOOM!

By Lara on Mar 30, 2015 From Backlots

Dear readers, I’m usually so good about posting right after festival events, but after several late nights, I needed some sleep. The festival is now over, and I’m getting back into the swing of things. I apologize for the delay! Day 2 was a jam-packed one at the TCM Classic Film Festival... Read full article


Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928) at the Coolidge Corner Theater

By Google profile on Oct 3, 2010 From Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog

About MeBlogger, Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog and more. Please add my Google profile to your circles. Last week I got a chance to see the Buster Keaton classic Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928) on the big screen, at the Coolidge Corner Theater (a pretty amazing Art Deco cinema) with live musical... Read full article


Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928) at the Coolidge Corner Theater

By Raquel Stecher on Nov 30, -0001 From Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog

Last week I got a chance to see the Buster Keaton classic Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928) on the big screen, at the Coolidge Corner Theater (a pretty amazing Art Deco cinema) with live musical accompaniment by Peter Blanchette. It was a great experience. This was the second of a series called Sounds of Si... Read full article


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Quotes from

William 'Steamboat Bill' Canfield Sr.: [to the barber about his son's moustache] Take that barnacle off his lip.


William Canfield Jr.: That must have happened when the dough fell in the tool chest.


William 'Steamboat Bill' Canfield Sr.: I'll run on this river if I'm the only passenger on the boat.


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Facts about

During the hurricane sequence, there is a scene that pays homage to Buster Keaton's childhood on the vaudeville stage. One brief moment has a table move in the wind, apparently animating the dummy and turning its head to face Keaton. Keaton is startled and runs. This is based on a real experience from when he was a kid and became fascinated with a dummy named Red Top, who belonged to ventriloquist Trovollo. The young Keaton had a "conversation" with the dummy and conspired to kidnap his new friend one night when the theater was empty. Trovollo, anticipating Keaton, slipped to his props offstage and when Keaton approached, brought Red Top to life, scaring Keaton out of the theater.
The hat that Buster Keaton quickly removes from his head and hands back to the clerk with a frown is Keaton's own trademark porkpie hat.
This and The General are generally considered by critics to be Buster Keaton's last great films. Shortly after these two were made, the independent-minded Keaton made the mistake of signing a contract with MGM, whose regimented ways clashed with his scrupulous perfectionism. Five years after MGM hired him, it dropped his contract and Keaton drifted into obscurity, complicated by a severe drinking problem, from which he didn't emerge for many years.
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Also directed by Buster Keaton




More about Buster Keaton >>
Also produced by Joseph M. Schenck




More about Joseph M. Schenck >>
Also released in 1928




See All 1928 films >>