Slapstick Film Series: Steamboat Bill, Jr.
This October and November, the Clark hosts a series of silent slapstick comedy films that highlight quick wit, precarious situations, and hilarious mishaps.
The series concludes with Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928). The son of a steamboat owner (Steamboat Bill) develops a relationship with the daughter of another steamboat owner, who also happens to be Steamboat Bill's rival. When the two owners learn of their relationship, they attempt to break them up. Buster Keaton’s beginnings in the rough-and-tumble world of vaudeville prepared him to perform stunts that are too dangerous to be replicated today. Steamboat Bill, Jr. contains the most iconic of these, featuring a tumbling house. The film also inspired the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, all while finding comedy in the tragic Great Flood of 1927. (Run time: 1 hour 15 minutes)
A talkback with Will Schmenner, film scholar and head of public programs, follows the screening.
Free. No registration required.
Accessible seats available. Call 413 458 0570 with any questions.
Image: Steamboat Bill, Jr., Charles Reisner, 1928