Buster shorts from 1921 and 1922Rating: n/a
Plots: In "The Haunted House," Keaton plays a bank clerk who gets accused of trying to hold up his employer and winds up mixed in with some real bank robbers and the cast of a terrible production of Faust. Goofballery escalates as they all wind up in a supposedly haunted house. In "Cops," Buster must evade the po-po after accidentally stealing all the possessions of a police officer and his family and then crashing a policemen parade.
A good but not great Buster Keaton Saturday (on Wednesday). Both have a few laughs, but "Cops" is clearly the better, and more coherent, of the two shorts. Most of what happens in "The Haunted House" is just an excuse for the sight gags, some very clever. The running gag involving the stairs, the glue mix-up, and the encounter with the devil are funny, but I really like the subtle stuff more. "Cops" has some terrific acrobatics (especially in the incredible ladder scene), and while it's always fun to watch Buster being chased in his movies (by cattle or policemen or just one guy he's ticked off), watching him being chased by hundreds of policemen is even better. Rapid action and great slapstick. What else could a family* want on a Buster Keaton Saturday on Wednesday? This also served as a great way to cleanse my mind of 4.
*Jennifer was working on homework and unable to fall asleep during these shorts.
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