TCM's program of three Buster Keaton shorts includes Cops (1922), which the stone-faced comic dismissed as a routine effort but many fans came to consider one of the all-time great two-reelers. Keaton plays the wistful suitor of a pretty girl (Virginia Fox) who refuses to see him until he proves himself a success in business. The short climaxes with a brilliantly staged chase involving a parade, an anarchist's bomb, Keaton careening about in a horse-drawn wagon that contains a load of stolen furniture, and an army of pursuing policemen. Some of silent comedy's most inventive sight gags are employed here, with the athletic Keaton showing his mastery of physical comedy. The film also is distinguished by an ending that is bittersweet yet avoids sentimentality.

The Blacksmith (1922) casts Keaton as the hapless assistant of a burly, blustery man (Joe Roberts) who works on automobiles as well as shoeing horses. Some classic gags are built around Keaton's efforts to help his girlfriend (Virginia Fox again) choose the right shoe for her horse, and the destruction of a luxurious Rolls Royce.

The Balloonatic (1923) has a very free-floating plot as Keaton rides a hot-air balloon to a landing in a woods where he finds a girl (Phyllis Haver) who proves more adept than he at survival skills in the Great Outdoors.

All three shorts were produced by Joseph Schenck and co-written and directed by Keaton. Later in 1923 Keaton would switch from shorts to feature-length films.

Cops:
Producer: Joseph M. Schenck
Director: Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton
Screenplay: Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton
Cinematography: Elgin Lessley
Film Editing: Buster Keaton
Music: Gaylord Carter
Cast: Buster Keaton (The Young Man), Joe Roberts (Police Chief), Virginia Fox (Mayor¿s Daughter), Eddie Cline (Hobo), Steve Murphy (Conman).
BW-22m.

The Blacksmith:
Producer: Raymond Rohauer, Joseph M. Schenck
Director: Buster Keaton, Malcolm St. Clair
Screenplay: Buster Keaton, Malcolm St. Clair
Cinematography: Elgin Lessley
Music: Lee Erwin
Cast: Buster Keaton (Blacksmith¿s Assistant), Joe Roberts (Blacksmith), Virginia Fox (Horsewoman).
BW-22m.

The Balloonatic:
Producer: Joseph M. Schenck
Director: Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton
Screenplay: Edward F. Cline, Buster Keaton
Cinematography: Elgin Lessley
Cast: Buster Keaton, Phyllis Haver, Babe London
BW-27m.

by Roger Fristoe

* For more information about Buster Keaton, go to http://www.busterkeaton.com/Damfinos.htm