Battling Butler | 1926 | Comedy, Romance

Title: Battling Butler | 1926 | Comedy, Romance Director: Buster Keaton Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Starring: Buster Keaton, Sally O’Neil, Snitz Edwards, Francis McDonald, Walter James, Mary O’Brien Based on: 1922 stage musical Battling Buttler by Stanley Brightman and Austin Melford Release Date: August 22, 1926 Runtime: 77 minutes Format: Silent; black-and-white; 7 reels; 35mm; 1.33:1 Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Comedy, Romance, Sports --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Alfred Butler and the valet’s excursion 00:15:00 Meeting the mountain girl 00:35:00 The impersonation and training begins 00:55:00 Madison Square Garden showdown 01:10:00 Revelation and reconciliation --- Summary: A mild-mannered millionaire, Alfred Butler, is sent on a camping trip to toughen up and falls for a mountain girl. To win her family’s approval, his valet claims that Alfred is actually the famous boxer “Battling” Butler. The ruse spirals when the real fighter learns of the imposture, forcing Alfred toward a public reckoning in the ring. The film blends romance and mistaken identity with a climactic bout that tests Alfred’s courage and alters how others perceive him. --- Background: Produced by Buster Keaton Productions and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Battling Butler adapts the British musical Battling Buttler, later staged on Broadway, into a boxing-themed silent comedy. Location filming included old Kernville and Santa Ynez, California, with the boxing scenes staged at Los Angeles’s Olympic Auditorium; exteriors for Alfred’s mansion were shot at the Talmadge Apartments on Wilshire Boulevard. Buster Keaton later cited the film among his personal favorites. --- Trivia: The film premiered in New York on August 22, 1926, with wider release following in September. The title changes the stage source’s spelling from “Buttler” to “Butler.” Boxing sequences were filmed at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, a premier fight venue of the era. Alfred’s mansion exteriors were shot at the Talmadge Apartments, a landmark building tied to Keaton’s then-family by marriage. Scenes set in the countryside were filmed in old Kernville, a town later submerged beneath Lake Isabella after mid-century dam construction. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: August 22, 1926 Original Studio / Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Yes --- Hashtags: BattlingButler BusterKeaton SilentFilm ClassicCinema PublicDomain 1926 Boxing Comedy Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battling_Butler_(1926).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Battling_Butler_%281926%29.webm