The General (1927)
- Starring:
- Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, (more)
- Director(s):
- Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman, (more
- Category:
- Comedy
My RatingTheatrical Release Information | See Details About All Versions
Buster Keaton plays Johnny Gray, a Southern railroad engineer who loves his train engine, The General, almost as much as he loves Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack). When the opening shots of the Civil War are fired at Fort Sumter, Johnny tries to enlist -- and he is deemed too useful as an engineer to be a soldier. All Johnny knows is that he's been rejected, and Annabelle, thinking him a coward, turns her back on him. When Northern spies steal the General (and, unwittingly, Annabelle), the story switches from drama and romance to adventure mixed with Keaton's trademark deadpan humor as he uses every means possible to catch up to the General, thwart the Yankees, and rescue his darling Annabelle -- for starters. As always, Keaton performs his own stunts, combining his prodigious dexterity, impeccable comic timing, and expressive body language to convey more emotion than the stars of any of the talkies that were soon to dominate cinema. ~ Emru Townsend, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 78 mins
Complete Cast:
- Buster Keaton - Johnnie Gray
- Glen Cavender - Capt. Anderson
- Fred Vroom - Southern General
- Joe Keaton - Union General
- Tom Nawn - Union General
- Ross McCutcheon - Raider
- Ray Thomas - Raider
- Charles Phillips - Raider
- Frank S. Hagney - Recruiting Officer
- Marion Mack - Annabelle Lee
- Jim Farley - Gen, Thatcher
- Richard Allen - His Son
- Mike Donlin - Union General
- Jimmy Bryant - Raider
- Anthony Harvey - Raider
- Charles Smith - Mr. Lee
- Budd Fine - Raider
- Edward Hearn - Union Officer
- Director(s):
- Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton
- Writer(s):
- Al Boasberg, Buster Keaton, Charles Smith
- Producer(s):
- Joseph M. Schenck
- Categories:
- Comedy
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- 1988 - The General - Library of Congress - U.S. National Film Registry







