Battling Butler (1926)

(On Cable TV, February 2020) There are good Buster Keaton movies and funny Buster Keaton movies and the relationship between the two isn’t as clear cut as one would guess. The General is perhaps his most narratively successful film, but it’s got comparatively fewer laughs than many others. Conversely, Steamboat Bill, Jr. has a lot of great comic set-pieces, but a fairly dull story. Some films do manage both (Sherlock, Jr. is as good as the mixture gets), but Battling Butler clearly errs on the side of fewer-laughs-better-story. The premise is suitably ridiculous, with a pampered rich-boy protagonist (Keaton, in a familiar naïf role) blurring the distinction between him and a similarly-named boxer in order to win the romantic affections of a girl he just met. “Buster Keaton” and “glamping” aren’t words that seem to go together, but they’re a good description of the film’s first act, with numerous gags about trying to maintain an upper-class lifestyle in the woods. Then it’s off to the film’s main plot, as Keaton has to become a boxer in order to impress a young woman. The chuckles are there, but the film remains distinctively less impressive than its comic highlights. Fortunately, though, the buildup to a dramatically satisfying ending is handled with skill, and the conclusion is quite heartwarming in its own way. Keaton remains the highlight of the film, although Snitz Edwards does get a bit of attention as a valet and Sally O’Neil makes for a lovely heroine along the way. This isn’t often mentioned in Keaton’s upper tier, but it’s likable enough and is worth a look for his fans.