The Play House

1921
23m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

After waking up from his wacky dream, a theater stage hand inadvertently causes havoc everywhere he works.After waking up from his wacky dream, a theater stage hand inadvertently causes havoc everywhere he works.After waking up from his wacky dream, a theater stage hand inadvertently causes havoc everywhere he works.

Directors
- Edward F. Cline
- Buster Keaton
Writers
- Buster Keaton
- Edward F. Cline
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

4.7K

YOUR RATING

Directors
- Edward F. Cline
- Buster Keaton
Writers
- Buster Keaton
- Edward F. Cline
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination total

Photos84

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Top cast9

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Buster Keaton

Audience
(as 'Buster' Keaton)
…

Edward F. Cline

Orangutan Trainer
(uncredited)

Monte Collins

Civil War Veteran
(uncredited)

Virginia Fox

Twin
(uncredited)

Joe Martin

Orangutan
(uncredited)

Joe Murphy

One of the Zouaves
(uncredited)

Joe Roberts

Actor-Stage Manager
(uncredited)

Jess Weldon

One of the Zouaves
(uncredited)

Ford West

Stage Hand
(uncredited)

Directors
- Edward F. Cline
- Buster Keaton
Writers
- Buster Keaton
- Edward F. Cline
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The multiple Busters on screen together were created in the camera, using a special lens with shutters to film only a portion of the scene at a time. Buster would perform one part, then the cameraman would crank the film back and open another shutter to film another part. A banjo player with a metronome helped Buster Keaton to perform precisely at the right time for each take.

Goofs
Sometimes the background is visible through the elbow of Male Audience Member Buster, revealing the double-exposure technique used to film two Buster Keatons sitting side by side.

Quotes
Man in Audience: This fellow Keaton seems to be the whole show.

Alternate versions
The 35mm print currently (2006) available for theatrical exhibition is slightly different from the DVD version:
- There is a British Board of Film Censors approval title and an extra title mentioning the Raymond Rohauer collection.
- The inter-titles are in a different font but contain the same text as the DVD version.
- The "Written and Directed by" title credits Buster Keaton solely.
- There is an out-of-sequence edit in the print. The scene where the Zouave guards walk out and Buster replaces them with street workers comes immediately after the sequence where Buster meets the twins. It begins right as the Zouave chief comes under the stage backdrop and confront Joe Roberts. The scene plays to the fadeout and then immediately cuts to the beginning of the monkey scene. At the end of the monkey scene, the backdrop confrontation begins and abruptly cuts right where it left off earlier in the film.

Connections
Edited into The Golden Age of Buster Keaton (1979)

User reviews28

Review

Featured review

6/10

Multiplicity

In The Play House there is an opening sequence with multiple Buster Keatons on stage, playing the performers, musicians and the audience. It is a dream sequence which also comes across as a tribute to Georges Méliès.

This short then settles down as Keaton plays a stage hand and a performer, well a performing monkey. Keaton also tries to woo his girl but she is a set of identical twins and he keeps picking on the wrong twin to kiss. He then gets constantly interrupted by the main performer who is also a beastly big man leading to hijinks and acrobatics.

This short is rather episodic and surreal. Keaton's stunt work is more safe here as he was recovering from an injury at the time.