Talk about a double feature! While I love all Buster Keaton movies to distraction, Steamboat Bill, Jr. and The Cameraman are two of my absolute favorites. For them to be available in a “2 for 1” package makes me especially happy. This Buster Keaton Double Bill is available on Amazon for less than $15. While I have every intention of grabbing one for myself, it’d also make a perfect gift idea for any fan of Old Hollywood and/or Buster Keaton.

Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Buster Keaton, Ernest Torrence, Tom McGuire, and Marion Byron star in one of Buster’s most popular and beloved films. I’ll always have a strong connection to this one because it was my first Buster Keaton film. It was this film that introduced me to an actor who is now one of my absolute favorites. It was also this film that made me fall head over heels in love with silent movies.

William Canning Jr. (Buster) comes to River Junction to meet his father who hasn’t seen him since he was a child. Junior isn’t AT ALL the type of son Senior was expecting or hoping for… at first, that is. By the end of the wonderful movie, he is EXACTLY the son he hopes for.

Senior Canning is being put out of business by J.J. King (Tom McGuire), who not only owns pretty much the entire town, but has recently acquired a new paddle wheel steamer that makes Canning’s older boat, the Stonewall Jackson, seem like a dinosaur.

In spite of the trouble brewing between their parents, Bill Jr. and Kitty King (J.J’s beautiful daughter) take a liking to each other. You can imagine how well this goes over with their fathers.

By the end of the movie, Bill Jr. is called upon to save his father, J.J. AND Kitty. This is one outstanding film and you’ll love every single minute.

The Cameraman

This film stars Buster Keaton and Marceline Day. After seeing a beautiful office worker, Sally (portrayed by Marceline Day), who works for MGM Newsreels, Buster decides to trade in his tin type setup for a movie camera – thinking he can impress both the beauty and MGM. Naturally, it’s a lot easier said than done and the result is absolutely hilarious. Watch for a monkey you’re sure to fall in love with.

Buster Keaton and Ernest Torrence Steamboat Bill, Jr.

From Amazon:

Steamboat Bill, Jr. – Step back in time to the golden age of classic Hollywood comedies. The hugely talented megastar of early cinema, Buster Keaton, provides hilarity in this great comedy. William (Bill) Canning, Jr. goes to River Junction to meet his father who hasn’t seen him since childhood. Neither are sure what the other’s reaction will be. But the old man has problems anyhow, he’s out of business because of the new paddle steamer which is far better than his old boat, Stonewall Jackson. But Bill falls for the daughter of the man who owns the new steamer to the dismay of both fathers. A storm hits River Junction and young Bill must save the daughter and both fathers! Action packed hilarity!

The Cameraman – Step back in time to the golden age of classic Hollywood silent comedies. Buster Keaton in one of his all-time classic films. He’s madly in love with a beautiful woman working at MGM Studios and so he decides to try and get closer to her. Problem is, he’s clumsy. He tries to make it as a motion picture cameraman, but it’s a lot harder than he thought! Lots of action and stunts as you would expect from the king of slapstick comedy.

For more information, see Buster Keaton Double Bill on Amazon.