''College'' is a 1927 comedy-drama

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

directed by James W. Horne and

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

, and starring Keaton,

Anne Cornwall Anne Cornwall (January 17, 1897 – March 2, 1980) was an American actress best known for her roles in ''College'' (1927) and ''The Roughneck'' (1924). Biography Born in Brooklyn in 1897, Cornwall performed for forty years in many silent film ...

, and Harold Goodwin.

Plot

In Southern California, Ronald graduates high school as its "most brilliant scholar". At his graduation, Ronald speaks on "the Curse of the Athlete", arguing that books are more important than athletics. His speech offends most of the student body, especially the popular athlete Jeff, and causes Ronald's sweetheart Mary to reject him. Ronald decides to follow Mary to Clayton, which the dean describes as an "athlete-infested college". Hoping to impress Mary, Ronald tries out for the

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

teams, but proves to be totally inept. At the same time, he attempts to work as a

soda jerk Soda jerk (or soda jerker) is an American term used to refer to a person — typically a young man — who would operate the soda fountain in a pharmacy (shop), drugstore, preparing and serving carbonated drink, soda drinks and ice cream sodas. T ...

and as a waiter in

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

while trying to keep these jobs a secret from Mary, who has started dating Jeff. Eventually the dean asks Ronald why his grades are suffering. After Ronald explains the situation, the dean empathizes with him and orders the rowing coach to make Ronald the

coxswain The coxswain ( , or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the cockboat, a type of ship's boat ...

in the upcoming competition. The coach tries to sabotage Ronald by slipping him a

sleeping potion A potion () is a liquid "that contains medicine, poison, or something that is supposed to have magic powers.” It derives from the Latin word ''potus'' which referred to a drink or drinking. The term philtre is also used, often specifically ...

so he cannot compete, but the potion is accidentally consumed by the team's other coxswain instead. Despite Ronald capsizing the boat, pulling the rudder off mid-race, and causing collisions with other boats, the Clayton team wins the race anyway. Meanwhile, Mary starts to appreciate Ronald’s futile efforts to impress her. However, on the day of the boat race, Jeff gets kicked out of college and takes her hostage in her room, locking them in an effort to get her expelled so she will marry him. In the end, she manages to contact Ronald by telephone, who in a sudden show of athleticism sprints to her dormitory,

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

s into her window, and fights off Jeff by throwing household objects at him and demonstrating skills in javelin shot put and tackle football. Mary agrees to marry Ronald and they live the rest of their lives together, ending with a shot of side-by-side gravestones.

Cast

as Ronald *

as Mary Haynes * Harold Goodwin as Jeff *

Flora Bramley Flora Bramley (24 September 1904 – 23 June 1993) was an American-based British actress and comedian. Career Born in London, Bramley started out on stage in musical revues, and in June 1926, while visiting relatives in Hollywood, was signed b ...

as Mary's friend *

Snitz Edwards Snitz Edwards (born Edward Neumann, 1 January 1868 – 1 May 1937) was a stage and character actor of the early years of the silent film era into the 1930s. Biography Born into a Jewish household on New Year's Day 1868 in Budapest, Hungary ( ...

as Dean Edwards *

Carl Harbaugh } Carl Harbaugh ( – February 26, 1960) was an American film actor, screenwriter and director. Biography On Broadway, Harbaugh performed in ''The Greyhound'' (1912) and ''The Bludgeon'' (1914). He was married to Frances Lawson Bouis (? - ...

as Crew Coach *

Sam Crawford Samuel Earl Crawford (April 18, 1880 – June 15, 1968), nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Crawford batted and threw left-handed, stood tall and weighed . Born in Wahoo, Nebraska, he had a s ...

as Baseball Coach *

Florence Turner Florence Turner (January 6, 1885 – August 28, 1946) was an American actress who became known as the "Vitagraph Girl" in early silent films. Biography Born in New York City, Turner was pushed into appearing on the stage at age three by he ...

as Ronald's mother *

Madame Sul-Te-Wan Madame Sul-Te-Wan (born Nellie Crawford; March 7, 1873 – February 1, 1959) was the first black actress to sign a film contract and be a featured performer.Lowe, Denise. ''An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Women in Early American Films'', Hawo ...

as Head Cook

External links

* * *
''College''
at the

International Buster Keaton Society The International Buster Keaton Society Inc.— a.k.a. "The Damfinos"—is the official educational organization dedicated to comedy film producer-director-writer-actor-stuntman Buster Keaton. Mission According to the Damfinos, their mission is "t ...

1927 comedy films 1927 films 1920s American films American black-and-white films American silent feature films Articles containing video clips Films directed by Buster Keaton Films directed by James W. Horne Films produced by Joseph M. Schenck Films set in universities and colleges Rowing films Silent American comedy films Surviving American silent films {{silent-comedy-drama-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

External links