The Goat (1921 film)
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''The Goat'' is a 1921 American
two-reel A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
silent
comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
written, directed by, and starring Buster Keaton.Kalat, David.
"The Goat (1921)."
''Turner Classic Movies''. December 7, 2017.
This short contains one of Keaton's more memorable images: A distant, speeding train approaches the camera, and stops with a close-up of Keaton who has been sitting on the front of the train.


Plot

Buster joins a queue for free bread but does not note that he is standing behind two unmoving mannequins. By the time he spots his mistake the bread is finished. Next Buster Keaton peers through a barred window into a police station where captured murderer "Dead Shot Dan" is having his picture taken for the "Rogue's Gallery". The photographer does not notice that the lens is covered by Dan's cap. Seeing that the photographer is looking away, Dan moves his head to the side and snaps a picture of Buster without anybody noticing. Thus, when Dan escapes, the wanted posters all show Buster with his hands on the bars. Unaware, Buster moves on to a street corner, where he notices a horseshoe, and kicks it aside. The next man who comes along picks it up and throws it for good luck. Within seconds the man finds a wallet filled with money. After scrambling to find the horseshoe, Buster picks it up and throws over his shoulder. It strikes a policeman, who chases Buster, and soon other officers join the chase. Buster lures them into the back of a truck, locks them in, and escapes. Afterwards, Buster sees a man arguing with a young woman walking her dog. Buster defends the woman and throws the man to the ground. After walking away, Buster runs into the officers who had chased him earlier. He escapes by hopping onto a train going to a nearby town. Unfortunately for Buster, the town has heard of Dan's escape, and newspapers and wanted posters with Buster's picture are everywhere. The townspeople run from him in terror wherever he goes. Buster is once again in the wrong place at the wrong time when the police chief on his patrol is ambushed by a gangster. The gunman's bullets miss the officer, but the smoking gun ends up in Buster's hand. He runs from the persistent police chief, inadvertently causing mischief all over the town. While on the run, Buster encounters the same young woman he assisted earlier, who invites him to dinner. At her home he meets her father—he is the police chief, and he furiously chases Buster all over the apartment complex. After the young woman helps Buster escape, the pair emerge onto the street where Buster observes a sign outside a furniture store that says "You furnish the Girl, we furnish the home!" He carries his date into the store.


Cast

* Buster Keaton * Virginia Fox as Chief's daughter * Joe Roberts as Police Chief * Malcolm St. Clair as Dead Shot Dan (as Mal St. Clair) * Edward F. Cline as Cop by telephone pole * Jean C. Havez as Bit part


See also

* List of American films of 1921 * Buster Keaton filmography


References


External links

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''The Goat''
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 ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goat, The 1921 films 1921 comedy films 1921 short films American silent short films Silent American comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by Buster Keaton Films directed by Malcolm St. Clair Films produced by Joseph M. Schenck Films with screenplays by Buster Keaton Articles containing video clips 1920s American films