''Neighbors'' is a 1920
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 ...
co-written, co-directed by, and starring
Buster Keaton.
[Steffen, James.]
"Neighbors (1920)."
''Turner Classic Movies''. November 13, 2017.
Plot
"The Boy" and "the Girl" are young lovers who live in tenements, the rear of which face each other, with backyards separated by a wooden fence. Their families constantly feud over the lovers' relationship. Each morning the Boy and the Girl exchange love letters through holes in the fence, much to the dismay of their families who insist they stay away from one another. The Boy sneaks into the Girl's bedroom window as the parents are arguing but he is caught by the Girl's father who ties him to a clothes line and slowly sends him back over to his family's house. After much arguing and fighting the two families eventually go to court to settle their differences. The Boy demands the right to marry the Girl, and the judge insists that the two families not interfere in their plans.
On the day of the wedding the two families are naturally hostile to one another. After the wedding is delayed due to the Boy's belt repeatedly breaking and in his pants continuously falling down, the Girl's father discovers that the ring the Boy intends to give to her is a cheap 10-cent ring purchased from
Woolworths. He angrily calls off the wedding and drags the Girl home. Determined to rescue his love and with the help of his two groomsmen, the Boy uses trapeze skills to snag the Girl and the two run off together. They eventually find themselves in the coal shed of a blacksmith who has been ordained as a minister who pronounces them husband and wife.
Cast
*
Buster Keaton as The Boy
*
Virginia Fox as The Girl
*
Joe Roberts as The Girl's Father
*
Joe Keaton
Joseph Hallie Keaton (July 6, 1867 – January 13, 1946) was an American vaudeville performer and silent film actor. He was the father of actor Buster Keaton and appeared with his son in several films.
Life and career
Keaton was born a few mile ...
as The Boy's Father
*
Edward F. Cline as The Cop
*
Jack Duffy
Jack Duffy (September 27, 1926 – May 19, 2008) was a Canadian singer, comedian and actor.
Life and career
Born in Montreal, Duffy grew up in Toronto, dropping out of Central Technical School to become a singer. At age 19, he was hired as a st ...
as The Judge
* The Flying Escalantes as Themselves
See also
*
List of American films of 1920
This list of American films of 1920 is a compilation of American films that were released in the year 1920.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y ...
*
Buster Keaton filmography
References
External links
*
*
Neighbors - Movie Short with piano scoreon
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
*
''Neighbors''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 ...
1920 films
1920 comedy films
American black-and-white films
Films directed by Buster Keaton
Films directed by Edward F. Cline
American silent short films
Silent American comedy films
Films produced by Joseph M. Schenck
Films with screenplays by Buster Keaton
Articles containing video clips
1920s English-language films
1920s American films
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