''College'' is a 1927 comedy-drama

silent film A silent film is a film without 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, w ...

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 films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

, and starring Keaton, Anne Cornwall, 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 games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

and

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

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 restaurant, preparing and serving carbonated drink, soda drinks and ice cream sodas. The drinks were made ...

and as a waiter in

blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

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 wiktionary:cockboat, cockboat, a ...

in the upcoming competition. The coach tries to sabotage Ronald by slipping him a sleeping potion 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 together 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, bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ...

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 * Anne Cornwall as Mary Haynes * Harold Goodwin as Jeff * Flora Bramley as Mary's Friend * Snitz Edwards as Dean Edwards * Florence Turner as Ronald's Mother * Carl Harbaugh 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 sh ...

as Baseball Coach * Madame Sul-Te-Wan as Head Cook

References

External links

* {{James W. Horne 1927 comedy-drama 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-drama films Surviving American silent films 1920s English-language films English-language comedy-drama films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links