''Grand Slam Opera'' is a 1936 American short

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

starring

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 produced by

Educational Pictures Educational Pictures, also known as Educational Film Exchanges, Inc. or Educational Films Corporation of America, was an American film production and film distribution company founded in 1916 by Earle (E. W.) Hammons (1882–1962). Educational p ...

Plot

Elmer Butts (Keaton) is seen off by his friends as he boards a train for New York City. He intends to appear on the radio show Colonel Crow's Amateur Night, but the show ends just before it's his turn to audition. He meets a beautiful young girl (who it transpires lives downstairs from him) and asks her out but is turned down. That night he practices several noisy dance routines in his bedroom, which angers the girl. The next day Elmer attempts to audition for the colonel but a band is already on the air, playing "an international medley". Elmer, waiting his turn in the next room, gets caught up in the music and dances to the various ethnic melodies. Elmer finally reaches the radio microphone. He is a juggler and intends to describe his juggling techniques to the audience listening at home. The incredulous colonel allows him to continue. During Elmer's performance he gets into several scuffles with the bandleader, who is trying to conduct " The Anvil Chorus". The studio audience watching the show finds the performance hilarious but Elmer is thrown out. Four weeks pass and Elmer is seen hitch-hiking at the side of a road. Overhearing a nearby car radio. he learns that his performance was voted the best of the night by the audience and his prize money has gone unclaimed. Elmer dashes back to the studio (via train, car, and on foot) and his new prosperity and popularity convince the girl to finally go on a date with him.

Cast

as Elmer Butts * Diana Lewis as The Girl Downstairs * Harold Goodwin as Bandleader * John Ince as Colonel Crow *

Bud Jamison William Edward "Bud" Jamison (February 15, 1894 – September 30, 1944)Okuda, Ted, and Edward Watz. 1999. The Columbia Comedy Shorts: Two-reel Hollywood Film Comedies 1933–1958'. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. . was an American film actor. ...

as Arizona Sheriff * Eddie Fetherston as Chauffeur

Production and reception

''Grand Slam Opera'' is a satire of the Major Bowes amateur hour, heard weekly on network radio. Buster Keaton co-wrote the screenplay with director Charles Lamont. The opening sequence, with Elmer taking his leave of Gopher City, Arizona by train, has Elmer and chorus singing a parody of

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

's hit song "So Long, Mary." Low-budget Educational didn't want to pay the $300 licensing fee to use the song, so Buster Keaton paid the fee personally. "Colonel Crow" parodies "Major Bowes," and the "dancing directly over the downstairs neighbor's room" satirizes the same episode in the

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

musical ''

Top Hat A top hat (also called a high hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally made of black silk or ...

''. The "Anvil Chorus" scene harks back to an old vaudeville routine, in which Keaton and his father exchanged slapstick blows in time to the music. ''Grand Slam Opera'' was an exceptional success, with Buster Keaton receiving some of his all-time best notices. "Easily the best comedy Buster Keaton has ever delivered... Book it without seeing it. It can't miss," reported ''Film Daily''. ''Motion Picture Daily'' agreed: "Buster Keaton contributing some of his best comedy, this one has entertainment in every frame." ''Variety'' enthused, "It's pretty near good enough to be sold as a baby feature."''Variety'', Mar. 25, 1936, p. 15. Educational capitalized on the favorable publicity and placed full-page ads in trade periodicals.

References

External links

*
''Grand Slam Opera''
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:Grand Slam Opera 1936 films 1936 comedy films 1936 short films American black-and-white films Educational Pictures short films Films directed by Buster Keaton Films directed by Charles Lamont Films with screenplays by Buster Keaton American comedy short films 1930s American films

Plot

Cast

Production and reception

See also

References

External links