Edward F. Cline

A 1942 American comedy-musical film directed by Edward F. Cline and produced by Universal Pictures. Released during World War II, the film combines military comedy with musical performances by The Andrews Sisters and Harry James and His Music Makers. The story follows entertainer Lon Prentice (Dick Foran), who enlists in the United States Army and struggles to adapt to military life during basic training. Shemp Howard (later of The Three Stooges) co-stars as First Sgt. "Muggsy" Shavel. The Andrews Sisters perform several songs including "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (with Anyone Else But Me)" and "Three Little Sisters." A young Donald O'Connor also appears in a supporting role.

Comedy · Musical · War

Buster Keaton plays the long-suffering assistant to a monumental blacksmith (Joe Roberts) in this two-reel silent comedy co-directed with Malcolm St. Clair. In twenty minutes Keaton wrecks a Rolls-Royce, mis-shoes a horse, turns the shop's anvil into a weapon, and woos the local girl (Virginia Fox) through escalating disaster. The film is packed with signature Keaton engineering gags — the hinged car body, the horse that lifts a customer skyward — and a nude-statue routine that got the short censored in some territories. Made at the peak of Keaton's shorts period for producer Joseph M. Schenck, a year before he moved into features. Published in 1922, it is in the public domain in the United States.

Comedy · Silent

The Frozen North is a 1922 silent comedy short co-directed by and starring Buster Keaton, with Edward F. Cline. Keaton parodies William S. Hart's Western films, playing a rugged cowboy who arrives in a frozen northern landscape and attempts a series of Western-movie tropes with disastrous results. The short is notable for its surreal humor and self-referential gags, including Keaton breaking the fourth wall. As a 1922 work, the film is in the public domain.

Comedy · Western

The Goat is a 1921 silent comedy short co-directed by and starring Buster Keaton, with Malcolm St. Clair. Through a series of mistaken identities, Keaton becomes wanted as both a criminal and a dead man. The short features some of Keaton's most inventive chase sequences and visual gags, including a memorable scene where Keaton escapes on a motorcycle. As a 1921 work, the film is in the public domain.

Comedy

The Haunted House is a 1921 silent comedy short co-directed by and starring Buster Keaton, with Edward F. Cline. Keaton plays a bank clerk who ends up in a haunted house that is actually a front for a counterfeiting operation. The short features elaborate mechanical gags, including a collapsing staircase and a series of trap doors, as well as a memorable dream sequence where Keaton goes to heaven and hell. As a 1921 work, the film is in the public domain.

Comedy · Horror

The Scarecrow is a 1920 silent comedy short co-directed by and starring Buster Keaton, with Edward F. Cline. Keaton and Joe Roberts play farmhands sharing a room filled with Rube Goldberg-style space-saving contraptions. When Keaton is chased by Roberts after a misunderstanding involving Roberts' daughter, he disguises himself as a scarecrow. The short features one of Keaton's most celebrated chase sequences and a memorable scene where he runs through a house while it collapses around him. As a 1920 work, the film is in the public domain.

Comedy