The General
Buster drives "The General" to trainload of laughter.
1926 | 79m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman, Charles Henry Smith, William Pittenger, Al Boasberg |
| Staring: |
| During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnny Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 25, 1926 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman |
| Writer: | Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman, Charles Henry Smith, William Pittenger, Al Boasberg |
| Genres: | Comedy, Adventure, Action, War |
| Keywords | spy, southern usa, general, fiancé, cannon, bridge, engineer, army, attack, black and white, train, silent film, behind enemy lines, american civil war |
| Production Companies | Buster Keaton Productions, Joseph M. Schenck Productions |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $1,000,000
Budget: $750,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Buster Keaton | Johnnie Gray |
| Marion Mack | Annabelle Lee |
| Glen Cavender | Captain Anderson |
| Jim Farley | General Thatcher |
| Frederick Vroom | A Southern General |
| Frank Barnes | Annabelle's Brother |
| Charles Henry Smith | Annabelle's Father |
| Joe Keaton | Union General |
| Mike Donlin | Union General |
| Tom Nawn | Union General |
| Henry Baird | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Joe Bricher | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Jimmy Bryant | Raider (uncredited) |
| Sergeant Bukowski | Officer (uncredited) |
| C.C. Cruson | Officer (uncredited) |
| Jack Dempster | Raider (uncredited) |
| Keith Fennell | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Budd Fine | Raider (uncredited) |
| Eddie Foster | Union Railroad Fireman (uncredited) |
| Ronald Gilstrap | Union Soldier (uncredited) |
| Frank Hagney | Confederate Recruiter (uncredited) |
| Ray Hanford | Raider (uncredited) |
| Jack Hanlon | Bit Part (uncredited) |
| Al Hanson | Raider (uncredited) |
| Anthony Harvey | Raider (uncredited) |
| Edward Hearn | Union Officer (uncredited) |
| Hilliard Karr | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Elgin Lessley | Union General Who Gives Command to Cross Bridge (uncredited) |
| Louis Lewyn | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Jackie Lowe | Boy Who Follows Johnny (uncredited) |
| Billy Lynn | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Ross McCutcheon | Raider (uncredited) |
| Tom Moran | Raider (uncredited) |
| Charles Phillips | Raider (uncredited) |
| Red Rial | Raider (uncredited) |
| Al St. John | Officer on Horseback (uncredited) |
| Harold Terry | Union Soldier (uncredited) |
| Ray Thomas | Raider (uncredited) |
| Red Thompson | Raider (uncredited) |
| James Walsh | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Kenneth Hawley Ward | Soldier (uncredited) |
| John Wilson | Union Soldier (uncredited) |
| Jean Woodward | (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Buster Keaton | Editor, Stunts, Director, Screenplay |
| Clyde Bruckman | Director, Screenplay |
| Edward Hearn | Assistant Director |
| Glen Cavender | Second Unit |
| Fred Gabourie | Art Direction, Production Manager |
| Harry Roselotte | Set Decoration |
| Dal Clawson | Still Photographer |
| Frank Barnes | Construction Foreman, Grip |
| Charles Henry Smith | Adaptation |
| Sherman Kell | Editor |
| Devereaux Jennings | Director of Photography |
| Fred Carlton Ryle | Makeup Artist |
| Harry J. Wild | First Assistant Camera |
| Earl Mohan | Stunts |
| Byron Houck | Camera Operator |
| William Pittenger | Book |
| Bert Haines | Director of Photography |
| Elmer Ellsworth | Camera Operator |
| Harry Brand | Production Coordinator |
| Al Boasberg | Adaptation |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Buster Keaton | Producer |
| Joseph M. Schenck | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 75 | 188 | 25 |
| 2024 | 5 | 236 | 311 | 172 |
| 2024 | 6 | 135 | 252 | 80 |
| 2024 | 7 | 39 | 76 | 19 |
| 2024 | 8 | 19 | 41 | 11 |
| 2024 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 9 |
| 2024 | 10 | 17 | 38 | 10 |
| 2024 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 8 |
| 2024 | 12 | 16 | 34 | 8 |
| 2025 | 1 | 17 | 31 | 8 |
| 2025 | 2 | 13 | 24 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 7 | 19 | 2 |
| 2025 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 843 | 925 |
Just amazing. Really, really impressive scenes with the railway engines and a physically incredible Keaton. ...
There's quite a lot going on here - it is certainly comedic, but there is also plenty of action and even some romance in this American Civil War story. Keaton ("Johnnie") has been deemed more important as a railroad engineer so was rejected as a soldier - but this causes his girlfriend "Annabelle" a ... nd her family to think he is yella'! When the Yankees concoct a plan to steal his engine "The General" whilst she is travelling on it; he must use all his wits and guile to get them both back and is soon caught being enemy lines where he learns of their dastardly plan to attack. Can he get back with his gal and tell his confederates of the Unionist plans? There is something about the quality of the images - they are pretty much prefect; even when the train in rattling along a-pace. There are loads of skirmishes supporting a properly constructed, and exciting, story with plenty of drama and sometimes some quite scary bits too, all jammed into just over an hour. The version I saw had been re-scored by Carl Davis and that added immeasurably to the pace and tension - and the romance - and helped create a superb piece of cinema.
This is Keaton’s masterpiece, a flawed one, yes. It’s not funny enough and the story could be developed more. But it is significant, flaws and all. The closest a film will ever get to flawed perfection. ...