College (1927 film)

1927 film

College

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| James W. Horne
Buster Keaton
Written by| Bryan Foy
Carl Harbaugh
Produced by| Joseph M. Schenck
Starring| Buster Keaton
Anne Cornwall
Harold Goodwin
Cinematography| Bert Haines
Dev Jennings
Edited by| Sherman Kell
Distributed by| United Artists

Release date

* September 27, 1927 (1927-09-27)

Running time

| 67 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English

College is a 1927 comedy-drama silent film directed by James W. Horne and Buster Keaton, and starring Keaton, Anne Cornwall, and Harold Goodwin.[1]

## Plot

[edit]

College

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 and track and field teams, but proves to be totally inept. At the same time, he attempts to work as a soda jerk and as a waiter in blackface 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 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 vaults 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

[edit]

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

## See also

[edit]

* Buster Keaton filmography
* List of films about the sport of athletics

## References

[edit]

1. ^ College at IMDb.

## External links

[edit]

* College at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Buster Keaton

Filmography

Shorts (1917–1923)|

* The Rough House
* One Week
* Convict 13
* The Scarecrow
* Neighbors
* The Haunted House
* Hard Luck
* The High Sign
* The Goat
* The Playhouse
* The Boat
* The Paleface
* Cops
* My Wife's Relations
* The Blacksmith
* The Frozen North
* The Electric House
* Day Dreams
* The Balloonatic
* The Love Nest

Feature films|

* Three Ages
* Our Hospitality
* Sherlock Jr.
* The Navigator
* Seven Chances
* Go West
* Battling Butler
* The General
* College
* Steamboat Bill, Jr.
* The Cameraman
* Spite Marriage

Shorts (1934–1937)
(for Educational Pictures)|

* The Gold Ghost
* Allez Oop
* Tars and Stripes
* Grand Slam Opera
* Blue Blazes
* Mixed Magic
* Love Nest on Wheels

Television|

* The Buster Keaton Show (1950)

Works about|

* The Buster Keaton Story (1957)
* Buster Keaton Rides Again (1965)
* Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (1987)
* The Great Buster: A Celebration (2018)
* Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life (2022)

Related|

* Natalie Talmadge (first wife)
* Eleanor Keaton (third wife)
* Myra Keaton (mother)
* Joe Keaton (father)
* Go West: Music for the Films of Buster Keaton (1995)
* The High Sign/One Week (1995)
* International Buster Keaton Society

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by James W. Horne

* Stingaree (1915)
* The Bull's Eye (1917)
* Hands Up (1918)
* The Midnight Man (1919)
* The Bronze Bell (1921)
* Dangerous Pastime (1922)
* The Forgotten Law (1922)
* Don't Doubt Your Wife (1922)
* The Hottentot (1922)
* The Sunshine Trail (1923)
* Itching Palms (1923)
* Can a Woman Love Twice? (1923)
* A Man of Action (1923)
* Blow Your Own Horn (1923)
* The Yankee Consul (1924)
* Stepping Lively (1924)
* Alimony (1924)
* Laughing at Danger (1924)
* In Fast Company (1924)
* American Manners (1924)
* Youth and Adventure (1925)
* Wife Tamers (1926)
* Kosher Kitty Kelly (1926)
* College (1927)
* The Big Hop (1928)
* Black Butterflies (1928)
* Big Business (1929)
* When the Wind Blows (1930)
* Laughing Gravy (1931)
* Be Big! (1931)
* Chickens Come Home (1931)
* Our Wife (1931)
* Come Clean (1931)
* One Good Turn (1931)
* Beau Hunks (1931)
* Any Old Port! (1932)
* Mister Mugg (1933)
* Thicker than Water (1935)
* Bonnie Scotland (1935)
* The Bohemian Girl (1936)
* Way Out West (1937)
* The Spider's Web (1938)
* Flying G-Men (1939)
* The Shadow (1940)
* Terry and the Pirates (1940)
* Deadwood Dick (1940)
* The Green Archer (1940)
* White Eagle (1941)
* The Spider Returns (1941)
* The Iron Claw (1941)
* Holt of the Secret Service (1941)
* Captain Midnight (1942)
* Perils of the Royal Mounted (1942)

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