Three Ages (1923)

This is the first feature that Buster Keaton wrote, directed, produced and starred in. The film is structured as a satire of D.W. Griffith's film Intolerance in that three different time periods are being presented concurrently: prehistoric, ancient Rome, and present. The plot of each of the sub-stories is the same: Buster Keaton plays a loser who is competing for the attention of a woman (Margaret Leahy) with an Alpha-Male (Wallace Beery). Of course there is lots of signature physical comedy typical of a Keaton film.

Available: Netflix, Amazon

Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

William Canfield (Ernest Torrence), is known on the river as Steamboat Bill. He is an old riverboat captain that has been running his ship for years and unfortunately it shows. Recently he has been losing his business to J. J. King (Tom McGuire) a rich man who not only has the nicest paddle-boat in town, but owns just about every other business in the area as well.

One day Canfield gets a visit from his son whom he hasn't seen since he was born. Expecting someone rugged like himself, Canfield is disappointed when Junior (Buster Keaton) turns out to be a tiny, skinny weakling. Canfield does his best to make him over, but Junior just doesn't measure up.

Things get complicated when Junior starts showing interest in King's daughter Kitty (Marion Byron). It seems that Junior and Kitty knew each other up in Boston at University. While their fathers bicker, the couple try to get them to make peace.

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The Ring (1927)

This silent film written and directed by Alfred Hitchcock opens at a carnival. A crowd is gathering around a tent where a barker is looking for challengers to fight their boxers. One man spends more of his time making eyes at the ticket booth girl than paying attention to the announcer. When he finds out that she is the girlfriend of "One-Round" Jack Sander (Carl Brisson), he decides to take the challenge and fight him. Unfortunately for Sander, the man is Bob Corby (Ian Hunter), the Australian boxing champion. However, Corby and his promoter give the boxer a chance to become a sparring partner. Sander is excited to finally be fighting professionally but discovers that his girl is spending too much time with Corby. Sanders works hard to move up the ladder so that he can finally get in the ring with Corby and fight to win back his wife.

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The Hollywood Revue of 1929

One of the first feature length talkies, this film is simply a revue of singing and dancing featuring the stars of stage and screen. There is a playful rivalry between the theater actors and the film performers. Unfortunately many of the names are unknown to us now. I don't know who he is, but Ukulele Ike was quite funny. However, some of the famous talent recognizable today include Jack Benny, Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton and Joan Crawford.

The film is also noticeable for a couple of two-strip technicolor sequences which included a Romeo & Juliet scene with Norma Shearer & John Gilbert with John Barrymore as director. And the finale of "Singing' In The Rain" of which the whole cast takes part.

Available: Warner Archive Collection