The Hayseed

The Hayseed (1919) starring Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton

The Hayseed is a very funny silent short film, where Buster is running a general store, and Fatty is the mailman. Fatty’s in love with a young lady, but he has a rival — who steals money from the mail and blamesFatty!

Comedy highlights

• Buster measuring Fatty for his new mail-order suit – including using a yardstick
• Buster having a “water fight” with the constable – throwing buckets of water on him from the roof of the general store
• The actual performances in the evening, where Buster does a hilarious comedy magic routine, and where Fatty’s lost his voice and can’t sing. Buster’s solution? Eat onions! Which recovers his voice, and repels everyone.
• At the end, the villainous constable running out of town … with Luke the Dog in hot pursuit!

Cast of characters

• Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle (The Knockout) … Mailman
• Buster Keaton (Seven Chances) … Manager, General Store
• Molly Malone (Back Stage) … Rural girl
• Jack Coogan Sr. (Back Stage) … Constable (as John Coogan)

Additional cast

• Kitty Bradbury (The Pilgrim) … The Girl’s Mother (uncredited)
• Dan Crimmins … General Store Owner (uncredited)
• Luke the Dog (Fatty and Mabel Adrift) … Self (uncredited)

Trivia

• Included in “Buster Keaton: The Shorts Collection” blu-ray set.