Electric House (1922) starring Buster Keaton, Virginia Fox
The Electric House is a very funny Buster Keaton silent film. He’s mistakenly hired to wire a rich man’s house with electric gadgets.
Review
First, The Electric House is a very different, but very funny, Buster Keaton silent short film. It deals with Buster, mistakenly hired after graduation by the Dean to rewire his house. Although he’s a botanist! But, with the aid of a book — Electricity Made Easy — he actually manages it. Much of the comedy comes from the automation in the house:
- The automated book shelf.
- The electric pool table.
- An early washing machine.
- An electric train set, in the dining room, that brings dishes in and out.
- And the center piece, an escalator to the second floor.
Even before a rival rewires the house, there’s a lot of comedy in demonstrating the electric house to the Dean and his family.
Then, in the second half, the man who should have been hired sneak into the house. For revenge, he rewires Buster’s work — to comic results. And it’s hilariously funny. One highlight is Buster trying to carry a trunk up the escalator. Unknown to him, it’s running in reverse. Every time he puts the trunk down to rest, it stops. Until it goes full power, pulling the trunk up the stairs …. And momentum throws it out the window, complete with a person inside it!
Soon, the house is seemingly going mad – throwing dishes from the dishwasher, pool balls from he table, etc. In the end, he finds the troublemaker, and they’re both flushed down the automated swimming pool’s pipe, ending the short film.
Product Description
Buster Keaton is graduating from college but the diplomas get switched so instead of a degree in botany, he is presented a degree in electrical engineering. Before he can explain the mix-up, the dean of the college hires him to re-wire his home while he and his family are away on a two-week vacation. Keaton takes the job and, through the help of a book called “Electricity Made Easy”, he wires the dean’s home with all sorts of wonderful new gadgets. Things go wrong when the true electrical engineer graduate sneaks into the dean’s house and switches some wiring around.
Cast of characters
- Buster Keaton … Buster (as ‘Buster’ Keaton)
- Virginia Fox (Cops) … The Millionaire’s Daughter.
- Joe Keaton (Sherlock Jr.) … Buster’s Father in Prologue.
- Louise Keaton (The Cameraman) … Buster’s Sister in Prologue.
- Myra Keaton (Love Nest on Wheels) … Buster’s Mother in Prologue.
- Laura La Varnie (The Bells) … Guest.
- Steve Murphy (The Circus) … Real Electrical Engineer.
- Joe Roberts (Our Hospitality) … Millionaire.
Trivia
- Filming was delayed when star Buster Keaton got his foot caught in the escalator and broke his ankle. During his recovery, Keaton released his previously shelved film, The High Sign, and filmed The Play House. Upon his return to this short, he abandoned his original footage and started fresh.
- The film was restored in 2015 through Lobster Films, partially funded through a Kickstarter campaign.
- In 1995, Film Preservation Associates copyrighted a version with new titles by Jeffrey Vance. With a music soundtrack arranged by Robert Israel. The running time was 24 minutes.