Hard Luck

In "Hard Luck", Buster Keaton drinks the "poison" and gets intoxicated

Buster Keaton’s having a string of Hard Luck. He fails hilariously at multiple suicide attempts, gets hired by a hunting society, stumbles onto a gang of crooks, and … Jumps clear down to China?

Hard Luck (1921) starring Buster Keaton, Virginia Fox

Hard Luck is a funny, although fairly different, Buster Keaton silent film comedy. It’s very funny and fast paced, with an unexpected ending.

Suicide attempts

Young and penniless, Buster Keaton decides that there’s nothing to do but end it all. So, he tries a series of suicide attempts! All of which fail comedically, thank heavens. In the last attempt, he drinks a bottle labelled “poison”. But it’s actually whiskey! So he’s now quite drunk …

Buster Keaton tries death by street car. But it goes the other way!

In "Hard Luck", Buster Keaton tries to drop a safe on his head! But he misses …

Working for the hunting society

Intoxicated after drinking the “poison”, Buster stumbles into a meeting for a hunting society. They want to promote membership, and drunken Buster volunteers. Soon he’s trying a variety of hunting sports. Fishing, using the fish he catches for a bigger fish repeatedly. Until the monster on the end of the line pulls him into the water!

Buster Keaton volunteers to demonstrate hunting for the society in "Hard Luck"

The very funny fishing scene in "Hard Luck" where Buster Keaton catches a fish, uses it for bait for a bigger fish, and so on …

Horsing around at the club

Walking around to dry himself off, Buster finds himself at a hunting club. There, a lovely young lady (Virginia Fox) invites him to join them on their hunt. So, Buster tries. When mounting a horse, the stirrups are like rubber! When he comes to a river, he paddles his horse across, like a boat. Riding the horse, he has to run over a bridge and jump back on his horse, going underneath. Doing it again, he nearly lands on a bull! Determined to keep his horse from getting away, he tries to lasso it and tie it to himself. But he’s tied himself to a bear! The bear chases him back to the hunting lodge, where he jumps inside through a window …. And he’s offered tea.

Beautiful huntress Virginia Fox points Buster Keaton to the stables

Buster Keaton trying to mount the horse with rubber stirrups and reins in "Hard Luck"

Enter the criminals

Then, some criminals break into the hunting lodge. Led by “Lizard Lip Luke” (Joe Roberts), they intend to rob the people & chase the pretty girls! Buster Keaton uses his fishing rod skills to disarm Lizard Lip, but he’s seen as no threat. Despite making a clever rifle trap to shoot him! So, Lizard Lip simply throws him out. Undeterred, Buster sneaks back in. He disguises himself (in a clever bit using his tie as a mustache and beard). The then loads a box full of bullets, and goes into the room where the crooks are, holding his “beautiful huntress” prisoner. He sneaks her out, after throwing the bullets into a wood stove. And the bullets start flying!

Buster Keaton disarms Lizard Lip Luke with a fishing rod

Conclusion

With everyone safe and the crooks captured, Buster Keaton proposes to his beautiful huntress. But … she’s already married! Despondent again, Buster is back to being suicidal. He climbs to the top of the pool’s diving board there, and jumps to his doom! Except …. He goes straight down, out of site, into a hole! And keeps going down …

Years later, dressed in Chinese garb, he climbs back out of the hole. With his Chinese wife and children! To show them where he jumped from, many years ago. Ending the movie. Glad he got his happy ending …