The General (United Artists) (1926)

After Your Opening OUSr&Q. k£AToN in ‘‘Tut GLNtfl At BK-7—Two Col. Scene Cut 50c. Mat 10c “THE GENERAL COM¬ MANDS LAUGHS “The General” is in town! It’s the big laugh spectacle which is convulsing audiences at the. Theatre. Based on the humorous side of the Civil War and with Buster Keaton as the star, “The General” represents the last word in elaborate comedies. The picture was produced on such a vast scale that it took nearly a year to make and necessitated a financial outlay which would be sufficient for all but a few of the biggest dramatic productions of the past few years. The story deals with the feat of a band of Northerners who stole a train and raided Confederate territory during the early part of the Civil War. They tore up track, destroyed telegraphic communication and would have dis¬ rupted the South’s military plans had it not been for a young Confederate locomotive engineer who chased them single-handed and finally caused their capture. This foolhardy lad comes to life on the screen in the person of Buster Kea¬ ton. He and his frozen-face get laughs out of the most dangerous situations and take part in crucial battles as if they were pink teas. Thrills crowd laughs for honors in many of the scenes in “The General.” One of the three authentic Civil War engines which figure in the comedy is run onto a high, burning trestle and plunged into the river below, completely wrecking it. The railroad chase, in which Buster and his sweetheart (Marian Mack) pursue the train stealers and in turn are chased by them, is said to have brought cheers from audiences in many of the larger cities where “The General” has been shown. Keaton has a supporting cast of thou¬ sands. “The General” is the famous star’s first United Artists Picture and was produced by Joseph M. Schenck. BUSTER PICKED MARIAN IN A THEATRE Buster Keaton has a system all his own in selecting a leading lady. That’s why Marian Mack, who was comparatively unknown in Hollywood until about a year ago, has the fem¬ inine lead in “The General,” the frozen¬ faced star’s first picture for United Artists, and the feature comedy at the . Theatre this week. Several months before Keaton, whose pictures are all produced by Joseph M. Schenck, decided to make an elaborate comedy with a Civil War background, he began scouting for a girl who was his idea of a Confederate belle during the sixties. He didn’t care whether his leading lady in “The General” had been in pictures six years or six months —or whether, so long as she had abil¬ ity, she had ever appeared before the camera. Buster wanted a girl with the charm and poise of the old South, a beauty such as the average individual imagines his grandmother was as a maid. So Keaton searched and searched and was almost in despair until one night he saw a girl walk down the aisle of a Los Angeles theatre in which he and Mrs. Keaton were enjoying a musical show-. “There’s the girl to play in ‘The Gen¬ eral’ if she can act and wants the job,” exclaimed Buster. An introduction was arranged, screen tests made the following day, and within twenty-four hours a contract had been signed. COMEDIAN MUST BE “FROZEN-FACE” ALWAYS Buster Keaton’s life has been a sol¬ emn one. All his life the star of “The Gen¬ eral,” the Civil War laugh feature at the.Theatre, has been mak¬ ing others laugh, yet he is never granted for his own part a levity lighter than an undertaker heading a procession. As if that were not enough, he can never show any real grief. Buildings may tumble upon his head, trains run off the track and locomotives plunge into rivers, as in “The Gen¬ eral.” Animals may sample his anat¬ omy and horses step on his face, yet he is always prohibited from express¬ ing the pain he feels. Buster the “frozen-faced” he was dubbed, and Buster the “frozen-faced” he has to be. The famous comedy star’s latest pic¬ ture is his first for United Artists. It is based on the famous Andrews rail¬ road raid and locomotive chase, one of the most thrilling chapters of the Civil War, and it combines historical accu¬ racy with hilarious situations. The big comedy, produced by Joseph M. Schenck and directed by Keaton himself, is the costliest screen opus of its kind ever made. Months were spent in filming “The General,” and the com¬ pany of thousands traveled to distant parts of the United States in their search for locations. Civil War towns were reconstructed, miles of railroad leased and three locomotives and dozens of freight cars and passenger coaches purchased and converted into old rolling stock. KEATON’S RAILROAD COMEDY COMING Unrivaled dramatic thrills— Spectacular battle scenes— The greatest railroad crash ever filmed— A blood-tingling love story— And the most laughs ever crammed into a motion picture. That, in a nutshell, is “The General,” Buster Keaton’s colossal comedy, which is playing to packed houses at the ...Theatre. Produced on a lavish scale by Joseph M. Schenck, chairman of the board of directors of United Artists, as the frozen-faced star’s first feature for United Artists, “The General” is at once the costliest and most ambitious laugh picture in the history of the screen. The story is built around certain of the lighter chapters of the Civil War and is enacted on the sijversheet with every degree of historical accuracy. Keaton has taken a stirring page from the sixties—the famous Andrews rail¬ road raid and locomotive chase—and made it into several thousand feet of record-breaking celluloid entertainment. Thousands of people appear in the big photoplay, which required more than six months to produce. Several locomotives and scores of railroad cars were bought outright by the Keaton organization and converted into Civil War period equipment; mu¬ seums of the country ’were combed for battle relics; a number of towns were built as replicas of the Tennessee and Georgia communities which figure in the story; entire companies and troops of the national guard were recruited to serve as Union and Confederate sol¬ diers. Buster, who also directed “The Gen¬ eral,” has the mirth-provoking role of a young Southern patriot who blunders his way into fame and the affections of the girl when a band of Federal raid¬ ers swoop down upon the Confederates, steal a train and play havoc with the South’s military plans. The frozen-faced farceur pilots the wood-burning engines, figures in wrecks, helps the generals win their battles and finally convinces the Confederates he is a hero instead of a slacker. '"Marian Mack, a young actress who deserted starring roles in dramatic fea¬ tures for the opportunity to play oppo¬ site Keaton in the biggest comedy ever made, portrays a Southern belle and the star’s companion during his ludicrous adventures. “WHAT A BUSTER” Buster Keaton, whose new com¬ edy spectacle, “The General,” is at the .. Theatre, was born on November 4, 1895, in Pickway, Kansas. A few months later a cyclone blew Pickway off the map. And it’s still off. For many years Buster’s father, Joe Keaton, was in partnership with Harry Houdini, afterward the famous magician. Houdini and the senior Keaton had a tent show. When Buster was six months old he fell downstairs. “What a buster!” said Houdini when he found that young Kea¬ ton wasn’t hurt. “That’s a good name for the kid,” declared Buster’s father. And “Buster” it has been ever since.