Written and directed by Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman, “The General” cost $750,000, a huge budget for 1927. This “epic” of silent comedy includes an accurate historical recreation of a Civil War episode, hundreds of extras, dangerous stunt sequences, and an actual locomotive falling from a burning bridge into a gorge far below - the most expensive shot of the entire silent era. Keaton took his ideas for his the screenplay from an actual Civil War incident recounted in the book “The Great Locomotive Chase,” written by William Pittenger, the engineer who was involved. “The General” was voted one of the 10 greatest films of all time in the authoritative “Sight & Sound” poll.
Providing the live organ accompaniment for “The General” is Wayne Zimmerman, who has been playing for East Lynne Theater Company and The Cape May Film Society’s Silent Film Series since 2011. Wayne has played in a variety of venues from coast-to-coast and in Hawaii, regaling audiences with his silent-film accompaniment and concerts. At varying times he’s served as organist at the Lansdowne Theatre in Lansdowne, PA, the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, PA, the Brookline Theatre in Havertown, PA, and the Merlin Theatre in suburban Philadelphia. Currently he is president of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society.
Buster Keaton (1895-1966) is considered one of the greatest comedians of all time, possessing the unique combination of acrobatic skills with psychological insight into his characters. Born Joseph Francis Keaton, he got the name “Buster” when he fell down a flight of stairs, unhurt, at six months old. Harry Houdini picked him up, stating that the kid could really take a “buster” or fall. By age three, he was part of his parent’s vaudeville act where he was knocked down and thrown through windows – just the training needed to prepare him for the fast-paced slapstick comedy of silent films. He had worked with everyone from Marlene Dietrich to Samuel Beckett, Cecil B. DeMille to Tony Randall. Today, Keaton’s films are just as funny, touching, and relevant as ever. Other films include “Our Hospitality” (1923), “The Navigator” (1924), “Go West” (1925), “The Cameraman” (1928), “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” (1928) and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” (1966).
Film critic Rogert Ebert wrote: “Keaton's works have such a graceful perfection, such a meshing of story, character and episode, that they unfold like music. Although they're filled with gags, you can rarely catch Keaton writing a scene around a gag; instead, the laughs emerge from the situation. And in an age when special effects were in their infancy, and a “stunt” often meant actually doing on the screen what you appeared to be doing, Keaton was ambitious and fearless.”