The Butcher Boy (1917 film)

The Butcher Boy
File:Butcher boy 1917 1.jpg Poster
Directed by	Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
Produced by	Joseph M. Schenck
Written by	Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle Joseph Anthony Roach
Starring	Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle Buster Keaton Al St. John Josephine Stevens Arthur Earle Joe Bordeaux Luke the Dog Charles Dudley Alice Lake Agnes Neilson
Cinematography	Frank D. Williams
Edited by	Herbert Warren
Production company	Famous Players-Lasky Corporation
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	April 23, 1917 (1917-04-23)
Running time	30 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

File:Fatty Arbuckle, The Butcher Boy, 1917.ogg

A short clip of The Butcher Boy

The Butcher Boy is a 1917 American short comedy film starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Buster Keaton. This was the first in Arbuckle's series of films with the Comique Film Corporation, and Keaton's film debut.

Plot

The story involves Arbuckle working as the butcher boy in a country store. He falls in love with the cashier, who is the daughter of the store owner. He follows her, disguised as a female cousin, to an all-girl boarding school.

Cast

• Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle - Fatty / Saccharine (as 'Fatty' Arbuckle)
• Buster Keaton - Buster
• Al St. John - Alum
• Josephine Stevens - Almondine
• Arthur Earle - The Manager
• Joe Bordeaux - Accomplice (as Joe Bordeau)
• Luke the Dog
• Charles Dudley - (uncredited)
• Alice Lake - (uncredited)
• Agnes Neilson - Miss Teachem (uncredited)

Critical response

A contemporary Variety review indicates the film was well-received, stating: "The Comique Film Co.'s series of Arbuckle two-reelers starts off with Fatty shaking out a bag of laugh making tricks. The cast fits the star, and not the least important member is 'Luke,' the bull terrier. It is a wonder. Arbuckle's juggling with the accessories of the country store where he is an important factor, also his way of handling the feminine clothes worn in his visit to the girl's boarding school, is done in such a serious, earnest way the comic effect is all the more forceful... The first of the Arbuckle series has set a good mark to aim at. While there is some slapstick, the comedy is recommended."

See also

• List of American films of 1917
• Fatty Arbuckle filmography
• Buster Keaton filmography

References

Further reading

• "The Butcher Boy" (film review) in Variety Weekly. April 20, 1917.
• Corliss, Richard. (2001) That Old Feeling: Fatty and Buster at Time online.

External links

• The Butcher Boy at IMDb
• The Butcher Boy is available for free download at the Internet Archive
• The Butcher Boy on YouTube
• The Butcher Boy at the International Buster Keaton Society