Last night I had the pleasure of seeing the Buster Keaton classic "The General". You may have seen it before so 'big deal' you might say. What made it remarkable was seeing it in a movie theater on a BIG screen. What made it even more remarkable was having the score played live!

A group called the "Alloy Orchestra" has composed a new score for The General and Steamboat Bill, Jr., among others. They are currently touring and I have listed a few upcoming dates below. Hopefully more "General" dates will be added.

Feb. 6 & 7 - New York, NY Film Society at Lincoln Center Walter Reed Theater
The BLACK PIRATE (3 shows)

March 28 - Ozark Foothills Film Festival THE GENERAL

April 23 - 5 - Champaign IL Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival THE GENERAL

May 2 - New York, NY Town Hall STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. and ONE WEEK

May 29 - Great Barrington, MA Mahiwe Theater THE GENERAL

Sorry for the off-topic post but it seeemd like something fellow RyPN'ers would enjoy. (the usual disclaimer about having no connection to the group or film apply)



http://www.alloyorchestra.com
SJHussar@aol.com

I have not seen it with the score being played live, but what I amazing is that Buster (during the chase) walks all over the engine, from the tender to the pilot while the engine is running.
Because of saftey reasons, I do not think you could do that today.

jsfrost@mtu.edu

> I have not seen it with the score being
> played live, but what I amazing is that
> Buster (during the chase) walks all over the
> engine, from the tender to the pilot while
> the engine is running.
> Because of saftey reasons, I do not think
> you could do that today.

The same could be said of "The Great Locomotive Chase". In that movie, Fess Parker and Jeffrey Hunter did their own stunts, many involving moving equipment. Jeffrey Hunter makes the flying switch at Adairsville and jumps the gap from the uncoupled boxcar to the tender of the Texas when he sees an obstruction on the rails.

awalker1829@yahoo.com

> The same could be said of "The Great
> Locomotive Chase". In that movie, Fess
> Parker and Jeffrey Hunter did their own
> stunts, many involving moving equipment.
> Jeffrey Hunter makes the flying switch at
> Adairsville and jumps the gap from the
> uncoupled boxcar to the tender of the Texas
> when he sees an obstruction on the rails.

Buster Keaton was a very talented individual. I am amazed by the scene were he is on the pilot of the locomotive and throws a tie onto another tie which is across one rail and about half way in the gauge, striking the "ditch" end of the tie, knocking off the rail and clear of the oncoming locomotive. Imagine the what sort of gymnast he might have become with "professional" training! What natural dexterity and balance he possessed in additon to his perfect comic timing.

Don C.

http://www.261.com
milw261@sbcglobal.net

> Buster Keaton was a very talented
> individual. I am amazed by the scene were he
> is on the pilot of the locomotive and throws
> a tie onto another tie which is across one
> rail and about half way in the gauge,
> striking the "ditch" end of the
> tie, knocking off the rail and clear of the
> oncoming locomotive.

Don, Exactly!

The audience roared and applauded at that bit. There were many young people in the theater including parents who brought their kids. Being in a packed house with all the spontaneous reactions was just terrific.


http://www.alloyorchestra.com
SJHussar@aol.com

Go to my consulting group's website and you can see of the techniques used by present day film companies when doing stunts involving railroads. On-location shots are displayed on every page.

OBTW, Cindy Crawford did some of her own stunts in "Fair Game" as did Segal in "Under Siege II - In Dark Territory."

http://www.rtms-movietrains.com
amiller@rtms-movietrains.com

As a side note, I'll mention that some of the remains of the 4-4-0 that was used in the collapsed bridge scene of that Keaton movie still lie in the Row River near Cottage Grove, Oregon. For a long time, it was thought that the whole engine was still there, but later information has revealed the convenient parts were removed for scrap during WWII. Since then, a dam has made the water at the site much deeper and the wreck is fully submerged. The 4-4-0 was of SP or UP origin, I forget which. The OP&E RR, operated for a time as a tourist RR after freight service ceased, has since been removed.

http://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/general.shtml
ryarger@rypn.org

Been a long time, but that scene where he is sitting and riding on the main rod it amazing.

Hollywood has been interested in trains for a lot of years!

Ted

ted_miles@nps.gov

> As a member of the "Damfinos", the International Buster Keaton Society, and a fan of "The General", I concur. Buster didn't get his athletic prowess naturally, but got his training early as part of his family's vaudeville act, starting at age 3. Part of the act was for his father, Joe Keaton, to twirl little Buster around and eventually toss him into the orchestra pit. No child abuse, as the kid was a real acrobat. Keaton was a railfan, and used trains in many of his films, including "Seven Chances", "One Week", and "Out West". One of Buster's last films in 1963 was a Film Board of Canada short called "The Railrodder", where Buster sightsees his way across Canada on a Fairmont speeder!

Buster Keaton was a very talented
> individual. I am amazed by the scene were he
> is on the pilot of the locomotive and throws
> a tie onto another tie which is across one
> rail and about half way in the gauge,
> striking the "ditch" end of the
> tie, knocking off the rail and clear of the
> oncoming locomotive. Imagine the what sort
> of gymnast he might have become with
> "professional" training! What
> natural dexterity and balance he possessed
> in additon to his perfect comic timing.

> Don C.


sbs5cats@kc.rr.com

>A great railfan and director like Buster Keaton always deserves a mention! And the Buster Keaton Society, the "Damfinos' has an annual festival the last week of September in Iola KS near where Buster was born. The films are usually scored by a wonderful Colorado Group, The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. The fest lasts from early Friday morning to late Saturday night. If you're in the area, check it out. Admission is always free for all films. Mont Alto has a website and sells CDs of their scores. We recently got to see Alloy do The General, and it was very different from what we were used to. Who would have dreamed that in the high tech world of 2004, we would still be watching LIVE performances of silent movies on the big screen, with a LIVE orchestra. Ain't it great?

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing the
> Buster Keaton classic "The
> General". You may have seen it before
> so 'big deal' you might say. What made it
> remarkable was seeing it in a movie theater
> on a BIG screen. What made it even more
> remarkable was having the score played live!

> A group called the "Alloy
> Orchestra" has composed a new score for
> The General and Steamboat Bill, Jr., among
> others. They are currently touring and I
> have listed a few upcoming dates below.
> Hopefully more "General" dates
> will be added.

> Feb. 6 & 7 - New York, NY Film Society
> at Lincoln Center Walter Reed Theater
> The BLACK PIRATE (3 shows)

> March 28 - Ozark Foothills Film Festival THE
> GENERAL

> April 23 - 5 - Champaign IL Roger Ebert's
> Overlooked Film Festival THE GENERAL

> May 2 - New York, NY Town Hall STEAMBOAT
> BILL, JR. and ONE WEEK

> May 29 - Great Barrington, MA Mahiwe Theater
> THE GENERAL

> Sorry for the off-topic post but it seeemd
> like something fellow RyPN'ers would enjoy.
> (the usual disclaimer about having no
> connection to the group or film apply)


sbs5cats@kc.rr.com

Some of the funniest Keaton / railroad stuff I have seen is the first half of a film called "OUR HOSPITALITY". Has anybody thought of building an evening of Keaton railroad films as a fund raiser?

dave


irondave@bellsouth.net

> Last night I had the pleasure of seeing the

HJebone,
I was wondering if you were monitoring this thread.....

Don C.

milw261@sbcglobal.net

Was the original "General" the locomotive used in this movie?

No, the original General is safe in Kennesaw, Georgia. The locomotives used were from predecessors of UP or SP, though I don't have the exact data. As mentioned before, the partial remains of the one wrecked on the burning trestle still lies in the Row River today, east of Cottage Grove, Oregon.

http://tesla.liketelevision.com/liketelevision/tuner.php?channel=845&format=movie&theme=guide
ryarger@rypn.org

> No, the original General is safe in
> Kennesaw, Georgia. The locomotives used were
> from predecessors of UP or SP, though I
> don't have the exact data. As mentioned
> before, the partial remains of the one
> wrecked on the burning trestle still lies in
> the Row River today, east of Cottage Grove,
> Oregon.
For pictures before and after see "Logging Railroads of the West", Kramer Adams, Bonanza, 1961 page 119.


davidwoodbury@adelphia.net