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      The Butcher Boy

      1917 30m Comedy List
      Reviews 50% Fewer than 50 Ratings Audience Score Buster Keaton is an unruly customer in Fatty Arbuckle's store. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      William D I watched this for Keaton, but Arbuckle was a very funny guy too. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/13/23 Full Review sean l Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton (in his first-ever film role) square off and ruin a humble neighborhood grocery in this early 20th century silent comedy. Arbuckle works the meat counter, carelessly flinging knives and beef slabs around the room whilst wooing the shopkeep's daughter, and Keaton tests his cinematic sea legs as a wiry customer with a pail needing molasses. The story couldn't be more rudimentary - it's just a troupe of well-versed vaudevillians, riffing on an idea - but the marquee names have strong chemistry right off the bat and that carries it a long way. The second reel, set in a girls-only boarding school with the big man disguised by a frilly dress, is more manic but less reliably entertaining. Legend has it that Keaton nailed all his scenes on the very first take, unheard-of at the time, which got his foot in the door and earned him repeat roles in several future Arbuckle comedies. Curious in a historical sense, still good for a number of light laughs, but the storytelling is limited and the picture quality (even in the restored edition) is pretty rough. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Butcher Boy

      The Butcher Boy (1917) The Butcher Boy (1917) The Butcher Boy (1917) The Butcher Boy (1917) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

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      Variety Staff Variety Arbuckle juggling with the accessories of the country store where he is an important factor... is done in such a serious, earnest way the comic effect is all the more forceful. May 11, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Buster Keaton is an unruly customer in Fatty Arbuckle's store.
      Director
      Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
      Screenwriter
      Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Joseph Anthony Roach
      Production Co
      Comique Film Company
      Genre
      Comedy
      Original Language
      English
      Runtime
      30m