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Steamboat Willie vs Steamboat Bill

In this post I will compare Disneys first released Mickey Mouse cartoon to Buster Keatons Steamboat Bill Jr., both released in 1928. Above: Walt Disney with Mickeys most famous scene from Steamboat Willie (picture is from a later date).

Recently Ive been watching more classic movies than ever, trying to get in touch with some of that inspiration those great animation artists from the 1920s and on. Talkies or features with sound were only introduced in 1927 with the release of The Jazzsinger, which is still credited as the first feature film with synchronised sound, althought Im pretty sure there were several other projects before with sound added to film, but they might not have been so succesful.

The fact that earlier movies didnt have any dialogues pushed the actors to create a much more physical and expressive performance, which must have made a real impact on the early animators. Actors in the movies back then had to make sure that the audience understood what was going on without saying a single word. Can you imagine, for example, a Woody Allen movie today without any sound? Its a real challenge! After talkies had made their debut, silent actors were having much trouble keeping their careers going. They had to tone down their presence and learn dialogues, which was completely the opposite of the way they had crafted their style for so long. Most of them learned the hard way, that they were from a different era. The ones that did make the transition were the funny guys, the comedy stars, who were still able to pull off their tricks and keep producing movies that focussed primarily on their stunts and slapstick gags.

Steamboat Bill, Jr.

So, Ive been watching a lot of the Hal Roach library, mainly Laurel & Hardy shorts and early features (which were such a huge inspiration for Jack Hanna and Joe Barberas Tom & Jerry cartoons), and also Harold Lloyd and of course, Buster Keaton. Yesterday I was able to check out a pristine HD restoration of Keatons absolutely great 1928 silent film Steamboat Bill, Jr., which I have to admit had, I had never seen before. Steamboat Bill, Jr. was a hit back then and an inspiration for Up Iwerks and the rest of the animators working on Disneys earliest Mickey Mouse cartoons. Disney was working hard on his third Mickey cartoon, after Plane Crazy and The Gallopin Gaucho (Disneys first two silent Mickeys) had failed to find a distributor, when it was decided to add sound to the short. The addition of synchronised sound provided by Pat Powers Cinephone system made all the difference and introduced movie goers to the first ever Mickey Mouse cartoon released.


Above: Steamboat Bill, Jr. was released to the theatre on May 12, 1928 and was a huge succes. Keaton was a star in those days, before his creative freedom was taken away and he became merely an actor in productions dictated by the studio heads at MGM, which ruined his career (Laurel and Hardy received the same treatment at the major studios after their break up with Hal Roach).


Above: Steamboat Willie premiered on November 18, 1928 at the Colony Theatre in New York, appearing in front of Gang War, a mediocre gangster film directed by Bert Glennon, starring Jack Pickford and Olive Borden.

Steamboat Bill vs Steamboat Willie.

Heres a comparison of Bill and Willie and an analysis of some of the similarities and differences between them. Remember, being able to hear sound while watching a movie was a great novelty at the time, something that had made all the difference for Disney while creating his cartoon shorts, so its no wonder that music would become the heart of so many of them (think of his Silly Symphonies shorts).  Also, Keaton himself was inspired to create his movie by the song Steamboat Bill, released in 1911 by the then popular recording artist Arthur Collins, who was pretty big between the 1890s and 1920s. The film has a wonderful funny and cleverly written story with strong characters, which was an enlightening experience for me, after seeing so many modern movies with completely over the top budgets and absolutely void of anything resembling a comprehensible screenplay. (Still images were taken from the newly digitally restored versions of both films).

Steamboat Willie was animated by Ub Iwerks, Les Clark, Johnny Cannon, Wilfred Jackson and Dick Lundy. Steamboat Bill, Jr. stars Buster Keaton, Tom McGuire, Ernest Torrence and Marion Byron.

KEATON: his film opens with a shot of the river, and of the two steamers that will be competing with each other on it: One is a brand new modern floating palace as the proud owner calls it himself, The other steamer is an oldie and not-so-goodie, called Stonewall Jackson which only has one more mate left on board, and the captain of course. The Arthur Collins song was also about a not-so-great boat trying to beat the record of the fastest steamer of the Mississippi, which was the Robert E. Lee, which had cost $ 200,000 Dollars to build, a huge sum of money back then. So the name Stonewall Jackson was Keatons spin on it. (Both Thomas Stonewall Jackson and General Robert E. Lee were high commanding officers of the confederate Southern army during the American civil war between 1861-1865).



KEATON: The main characters are introduced and the confrontation which will last for seventy minutes until the climatic final is immediately set. Here is the wealthy businessman J.J. King and his entourage, who already owns most of the town that is settled there, including the hotels and the bank (hence the name Keaton gave him). The captain of the other steamer, William Canfield a.k.a  Steamboat Bill and his last mate are also introduced. Theyre hardboiled oldschool kind of guys, without any money to do much needed repairs.


KEATON: Steamboat Bill receives a telegram that had been lying at the office for four days, it mentiones his son, who he hadnt seen since he was a child, but who promised to visit him once he finished school. He explains hell be easy to spot at the trainstation by wearing a white carnation (this set up leads to some very funny siyuations immedeately as Keaton is introduced in the picture as Bills son, as its mothers day and everyone in town is wearing the same flower. The text card showing Bills dialogue as he reads his much delayed message:


When Keaton arrives at the train station, hes carrying a large rectangular suitcase and a small guitar (also known as a Ukulele). His father is very disappointed to find his son has obviously turned into the creative/expressive type and has become completely the opposite of him and his mate.Willie is immediately taken into town to bolster his appearance. He is fitted for new cloths and gets a close shave. When Bill sees King laughing at him carrying the guitar, he smashes it with his foot. Check out the towns name, more about it below.



Above: Kitty King (played by comedy actress Marion Byron) arrives in River Junction, the town that plays host to this comedy/drama, where a young man finds himself having to choose between the affection of his girl and the respect of his father, where the succesful upperclass battle for honor with the working poor. Its all conflict and Willie is put right in the middle of it, not knowing which way to choose. There couldnt have been a better name for the arena Keaton picked for his dilemma. The mens feud never seizes to find closure and in the end, in an act of Deus ex Machina, the town is literally shredded to pieces as a huge hurricane passes. An excellent manifestation of an ancient plot trick from the old Greek, whos plays were ultimately unfolded by a one of their Gods appearing on stage, to unravel the conflicting story.

The town, to me, also symbolizes the passing of the silent era, and the coming of a new period of talking movies. You could even say it symbolizes Keatons own life, as this was his last picture where he had all control over every aspect of the movie. After this, his contract was sold to MGM, and he became an actor for hire and lost all control over the script and editing process.

KEATON: Willie is bullied by his father, the captain of the ship, several times. Mostly when Willie does something very stupid, yet very funny, almost ruining the old steamer at every turn. In this scene, Bill has been trying to show Willie how to run steamer, leading Willie to crash the old boat into J.J. Kings floating palace, which is docked straight behind them.



DISNEY: Mickey is bullied by Pegleg Pete (a.k.a Black Pete), the captain of the ship, several times. When Mickeys having fun at the wheel, whistling his tune for instance, Pete barks at Mick to stop playing games and do his duty.



KEATON: As it appeared, when Willie crashed the boat into Kings steamer, all his passengers on board fell to the ground, but most importantly, King himself, fell off the boat into the water, something Bill can appreciate greatly. Visibly enjoying himself, he grabs his pouch of chewing tobacco and even offers it to Willie, who doesnt want to pass up on this moment of male bonding with his father and takes a bite, but then faints after accidentally swallowing it.




DISNEY: Black Pete enjoys his rightful place at the wheel after barking orders at Mickey and kicking him down the stairs afterwards. He grabs his chewing tobacco and opens his mouth (and even his tooth) to spit. When the tobacco hits the ships bell behind him, hes having another good laugh. Afterwards, he tries to recreate this little stunt and ends up spitting himself in the face (on another note: watch the visible difference between the first bell, part of the painted background, and the animated one in the following images).





KEATON: Immediately after Willies chewing tobacco gag, the film cuts to a text card saying Eight bells and all is wrong (in the restored HD version even the sound of the ships bell heard eight times over the instrumental piano score). The following scene plays out at midnight.


In the old days, time aboard a ship was told by the number of times the ships bell was stricken. Traditionally people used a 30-minute hour glass to know when to strike, which was done in a pattern of eight bells, six times over each 24 hours. The eight bells signal was given at four and eight oclock, in the morning and afternoon, and at twelve oclock noon and midnight.

Willie has a romantic rendez-vous planned in the moonlight with Kitty, but is caught by Bill who takes away his clothes and puts him back to bed. Willie still manages to slip away, only to meet with similar circumstances aboard Kings steamer, displaying several more acrobatic stunt scenes Keaton was famous for (he always did all of his stunts himself, leading many to think that he actually was suicidal. During the making of one of his previous film Sherlock Jr. in 1924, he actually broke his neck while falling on the railroad track....) When Bill spies Willy trying to go aboard the King against his will, he feels betrayed and immediately arranges for him to return to Boston. The next morning Bill finds that King has managed to launch an investigation into the public safety of his steamer and that the Stonewall Jackson has been condemned in the meantime.

Leaving town all on his own, Willie almost walks into Kitty several times but int the end fails to say goodbye to her. Meanwhile his fathers fate grows darker by the minute. After starting a fight with King, he is thrown in jail. When Willie learns about this, he rips up his train tickets and decides to help his father. When Kitty finally meets him, she is unable to look him in the eye. He cant even speak to her. What ever they had, probably washed away in the storm, along with everything else in town.

A storm is coming, but Willie is decided to spring Bill from jail with a complete tool box baked into a loaf of bread. While the plan miserably fails, and Willie is carried away to the nearest hospital, the whole town is caught up in the hurricane. The docks are trashed along with Kings steamer and his shops in town and even the hospital where Willie is brought. Some great scenes here, which must have cost plenty, even in those days. Whole blocks of houses are torn apart, giving Keaton the opportunity to create his greatest stunt ever: A complete house falls on top of him right where he is standing, leaving him without a single scratch as hes standing exactly where the open window in the top of the building was, while it collapses around him.





Above: Check out the second image. In a single frame, barely visible but there it is: on the left side shows a rope is showing, pulling the front of the house completely down on Keaton. Remember, in the movie, this scene goes by really fast and takes just a second. Below are some frames from a following sequence where Willie grabs hold of some loose hanging threads to rescue himself in the hurricane. Unfortunately for him, theyre electrical wires. Early special effects, the electrical sparks are simply painted on top of the film cells.





Meanwhile, the whole jail slides off land and drifts down the river along with Bill in it, who is trying not to drown.

Okay, one more. Below you can see actrice Marion Byron playing Kitty King, caught on top of a house thats sliding across the river in the final climatic scene of the film. Shes screaming to get Willies attention. Willie throws an anchor her way and climbs across. Shes clearly happy to see him. After this, he uses the rope and anchor to bring Kitty aboard the Stonewall Jackson. Okay, so back up a little bit...Remember Minnie was late for Mickeys steamer and he still succeeded in getting her aboard? That scene was clearly inspired by this great final.













With Kitty in safety, Willie now turns his attention to his father, who is still in the local prison thats floating by in the river. Willie manages to get the steamer rolling all by himself and crashes the jail to save his dad from drowning. Aboard his boat, Bill is finally happy to meet Kitty for once, while Willie again uses the ropes to save Kittys father, whos trying to survive his floating palace, that has now sunk to the bottom of the river.

King climbs aboard the Jackson and everybody is happy. A final gag concludes the scene and the film as Willie, happy to be with Kitty again, leaves her and jumps off the ship to search for and save one last person. Willie returns with a priest to marry them. Among all the rubble of Kings luxury steamer and the completely ruined town, against all odds, and a bit to the contrary of Arthur Collins song, Bills old steamer is the only thing left in the end, and its still going strong!