Shawn Hall As part of my countdown to Silent Movie Day on September 29, I’m reviewing all 33 of Buster Keaton’s silent shorts from his first screen appearance in THE BUTCHER BOY (1917) to his final independent short, THE LOVE NEST (1923). To make this even more of a celebration, I want to get your thoughts on your favorite Buster Keaton short comedies.
I’m putting all 32 of Keaton’s surviving silent shorts into a March Madness-style tournament. Beginning August 30th, I’ll post two films every day for you to choose between on my YouTube Community page. Vote for whichever film you want to advance, and we’ll keep working our way through the bracket until only two films remain. The championship vote will take place on Silent Movie Day, September 29.
I seeded the films based on a combination of their popularity and ratings on Letterboxd and IMDb, but once the voting starts, none of that matters. If you think a #30 seed deserves to knock out a #3, vote for it!
How to Vote
I’ll post a poll every day from August 30th through September 29th at 12 p.m. ET on my YouTube Community page. After 24 hours of voting, the winner will advance to the next round. (NOTE: While you need a YouTube account to vote in the daily polls, you can email me at theeverydaycinephile@gmail.com with a filled-out bracket if you still want to participate.)
If you haven’t seen one of the films or just want a refresher before voting, I’m posting reviews of all of Keaton’s shorts on my YouTube & TikTok with a weekly roundup here on my blog. So watch all of Buster’s short films alongside me and follow my reviews to prepare for the tournament!
I’ll keep this page updated as the tournament progresses, so you can come back here to see the latest results and follow each film through the bracket. I hope that this tournament will give you an excuse to discover a few you may have missed!
Tournament Schedule
Round 1 — August 30–September 14
August 30 — #1 One Week vs. #32 The Rough House
August 31 — #16 The Paleface vs. #17 Out West
September 1 — #8 Convict 13 vs. #25 The Frozen North
September 2 — #9 The Electric House vs. #24 Coney Island
September 3 — #4 The Scarecrow vs. #29 His Wedding Night
September 4 — #13 Hard Luck vs. #20 The Love Nest
September 5 — #5 Neighbors vs. #28 The Hayseed
September 6 — #12 The Cook vs. #21 The Balloonatic
September 7 — #2 Cops vs. #31 The Butcher Boy
September 8 — #15 My Wife’s Relations vs. #18 The Bell Boy
September 9 — #7 The High Sign vs. #26 Moonshine
September 10 — #10 The Haunted House vs. #23 The Garage
September 11 — #3 The Goat vs. #30 Oh, Doctor!
September 12 — #14 Day Dreams vs. #19 The Blacksmith
September 13 — #6 The Boat vs. #27 Good Night, Nurse!
September 14 — #11 The Play House vs. #22 Back Stage
Round 2 — September 15–22
September 15 — One Week vs. The Paleface
September 16 — Convict 13 vs. Coney Island
September 17 — The Scarecrow vs. Hard Luck
September 18 — Neighbors vs. The Balloonatic
September 19 — Winner of Cops vs. The Bell Boy
September 20 — The High Sign vs. The Haunted House
September 21 — The Goat vs. Day Dreams
September 22 — The Boat vs. The Play House
Elite 8 — September 23–26
September 23 — One Week vs. Convict 13
September 24 — The Scarecrow vs. Neighbors
September 25 — Cops vs. The Haunted House
September 26 — The Goat vs. The Boat
Final Four — September 27–28
September 27 — One Week vs. The Scarecrow
September 28 — Cops vs. The Boat
Championship — September 29
September 29th (Silent Movie Day) — Championship Matchup
The winner will be announced September 30. Until then, happy Silent Movie Month!
