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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 1458

Back Stage

191926 minUnited States
Comedy
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs
21:05
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Roscoe Arbuckle · Public domain

This copy runs shorter than the reference runtime. Editing and playback speed can differ between editions.

Synopsis

Stagehands struggle with temperamental performers while preparing a theatre show. When the entertainers refuse to appear, the backstage workers must become the act, improvising a performance for an audience already in its seats.

Cast

DirectorsRoscoe Arbuckle

Behind the scenes

Arbuckle, Keaton and Al St. John turn theatrical labour into onstage comedy. The film draws on the comedians' physical skills while exposing the machinery and quarrels usually hidden behind a performance.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 16, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

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