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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 178

Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Video edition
YouTube · Channel’s colorized edition
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs
70:24
Subtitles
English

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Synopsis

A struggling steamboat captain reunites with a son whose appearance disappoints his expectations. Rivalry with a newer vessel complicates the family encounter. The young man's ingenuity is tested when events overwhelm the river town and its carefully maintained divisions.

Cast

Behind the scenes

The film closed Keaton's independent production period. Its falling-house façade, which leaves him standing in an open window space, became one of silent comedy's most frequently recalled and imitated stunts.

Sources and availability

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Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

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Availability checked on September 10, 2026.

Photograph credit

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

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