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The High Sign - Wikipedia

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The High Sign
Buster gives the titular "high sign"
Directed by	Edward F. Cline Buster Keaton
Written by	Edward F. Cline Buster Keaton
Produced by	Joseph M. Schenck
Starring	Buster Keaton Bartine Burkett Charles Dorety Al St. John
Cinematography	Elgin Lessley
Edited by	Buster Keaton
Distributed by	Metro Pictures
Release date	April 12, 1921 (1921-04-12)
Running time	21 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	Silent film English (original) intertitles

The High Sign is a 1921 two-reel silent comedy film starring Buster Keaton, and written and directed by Keaton and Edward F. Cline. Its runtime is 21 minutes. Although One Week (1920) was Keaton's first independent film short released, The High Sign was the first one made. Disappointed with the result, Keaton shelved it and the film was not released until the following year. The title refers to the secret hand signal used by the film's underworld gang.

Plot

Full short

Keaton plays a drifter who cons his way into working at an amusement park shooting gallery. Believing Keaton is an expert marksman, both the murderous gang the Blinking Buzzards and the man they want to kill end up hiring him. The film ends with a wild chase through a house filled with secret passages and trap doors.

Cast

Buster Keaton - Our Hero (as 'Buster' Keaton)
Bartine Burkett - Miss Nickelnurser (uncredited)
Ingram B. Pickett - Tiny Tim (tall villain) (uncredited)
Charles Dorety - Drunk (uncredited)
Al St. John - Man in target practice (uncredited)

Production

The High Sign was Keaton's first independent production.^[1] In contrast to the "violent slapstick" of the films he had made with Fatty Arbuckle, this short film evinces the "dry and quiet comedy style" which would become Keaton's trademark.^[1]

The climactic chase scenes inside the house take place on a split-level, cutaway set with revolving wall panels, trap doors, and hidden corridors in all the rooms.^[1] Filming took place at the studios of the Comique Film Corporation recently vacated by Arbuckle.^[2] Keaton also began working with Arbuckle's former cinematographer Elgin Lessley and technical director Fred Gabourie, who remained with him until he signed with MGM in 1929.^[2]

Release

Though Keaton completed The High Sign a year earlier, he delayed its release because he felt it too closely mimicked Arbuckle's style; he also "thought the gags were too ridiculous and clever for their own sake".^[1] The High Sign was released April 4, 1921. At that time, Keaton had broken his ankle while filming the first version of The Electric House and his company needed to market a new film.^[1]

Contemporary soundtracks

Guitarist Bill Frisell released a soundtrack to the film in 1995 on his album The High Sign/One Week.^[3] The Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra premiered its new score for the film in 2008. Carl Davis composed an original score in 2017.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Keaton & Vance 2001, pp. 66–7.
^ ^a ^b Eagan, Daniel (2009). "One Week" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
^ Griffith, JT (2021). "Bill Frisell: High Sign/One Week". AllMusic. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
^ "Carl Davis". Faber Music. 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.

Sources

Keaton, Eleanor; Vance, Jeffrey (2001). Buster Keaton Remembered. Harry N. Abrams Inc. ISBN 9780810942271.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The High Sign.

Senses of Cinema article on The High Sign
The High Sign at IMDb
The 'High Sign' on YouTube
The High Sign at the International Buster Keaton Society
‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› The High Sign at AllMovie
The High Sign is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive

v t e Buster Keaton
Filmography
Shorts (1917–1923)	The Rough House One Week Convict 13 The Scarecrow Neighbors The Haunted House Hard Luck The High Sign The Goat The Playhouse The Boat The Paleface Cops My Wife's Relations The Blacksmith The Frozen North The Electric House Day Dreams The Balloonatic The Love Nest
Feature films	Three Ages Our Hospitality Sherlock Jr. The Navigator Seven Chances Go West Battling Butler The General College Steamboat Bill, Jr. The Cameraman Spite Marriage
Shorts (1934–1937) (for Educational Pictures)	The Gold Ghost Allez Oop Tars and Stripes Grand Slam Opera Blue Blazes Mixed Magic Love Nest on Wheels
Works about	The Buster Keaton Story (1957) Buster Keaton Rides Again (1965) Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (1987) The Great Buster: A Celebration (2018) Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life (2022)
Miscellaneous	The Buster Keaton Show (1950) Go West: Music for the Films of Buster Keaton (1995) The High Sign/One Week (1995) International Buster Keaton Society