The Garage (1920 film)
| The Garage | |
|---|---|
 Newspaper advertisement for the film. | |
| Directed by | Fatty Arbuckle |
| Written by | Jean C. Havez |
| Starring | Fatty Arbuckle Buster Keaton |
| Cinematography | Elgin Lessley |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date | January 11, 1920[1] |
Running time | 25 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Garage is a 1920 American short comedy film starring Buster Keaton and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. It was directed by Arbuckle himself. The film was also known as Fire Chief. This was the fourteenth film starring the duo. The film also stars Luke the Dog who starred in many other short comedies starring Keaton and Arbuckle.
Plot
Two men who work as both automobile mechanics and firemen operate a garage in a fire station. A car has been left for them to clean, but they destroy it instead. In the second half of the film, Roscoe and Keaton have been called to a fire, but it turns out to be a false alarm. When they return, they find their own fire station on fire.
The film is available on DVD, as part of the "Arbuckle and Keaton Collection".
Cast
- Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle - Mechanic / Fireman
- Buster Keaton - Mechanic / Fireman
- Molly Malone - Garage Owner's Daughter
- Harry McCoy
- Dan Crimmins - (as Daniel Crimmins)
- Luke the Dog - The Mad Dog
- Alice Lake - Undetermined Role (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Product placement
The favorable review of this movie by the weekly trade publication Harrison's Reports was followed by the statement
- "Exhibitors of Los Angeles might ask Mr. Arbuckle how much he received for advertising Red Crown gasoline, handled by almost every Oil Station in their city. The trade mark of that product appears in numerous scenes on the portable gasoline pump. If he states it was an oversight, it would be well to caution him to avoid such oversights in the future."[2]
Brand name product placement in movies may have occurred before the 1920s, but this is the earliest movie cited by Harrison's Reports for that practice. For the next four decades, Harrison's Reports frequently denounced product placement.
See also
- List of American films of 1920
- Fatty Arbuckle filmography
- Buster Keaton filmography
- List of firefighting films
References
- ^ Knopf, Robert (2 August 1999). The Theater and Cinema of Buster Keaton. Princeton University Press. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-691-00442-6. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
- ^ Harrison's Reports; 17 January 1920, page 9.
External links
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