Impossible Gags From the Famous Actor Buster Keaton
Silent film
"I was mad at the time, or I would never have done the thing." — Buster Keaton.
Buster Keaton was a master of the “impossible gag,” a visual comedy that defies the laws of physics and logic.
These gags were often visually stunning and physically dangerous, and they helped to make Keaton one of the most popular and influential comedians of all time.
One of Keaton’s most famous impossible gags is the diving board gag from the 1921 film Hard Luck. In this scene, Keaton tries to impress a woman by diving off a high diving board.
However, the board is attached to a crane, which is slowly lifting it out of the water.
As Keaton dives, the board rises higher and higher, until he is eventually dangling hundreds of feet in the air.
The gag is visually stunning and physically dangerous, as Keaton could have easily been injured if he had fallen.
Another famous impossible gag from Keaton’s films is the train scene from Sherlock Jr. (1924).
