The 12th Annual Buster Keaton Blogathon–“The General” at the Hollywood Theatre, PDX 2.28.26

For this event, I decided to be a little unorthodox and write specifically about my experience seeing a screening of The General at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland, OR. Like The General, the Hollywood Theatre is also turning 100 years old this year. I am also a member of the Hollywood Theatre, and am able to attend many screenings for free or at a discount (it’s not entirely “free” I do pay monthly dues). I have already written about The General and its filming in Cottage Grove, OR. Read my article here.

The General has had multiple screenings at the Hollywood Theatre. I would have to imagine that it also screened at the theatre back in late 1926 or early 1927 when it originally came out. The Hollywood Theatre officially opened its doors on July 17, 1926. The General would start filming in Cottage Grove (about 125 miles south of Portland) about a month prior to the Hollywood Theatre’s grand opening. In the 100 years since The General‘s debut, the film has returned to the theater many times to celebrate special anniversaries for both the theater and the film–each time a sellout. I have to imagine that the film’s connection to Oregon is just one reason for it being a repeat screening–aside from just being a great movie! For the screening I attended on February 28th, The General was being screened as part of the Hollywood Theatre’s year-long celebration of its centennial.

The General was screened as part of the Hollywood Theatre’s regular series, “Pipe Organ Pictures.” Pipe Organ Pictures is put on as part of a collaboration with the Columbia River Theatre Organ Society (CRTOS). This group, made up of donors and volunteers, is devoted to restoring and promoting the theatre organ. the Hollywood Theatre happens to own a 1926 Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ–the only working theatre pipe organ in Oregon. It is quite a beautiful and unusual instrument. If you have the opportunity to attend a silent film screening with an accompanist playing a theater organ, I highly recommend it.

While I have seen The General at the Hollywood Theatre before (which was also put on by the CRTOS), this screening was particularly special–I was watching a 100-year old film, while sitting in a 100-year old theater, listening to a 100-year old theatre organ.

The Pipe Organ Picture screenings often start with organist Dean Lemire’s rendition of “Hooray for Hollywood!” and then a cartoon. I have to imagine that is done to add some runtime since silent films are often on the shorter side. Plus, who doesn’t want to see a 1919 Felix the Cat cartoon? However, for this particular screening, we were treated to a 1929 silent film, “John Makes Whoopee.”

Lemire explained that he selected this short because it was filmed in Oregon and depicts a young man who leaves his small rural home in Scappoose and heads to the big city of Portland. Scappoose is a small town on Highway 30 (connects Portland to Astoria, located where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean) located about 20 miles northwest of Portland. Even today, the town only has a population of 8200. John goes to Portland on foot. We can only imagine how long that took. When John arrives in Portland, he is seen downtown and later at an amusement park in Jantzen Beach (North Portland, located across the Columbia from Vancouver, Washington). This film was the cliche tale of the naive small town hick moving to the big bad city full of “wicked city women” (to borrow a line from an episode of I Love Lucy). John, of course, is quickly fleeced out of all his money by a woman and has to return home to Scappoose. Undetered however, he vows to return.

Next, it was time for the main feature, The General. Organist Dean Lemire performed his original score while the packed house (384 seats) watched intently, as Buster Keaton took on the Union soldiers in his train engine, “The General.” Cottage Grove, OR stood in for the small Confederate town of Marietta, Georgia. Usually I have to deal with some annoying talkers, people who can’t sit still, or people who eat popcorn so loudly they sound like they’re inhaling the bag. However, during this screening, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop (to borrow a cliche), except when it was time to laugh at Buster’s stunts, facial expressions, and comedy.

One particular stunt of Buster’s gained spontaneous applause–the scene where he rides on the front of the engine while trying to get loose railroad ties off the track before his engine hits them and risks derailing. That scene was apparently very dangerous to film and it looks dangerous. Another scene that people loved was the famous bridge collapse.

I have attended multiple Buster Keaton screenings at the Hollywood and they’re always a hit. In fact, a month after The General screening, I saw The Cameraman which was also a packed house and received very well. I’ve also seen Our Hospitality, One Week, Sherlock Jr, and The Navigator and all of them were hits. While I’m not the biggest silent film person (nothing against them, I just haven’t seen a ton), I do love the silent film comedians–especially Keaton. It is exciting to see that even 100 years later, Keaton still sells out the house and still captivates moviegoers of all ages–even children who famously have touble being quiet and staying still. Kids can’t keep their eyes off Buster Keaton. I often see conversations about introducing children (and adults) to silent and classic film, and what makes a good gateway film. I’d like to recommend The General.