The bridge collapse at 1:39 (from Buster Keaton's "The General") was the most expensive single shot in silent film history. The locomotive was real, and the bridge was built specifically for the movie. It cost about $42,000 in 1926 dollars, which, adjusted for inflation, would be about $618,000 today.

@lawrencelewis8105

3 жыл бұрын

That locomotive sat in that river until the 1940s when it was finally scrapped for the war effort.

@fredbloggs545

3 жыл бұрын

These days it would be in CGI and cost twice as much and look half as realistic.

@cartoonking461

3 жыл бұрын

Cgi is

@vincentmusic09

3 жыл бұрын

I wonder if the engine is still there. Probably not though

@fredbloggs545

3 жыл бұрын

@@vincentmusic09 Lawrence in his comment above states that it was scrapped for the war effort in the 1940s.

The great thing about these movies were it all came from the vaudeville era, where everything was on stage and either had to be 1:1 illusions or real. With the money to go outside and do the things they never could on stage, they really went nuts. And we have these gems of the cinema to show for it!

I like how silent movies and trains basically do what little kids do with trains

@benman1577

3 жыл бұрын

@@timoiivonen4334 yeah lol that was my favorite part of the video too

@willielarimer7170

3 жыл бұрын

The kids probably saw these old movies and had an aha moment, then proceeded to tear up their trains

@matthew_natividad

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah I always wished my train crashes were on that level

@jenkinsfamily2229

3 жыл бұрын

1000th like!

@ninmalaymathouchanh5534

3 жыл бұрын

Ozhuhhu

Buster Keaton was an absolute madlad. His stunts in The General were legendary. He drove that locomotive like a sports car.

@youneverknow111

3 жыл бұрын

whats more impresive is fact that all stunts are real

@PowerTrain611

3 жыл бұрын

@@youneverknow111 Exactly! You'll never see stunts like this again. So many OSHA violations...

@youneverknow111

3 жыл бұрын

@@PowerTrain611 dont know whats OSHA english isnt my first language,but i want belive there is a one who does do it for real

@PowerTrain611

3 жыл бұрын

@@youneverknow111 OSHA is a government agency that is supposed to make sure there are no workplace hazards here in the states. What movie does it for real though? You have my attention...

@youneverknow111

3 жыл бұрын

@@PowerTrain611 what about jackie chan doesnt he do his own stunts

What's mind-blowing (and NOT in a good way) is in some cases the trains weren't hired special for the movie - sometimes they literally went out and pulled these stunts with regularly scheduled passenger/freight service trains.

@DerpyPossum

3 жыл бұрын

imagine being in the Engineer’s situation when that happened.

@eligebrown8998

Жыл бұрын

That is scary

@thesisypheanjournal1271

Жыл бұрын

Yikes!

@draugnaustaunikunhymnphoo6978

Жыл бұрын

That's awesome!

@ham_gaming4850

Жыл бұрын

Padssangers be like WTF

2:27 Imagine going to see "Fast and Furious" and finding out in the cinema it's the 1924 film.

@springpondnc

3 жыл бұрын

Would be way better. Imagine trying today to find the 1924 version restored on dvd and finding nothing but page after page of gay modern fast and furious stuff.

@dimdaz8811

3 жыл бұрын

@@springpondnc pfft lmao

@briangonigal3974

3 жыл бұрын

Imagine Vin Diesel or Dwayne Johnson actually doing any one of the insane, real life, no-safety-net stunts shown here. I sure can’t.

@1alien2

3 жыл бұрын

But would Hector have a turbo for a Missouri Pacific 1110 Baldwin?

@kurtb8474

3 жыл бұрын

when men were men and women were women and we really liked that arrangement.

This really changes the meaning of “practical”.

@billperron2

2 жыл бұрын

So cool. Like this inspired funny video......kzread.info/dash/bejne/dah3lZOtZcvTeZM.html

I guess back then when they were only starting entertainment trains crashing into stuff was what sells lol. Still entertaining now though. Some of thoose stunts were pretty mental too

@Wolfshead009

3 жыл бұрын

For a time, it was a thing to stage two steam engines crashing into each other.

@MrYfrank14

3 жыл бұрын

yes, back when steam trains were popular they used to crash the junk trains into each other at fairs and charge admission. sometimes the boiler would explode and spectators would die, but everybody loved the show. we haven't evolved much from the coliseum in ancient Rome.

@disillusionedrightest7313

3 жыл бұрын

@@MrYfrank14 "How was the fair?" "Oh! It was great! We got to see jugglers, play games, I won a stuffed bear, Bill won a hat, Dan and some of his friends died in a train explosion and there was an Elephant!" "Great! So pretty much the same as last year?" "Ya!"

@hedgehog3180

3 жыл бұрын

Given that trains were the main mode of transport for everyone and trains were basically everywhere seeing trains crash into stuff was probably great. Especially because everyone was very well aware of just how destructive they could be. It's similar to how we love explosions today.

@MrYfrank14

3 жыл бұрын

@@hedgehog3180 - agreed. And, i assume, the automotive demolition derby of thier day. If somebody crashed two steam trains together today, i would pay admission to watch.

*Ok, that's real action!* 🤯

@moviestim

3 жыл бұрын

And people think Silent films were boring SMH.

@johnnyrocket6588

3 жыл бұрын

I just saw you on literally the last video I just watched .

@johnnyrocket6588

3 жыл бұрын

It was watchdog caught digging hole, but styles it out.

@dylanpickersgill2088

3 жыл бұрын

Atleast we know they cant fake it

@TekeandFrinds

3 жыл бұрын

everthing on rails gone

These actors showing literally the middle finger to CGI .

@AR-zq9hq

3 жыл бұрын

How many of them lived to see CGI though?

@jsl151850b

3 жыл бұрын

Not sure if it was the middle finger that Harold Lloyd lost in a stunt.

@kleetus92

3 жыл бұрын

Amazing what happens when you have skill.

@emilyadams3228

3 жыл бұрын

@@kleetus92 And aren't chickenshit.

@Rigel_Chiokis

3 жыл бұрын

Impossible to show the finger to something that didn't exist at the time. That would be like watching a 1920's movie with a crank telephone and saying they were giving the finger to smart phones! Pure nonesense. They did what they did because a) there was no other way to do it and b) they didn't have safety regulations and insurance policies to contend with.

Buster Keaton is so great.

It does make me wonder how many actors died during this era of film making

@vishveshtadsare3160

3 жыл бұрын

A lot

@cerveraoliver

3 жыл бұрын

So many it was needed a train to carry them. Wait a minute...

@fryncyaryorvjink2140

3 жыл бұрын

There's a clip of 2 trains crashing head on, not from a film but at a festival. Several people died from shrapnel, everyone else rushed in for souvenirs(shrapnel)

@gilbert3672

3 жыл бұрын

@Dewitt Leslie what

@Vino3437

3 жыл бұрын

@@vishveshtadsare3160 That’s a lie. No back than not many people died as stuntman’s. Actually most of stunts shown here are from Buster Keaton. An actor like Buster Keaton or Harold Loyd knew what they were doing. Lots of people were very athletic in comparison to us, because they did not spend 90% of their lives sitting on chairs and inside buildings like we do. Im working in a climbing park and can’t believe what I’m seeing. Lots of 10 year olds can’t even climb 5 meters because they are scared while a healthy average human could easily climb a tree back than. Surely Busters stunts are amazing but we are effeminate nowadays.

I remember back in the 1980s, watching a documentary about Buster Keaton's The General. An old lady was talking about watching the scene where the Union engine runs over the bridge and it falls down. The film crew had placed a dummy in the engine cab, but it fell forward so realistically, the local townspeople watching though a REAL stuntman had been killed and several people screamed and fainted.

Me: minding my business in the 1920s Train: rams all of my belongings out of existence

@bettypogue5687

3 жыл бұрын

You made the mistake of building your house on a rail road

@BlueEdgeTechno

3 жыл бұрын

@@bettypogue5687 No they made a mistake of building rail road through his/her house.

@smg5-stitchproductions312

3 жыл бұрын

@@BlueEdgeTechno SHUT

@josephcarson8382

3 жыл бұрын

back then, the iron horse could destroy anything you wanted it to, we should have cleared the tunnels by forcing trains through mountains

@purpleapple4052

3 жыл бұрын

bitch im a train

I just love buster keaton, salute to him for making such great films.

These American locos were really huge compared to Europe ones.

@robtyman4281

3 жыл бұрын

....but European ones were faster! ....they still are 😉

@ramiroalvares3964

3 жыл бұрын

@@robtyman4281 American locos were mainly made for pulling long trains and heavy loads, there's still a couple of there that were fast tho, but yeah, an european loco wouldn't be able to pull an usual length american train

@pressstart1490

3 жыл бұрын

Why competing guys? Who needs to compete? Aren't you train lovers?

@Gabriel-he6ih

3 жыл бұрын

But we can agree that both have their beauty

@danielr.l.mccullough600

3 жыл бұрын

*Spanish broad gauge entered the chat*

".....back when they didn't have to get insurance on their actors......" That's probably a more accurate title. Some real gutsy stunts they pulled off back in the day. I recall a few gutsy stunts from an old movie called "It's a mad, mad, mad world".

@ximono

3 жыл бұрын

It's a mad, mad, mad movie

@paul9156c

3 жыл бұрын

My favorite stunt in that movie was when stunt supervisor Carey Loftin kicked the bucket for Jimmy Durante as Smiler Grogan.

@donaldpowers5557

3 жыл бұрын

Or the EPA. AND Karens

@jdraven0890

3 жыл бұрын

I think one of the stuntwomen on that movie was permanently paralyzed. The Cannonball Run movies were nuts and people were injured on that set, too I'm pretty sure.

@callum1651

3 жыл бұрын

Kinda like horse racing nowadays, it was just accepted that you might not go home from work today

The most amazing part is that these are all the real deal. No stunt doubles, no green screens, no wires, and no second takes. These people are not only pioneers in cinema, they are rock stars. The world will never experience anything like them again. Thanks so much for putting together this amazing tribute.

@hebneh

Жыл бұрын

There were definitely stunt doubles in some of these clips. They were well established in movies very early on.

@awsomevideoperson

Жыл бұрын

I'm pretty sure some are done in reverse as well

And they say modern practicle effects are impressive. Christopher Nolan's got nothing on Charlie Chaplin!

@valeriataylor8337

3 жыл бұрын

They say it? I find modern effects absolutely boring and not exciting. It must be because it is drawn in a computer

@juanperonistaradical

3 жыл бұрын

Yeap

That scene from “The General,” when the trestle over a gorge gives way, is a classic. The film is set in the southeast, but it was shot in Cottage Grove, Oregon.

When actors had nerves of steel, balls of brass, hard as nails, and horses made of iron.

@roh5876

3 жыл бұрын

You forgot their 'Iron will', and 'Hearts of gold'.

@BlueEdgeTechno

3 жыл бұрын

Tom cruise has entered the chat.

@flyingporker100

3 жыл бұрын

And heads full of concrete.

@FishbedMyBeloved

Жыл бұрын

​@@BlueEdgeTechno I think in his case he had more of an aluminum dragon than an iron horse.

@itwasaliens

Жыл бұрын

Or in Busters case, no will to live anymore.

The fact that they managed to make trains destroying houses is mind blowing.

Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, and Charlie Chaplin all suffered serious injury throughout their careers performing stunts. Fun to watch, but deadly serious stuff for them!

Those stunts are actually cool, no special effects or fireworks explosion bullshittery just crude destruction.

Not a trick, not a computer... Great stuntman...

'The Wrecker', shown at 1:34, was based on a play by Arnold Ridley who played the part of Private Godfrey in 'Dad's Army'. He created the genre of people going missing on trains.

Buster Keaton was so good in these movies

Loved the way Fatty Arbuckle boarded that caboose. That was good timing.

@modelrailpreservation

3 жыл бұрын

He was what I call "Acrofatic". Big, but agile.

@digimaks

3 жыл бұрын

That was crazy! Considering the speed- you can yank your elbow or shoulder joint!

@SkippertheBart

3 жыл бұрын

Scratching a match on a passing box car to light his cigar was pretty badass.

@bobsmith2637

3 жыл бұрын

the curved handrails on cabooses were specifically designed to ease getting on at fairly high speeds. start by grabbing the leading end and it pulls you up. back then getting on and off moving equipment was just a normal part of working on the railroad, and at slower speeds it still is today in many places

@jackmorrison7379

2 жыл бұрын

The one trick they did have was altering frame per second during filming. In less technical terms the actual recording was done with the train moving slower than you see on playback. But as any railroader will tell you, hobos board stopped trains on sidings and yards or when going real slow.

Seeing stuff like this really makes me wish we'd get movies with a bit more IRL stunts like these.

Fun fact: These stunts aren't that crazy. In the scenes where actors appear to actually be in harms way, the train and the actor are both moving slowly because the camera is filming at low speed and will be returned to regular speed after. There is still an element of danger, but the actor is relatively safe. Objects that the trains hit are built to break away (those cars smash spectacularly, but they come apart a little TOO easily.).

@user-bg6iu3hg2v

2 жыл бұрын

"The actors moving slow" what? Did they jump "slowly".

@misterwhyte

Жыл бұрын

@@user-bg6iu3hg2v If you look closely you'll see the jumps are unnaturally fast at times, precisely because they were sped up. Not all of these were done at low speeds, but most were. Our ancestors weren't that crazy haha. Still impressive nonetheless.

@fredneecher1746

Жыл бұрын

@@misterwhyte Buster Keaton was meticulous in calculating how his stunts would play out. But even with the best of preparations, the real thing - especially while acting to camera - was a pretty hairy thing to do.

@straybullitt

Жыл бұрын

The cameramen filming from the roof of the train at :33 would disagree with you....

@Drottninggatan2017

Жыл бұрын

What about the smoke and dust? Was that moving slowly to? I think it was done at normal speed. A bit slower than what we see now because they tend to play back old films too fast.

This is the definition of life without limits

0:59 I remember seeing this on the Shining Time Station episode "Happy Accidents".

Stunt people back in those days were absolutely INSANE!!!

@Milesco

3 жыл бұрын

You can say that again! It's NUTZ!

@Shaker626

3 жыл бұрын

They just had some balls

@chrisrobinson3494

3 жыл бұрын

@@Shaker626 ....instead of brains

@robwilde855

3 жыл бұрын

@@chrisrobinson3494 No. Balls AND brains. TWO advantages over modern man...

@chrisrobinson3494

3 жыл бұрын

@@robwilde855 Jumping/driving in front of a speeding train, with NO room for error, indicates either that nothing's going on upstairs, or something's SERIOUSLY gone wrong upstairs!

2:26 God Damn, I guess the Fast and Furious franchise had to go back in time to come up with original ideas

@1alien2

3 жыл бұрын

Have to change his name from Diesel to Vin Steam 😉

Movie actors of the 1920s: Jumping from moving trains. Movie actors of the 2020s: Jumping on little boys.

@mikebetts2046

3 жыл бұрын

1920's Hollywood; how do you separate the men from the boys? See who can perform the most daring stunt or toss a one hundred pound railroad tie with ease. Modern day Hollywood; how do you separate the men from the boys? With crow bars.

@fryncyaryorvjink2140

3 жыл бұрын

These modern actors sound a lot like your priests

Man that guy has some moves - does a 180 right up onto the Caboose! That guy "dancing" on top of the cars right in front of the tunnel - that's just nuts!

Eternal glory to those brave and ingenious early film-makers

everyone: lets park our houses and cars on a train track

@HodhodBeingFilmy

3 жыл бұрын

Same thoughts🤣

@callum1651

3 жыл бұрын

Wait you guys don't live in houses built on train tracks?

I like the guys on top of the railcars as the trains are rolling!

“The risk I took was calculated, and man am I bad at math”

I believe Buster Keaton was once quoted as saying: “a train is a great prop.” Or something along those lines. A lot of his silent films are proof of that.

Great compilation. If you ever tweak it, could add some scenes from Keaton's Our Hospitailty 1923. which had the stagecoach train (Stephenson's Rocket) and a great gag involving rocks and firewood

@riverraisin1

3 жыл бұрын

That scene is on KZread. It's completely wild to watch.

Always loved Roscoe casually lighting his cigarette on the train ♥️

So glad buster keatons the general showed up on this. My favorite silent movie.

This was fantastic to watch!

Safety for the actors lives probably was down the list.

Awesome, thanks for putting this together! Excellent film history!

And in this great old tradition, Christopher Nolan got an old jet that was being send to be scrapped and drove it into a warehouse for Tenet. It was actually the cheapest and easiest way to film that scene.

1:16 just DECIMATED that semaphore

@kleetus92

3 жыл бұрын

I had to look, yeah, dented the pole and took it off the moorings for sure!

This... this is awesome. While a few are somewhat common, or even actual rail practice, the vast majority are insane, and awesome

Thanks for this…I’m Helen Holmes’ Great Grandson. She did suffer several injuries through the years filming Hazards Of Helen, but she enjoyed a great career

That was an excellent editing of astonishing stunts. Very well done.

No doubt these were stunning stunts. Some look as though they just 'did it'. But some of them were carefully constructed. Where you see a car running across the front of the locomotive, they actually tied a rope to the front of the car and to the back of the train via a series of pulleys and of course the train pulled the car across the front of it. Nonetheless, far more entertaining than CGI.

@catfish552

3 жыл бұрын

The first one looks like it's stop motion.

@Ark_3311

3 жыл бұрын

@@catfish552 That's because it was like 15 FPS

How come silent movies from 75+ years ago can be better then some of the movies today

@mrdanforth3744

3 жыл бұрын

The people in charge of the movie industry today......

Buster Keaton, you absolute legend.

Gotta love Buster Keaton

Man imagine if we actually had sound of these, wouldn't it make everything different more relatable?

@fredneecher1746

Жыл бұрын

Nope.

@zeltzamer4010

Жыл бұрын

What

the 1 & only sir buster keaton Hatts off

"Cool life expectancy you got there!"

Thank you, that was a wonderful collection.

This is the most dangerous shit I've ever seen wtf

The REAL legends of film,they make the current crop of action heroes look like real weiners,they were absolutely fearless by the look of it,I'm in awe of them!....😳😳😳😳

@thomassommerfeld8494

3 жыл бұрын

I can see Keaton and all the others laughing at the "action heroes" of today letting their jobs do by stunt doubles and/ or CGI

@TheDankEngineer

3 жыл бұрын

@@thomassommerfeld8494 Well, to be honest, there are several promising stars just like Keaton that died in stunts

@robtyman4281

3 жыл бұрын

Very true. They ALL did their own stunts - no 'stunt people' involved. What's more, there really was NO margin for error - if you made a mistake or slipped you'd probably die. These stunts were literally life or death. Crazy and horrifying to think of now, in our 'Health & Safety' obsessed society.

@TheDankEngineer

3 жыл бұрын

@@robtyman4281 "in our 'Health & Safety' obsessed society." You're talking about that like it's a bad thing, Do you think having families torn apart (sometimes literally) over unsafe work practices was good

@emilyadams3228

3 жыл бұрын

@@TheDankEngineer1. "My dad died when I was 12, but he was a fuckin badass. 30 years later, I'm still learning from what he taught me." 2. "My dad lived to be 90, but he was a pussy. I learned everything there was to know about being a man from the guy Mom was boning cos Dad was a pussy." Choose one, wisely.

I have seen 10 of the 15 films on that list, in their entirety... Used to know a collector. Have seen clips of a couple more of 'em. Love the silents!

My goodness, what spectacular and dangerous stunts !

There were a lot fewer lawyers back in the good all days

No CGI in those days, they actually risked life and limb to entertain and amuse their audience. They certainly earned their money.

Incredible footage! Thanks for sharing. 👍

I'd like to imagine the actors just going: Holy shit that train almost killed me! Wait, aren't I getting paid an actual good amount of money for this? I guess it's worth it then.

It's worth noting some of these still had safety measures. The first one was shot backwards, And a lot of Silent Films were undercranked anyways, so what you're seeing is a sped up version. Don't get me wrong, they were geniuses, but they also weren't idiots.

I guess the movie's in the past were made without the agendas of people, that's probably why they had good storylines and were a great entertainment.

@digimaks

3 жыл бұрын

BINGO!

@FallingPicturesProductions

3 жыл бұрын

Eh, quality of storytelling in films back then weren't significantly better or worse then they are now. We just only recall and see good and/or unique works from the time and everything else fades from public memory, made worse by how much film from that era has been lost.

@deeznoots6241

3 жыл бұрын

Fucking lol, look at Charlie Chaplains work if you think silent era movies never had ‘agendas’ fucking dumbass.

It's cool to see in some of these clips inspiring other train clips. For instance, the "sidecar gag".

Buster Keaton often imitated, never equaled

What on earth is that music! It’s nice!

@smg5-stitchproductions312

3 жыл бұрын

It's horses and trains song Search it you'll be going nostalgic Let's see how many subs can I get from this comment ...? Current : 76

Ironic they live on 100 years later in a medium they couldn’t have imagined. 1:27 jumping off the bike to the train yikes.

@Ghostwritersinthesky

3 жыл бұрын

what will their offspring say, to see their ancestors in those movies 100years later in the internet ? that would be i think like what these actors would have thought back then about it, if they knew.

Those guys had giant balls of steel!

These clips are what kids make with trains and I love it

As a train myself I can confirm this

@Titancameraman3475

Жыл бұрын

I agree

Millennial's: "The suicide rate has increased in the last century because of cyberbullying and bad parenting." Silent movies: "What if we almost got hit by a train but in real life?"

@user-sf4fy8bq1h

3 жыл бұрын

...what?

@TimSlee1

3 жыл бұрын

@@user-sf4fy8bq1h You wouldn't get it..

@Enzoxvx

3 жыл бұрын

@@TimSlee1 10/10 comment

@metalgear6531

3 жыл бұрын

Shut the fuck up boomer

@metalgear6531

3 жыл бұрын

@@RjBenjamin353 Oooh what's the matter, snowflake? Did I trigger you with my differing opinion? Do you need to go cry in your safe space? I thought you were a big strong red blooded american who didn't get so easily triggered (^;

Man that must have been great publicity for the Santa Fe

The timing was amazing.

wow... impressive!

Imagine having 300k dollars just to throw away for a train to be derailed at any time

Can we just take a minute to respect 1:06 -ish. That was a perfect step up onto that caboose.

All you have to do is safety last .......... Buster Keaton got balls of steel. His stunts are way ahead with splendid imagination.

These people were the parents of the greatest generation - WW2 heroes. We are so soft today. Never take any real chances. Living like this made them physically AND mentally tough. We need people like this today!

@adisanayaka1337

2 жыл бұрын

@Lazys The Dank Engineer No.. there are much more sluts and pimps today.. people have been degraded so much..

@tabsntoot

Жыл бұрын

Yet most died before 70

Google translate 2021 --> 1921 "I got that on camera lol, this is going on KZread." | V Oh, bully! What a thrill! I certainly captured this occasion on the old aeroscope, this is definitely going with the other reels!

True Heroes not Crying Babies Thank You For Your Hard Works Lovely Pioneers.

It’s amazing how they all lived during and after these stunts.

Better and actually realistic action and stunts than any James Cameron movie.

0:36 those are Pacific Electric tracks.

No stunt double can live up to this.

Nicely done. A couple clips, I’ve never seen before. I’ve seen many.

The Southern Pacific R.R. deserves a credit too. I saw a lot of Espee engines in this video.

Wow... Those stunts were incredibly dangerous... No way anything like that would be done today without a dozen stunt-doubles, liberal use of green-screen and at least 85% CGI.

Very nice. Thanks for running the credits too.

Buster Keaton is da MAN! 👍🏼🤪

Train scenes. The epic car chases of the 20's

I wish I had the energy to move that fast

@Ghostwritersinthesky

3 жыл бұрын

They didnt move that fast in real, the recording is played back to fast, if you slow it down, the moves become fast like in real.

@sterlingstauffer2915

3 жыл бұрын

Systemkritiker i know it was sarcasm

The sheer amount of things that could have gone wrong...

I love this i wish we had such stuff nowadays