Day Dreams

The 1922 film Day Dreams is an American comedy short directed by Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline, starring Buster Keaton. It was Keaton’s ninth film with First National Pictures. The film features many of Keaton’s iconic stunts, including the famous hamster wheel stunt on the riverboat. The film runs for about 25 minutes.

Plot

The Young Man, played by Keaton, is helplessly in love with the Girl. When he arrives at her house to ask for her hand in marriage, the Girl’s Father disapproves of their union on account that the Young Man is not able to earn a decent living. Desperate to make her his wife, the Young Man states that he will prove he is able to earn a living or else he will commit suicide. The Girl’s Father agrees, and the Young Man sets out on a journey to discover his suitable place of employment.

Buster gracefully holding onto the back of a trolley car.

The Young Man takes on many odd jobs throughout the film including working in an animal hospital, as a street cleaner, and as a theatrical performer. While he writes back home telling of his accomplishments and success, his reality tells another story. The Young Man is unable to hold each job for long because of his tendency to cause disruption in the workplace and his inability to do anything right. After getting booted from his last job on the stage, the Young Man finds himself in an unexpected police chase. The Young Man runs throughout the city being chased by an increasing number of policemen before he ends up on a riverboat stuck in the paddlewheel, circling like a hamster until he is able to escape. Once his journey for a job is over, the defeated Young Man returns the Girl’s house ready to admit his failure and fulfill his end of the bargain. The Girl’s Father lends him his revolver but the Young Man once again fails to perform and misses in his attempt. The Girl’s Father then proceeds to push the Young Man out of the window, concluding the film.

Cast

Buster Keaton as The Young Man

Renée Adorée as The Girl

Edward F. Cline as The Theatre director

Buster inside the paddlewheel.

Joe Keaton as The Girl’s Father

Joe Roberts as The Mayor

George Rowe as Stagehand

Production

Scenes were filmed in San Fransisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles. The idea for the film is credited to Roscoe Arbuckle, and it was his first one after his reentrance into the world of film. Keaton decided on the film’s name, Day Dreams, because of his own tendency to daydream during pictures