Behind the Scenes of The General

Buster spared no expense to make his comedy the most authentic he could. He was able to enlist the Oregon National Guard as extras for the soldiers in the battle scenes. The cost of filming the Texas plunging into the river was reported to be $42,000, a princely sum in 1926. The locomotive remained in the Row River for years and was quite a popular tourist attraction until it was pulled out for its scrap value during World War II. Buster stated later that a railroad was a "great prop. You can do some awful crazy things with railroads."

Unfortunately, upon its release, The General did not find favor among the critics of the day. Many felt that it was too long and tedious. The New York Daily Telegraph said it was a "trite and stodgy piece of screenfare, a rehash, pretentiously garnered of any old two-reel chase comedy...disappointing." And the audiences did not flock to see it. The film's domestic gross was a measly $474,264.

Buster discusses a bit of business between scenes. Buster worked hard on his pictures, and he accepted advice and suggestions from both cast and crew. If someone had an idea that might be funny, they would try it and see if it worked.

There were also days on location when Buster, an avid baseball fan, would see a nice field near the tracks and he and the crew would stop filming and play an impromptu baseball game.

In his biography of Keaton, author Tom Dardis reasoned why the film failed at the box office: "It failed because (of) the sheer richness it offers – it was just too good. A great many things happen with great rapidity in The General, so many things that the audiences of 1927 may have found it too difficult to follow and told their friends to stay away from it..."

In recent years, however, The General has enjoyed a rebirth, being elevated by recent critics to the status of a classic. In a poll sponsored by the American Film Institute in recent years, Buster's film placed among the top fifty motion pictures of all time, and only one of three silent films on the list.

Buster and the Texas after his film crew had stripped the locomotive of its salvageable items such as the stack, bell, and whistle. Prior to the crash, this locomotive also doubled as a Union engine in the film. Note the faded W&ARR on the tender.

The locomotive remained in the spot for 15 years until World War II, when it was hauled out of the river and sold for scrap.

After Buster and the film crew left Cottage Grove and went home to Hollywood, the real star of The General, Oregon Pacific and Eastern Railroad's #4, had to go back to work hauling lumber out of the Oregon forests.

This photo was taken shortly after production was completed and shows the engine's modern headlight. Just below the bell on the boiler can be seen the straps that were added to carry the nameboard General. Old #4 went back into service without time for a coat of paint – it still wears its makeup on the tender; the letters W&ARR.

The locomotive operated a few more years and was scrapped in 1941.

One of the points that has been brought up about the film is the fact that it looks very much like a Civil War film should look. In fact, many critics have made the comment that it is photographed in such a way that you get the feeling you are looking at photographs taken by Matthew Brady, the noted Civil War photographer. One critic has gone so far as to state that The General is the Civil War, for few films have ever come so close to rendering the physical look of a period of history.

Buster's longtime friend and business manager, Raymond Rohauer, explained the reason for this when he said, "Buster was not educated enough to be awed by history, and so avoided the trap of pompous solemnity; he was not sophisticated enough to be above it all, and so avoided the trap of patronizing superiority. To him, the historic event was simply an interesting experience."

Languishing a few years after the end of production, the Texas awaits a scrapper's torch.