Catholic Movies Online

College is a 98 minute Buster Keaton silent classic that came out in 1927. The film features Keaton as “Ronald”, a young high school graduate and “scholarly” type (if you can imagine the wondefully goofy Keaton in such a part) who follows the girl he loves to Clayton College. There, under the impression that his girl prefers athletic types, he tries to win her by turning jock. This scenario provides the raison d’etre for all sorts of marvelous physical shtick, as Keaton, an incredible athlete and acrobat in real life, portrays a nerd having a hilarious and painfully ineffectual go at every conceivable college sport. This comic narrative setup is brilliantly payed off when Ronald gets to use his new-found athletic prowess to rescue his girl from a Fate Worse than Death.

College isn’t quite in the class of Keaton’s masterpieces, The General and Sherlock, Jr., but it is brilliant, sunny fare, and I can think of few better ways for a family to spend quality time together than to gather round the tube for an hour or two of Buster Keaton.