A growing source of silent era film information. This listing is from The Progressive Silent Film List by Carl Bennett. Copyright © 1999-2013 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

About This Listing  /  Report Omissions or Errors in This Listing

A Country Hero
(1917) American
B&W : Two reels
Directed by Roscoe Arbuckle

Cast: Roscoe Arbuckle [the blacksmith], Buster Keaton [the vaudevillian], Al St. John [the city slicker], Alice Lake [the schoolteacher], Joe Keaton (Joseph Keaton) [Cy Klone], Stanley Pembroke, Natalie Talmadge

Comique Film Corporation production; distributed by Paramount Pictures Corporation. / Produced by Joseph M. Schenck. Scenario by Roscoe Arbuckle. Scenario editor, Herbert Warren. Cinematography by George Peters. / © 13 December 1920 by Famous Players-Lasky Corporation [LP15929]. Released 10 December 1917. Paramount-Arbuckle Comedy number A-3107. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.37:1 format. / The production was shot at the Balboa Amusement Producing Company studio in Long Beach, California. Talmadge appears in a bit part.

Comedy.

Synopsis: [Motion Picture World, 24 November 1917, page 1205, 1 December 1917, page 1359, and 8 December 1917, page 1483] Fatty plays a village blacksmith in “Jazzville,” an imaginary rural village. Rival between Fatty and Cy Klone, the garage owner, over the affections of a pretty schoolteacher. A city chap unites the two rivals when he tries to steal the girl. At annual village ball, amateur talent in vaudeville stunts: Keaton as a wriggling Fatima who charms a long black stocking from a cigar box like a snake.

Survival status: The film is presumed lost.

Current rights holder: Public domain.

Listing updated: 6 April 2010.

References: Dardis-Keaton pp. 46, 49, 286; Edmonds-Arbuckle p. 262; Miller-Comedies pp. 16, 18.