The High Sign by Kate
The High Sign is a silent comedy film starring Buster Keaton, released in 1921. Although it was not the first Keaton film released to the public, it was the first one he made. The film features a man caught in a major dilemma, not knowing whether to kill a man to appease his gang, or protect the man to honor a job he was hired to do.
Plot
The film opens with an intertitle explaining "Our Hero (Keaton) came from Nowhere, he wasn't going Anywhere and got kicked off Somewhere." After falling off of a moving train, Keaton finds an ad in a comically enormous newspaper about a job opportunity being a sharpshooter in a gallery. Keaton slips a small handgun out of the pocket of an unknowing policeman, replacing it with a banana, and then proceeds to practice his sharpshooting skills.
At the shooting gallery, Keaton is greeted by Tiny Tim, played by Ingram B. Pickett. He informs Keaton that he wants to hear the bell ring every time Keaton shoots, proving he is an accurate shooter. Tiny Tim then slips off to a back room labeled "The Blinking Buzzards," where he presents the titular "high sign" in order to enter. He reads a note ordering the death of August Nickelnurser, the town miser.
Meanwhile, August Nickelnurser reads a letter to his daughter from the Blinking Buzzards, threatening his life. Miss Nickelnurser insists that he hires a bodyguard.
At the gallery, Keaton sets up a system wherein a dog, tempted by a large piece of meat, rings a bell every time Keaton shoots, making it seem like he is a great shot. He impresses Tiny Tim and a crowd with fancy trick shots, gaining the attention of Miss Nickelnurser. However, the dog soon gets distracted by a cat, ringing the bell repeatedly and forcing Keaton to shoot in rapid succession. Miss Nickelnurser asks Keaton to be her father's bodyguard, and he agrees.
Tiny Tim invites Keaton to the Blinking Buzzards gang, where he assigns Keaton to assassinate August Nickelnurser, the man he just agreed to protect.
A man walks into the gallery, grabs one of the guns used for target practice, and then steals some money from the register. A different man enters, wanting to practice, and uses his own gun to knock out all of the targets in two shots. Keaton hands over the entire register out of fear.
Tiny Tim comes face to face with the policeman from earlier, who is unable to defend himself with the banana that replaced his gun. He flees out of fear, eventually being chased by Keaton, and then chasing Keaton.
Later, Keaton enters the home of the Nickelnursers, which has now been reinforced with secret getaways in each room. The waiter, who is part of the gang, calls them to inform them that Keaton is too fearful to kill August Nickelnurser. Keaton devises a plan with August, where he shoots the air and August plays dead, fooling the Blinking Buzzards. However, Tiny Tim witnesses August stand up, setting off a sequence of the Blinking Buzzards chasing Keaton and the Nickelnursers around the house. After opening the trap door under Tiny Tim, sending him falling to the basement, the film ends with Keaton hugging Miss Nickelnurser while also making the high sign.
Cast
Buster Keaton - Our Hero
Bartine Burkett - Miss Nicklenurser
Ingram B. Pickett - Tiny Tim
Charles Dorety - Gang Member
Al St. John - Man in target practice.
Production
The High Sign marked Keaton's solo directorial debut. Although his co-star, Bartine Burkett, remembers him as being thoroughly amused by the work he was doing, ruining shots with his laughter, Keaton ended up unsatisfied with the film. When Keaton wanted the film shelved, Lou Anger insisted that audiences should be able to view it. After witnessing which bits fell flat in front of the audience, the team re-shot certain parts to make the comedy more "human."
