Slapstick Comedian Buster Keaton in The Paleface (1922)

In one of Buster Keaton’s last short films (he would move on to full length features as his celebrity status grew), The Paleface is classic Keaton-comedy involving Native Americans. One might expect that the Native Americans would be treated poorly, since this film was made in the twenties, but actually they are the good guys while white oil tycoons are the villains. The focus of the film, however, is comedy, and at that end it excels: Keaton’s innovative, physical comedic style played well in silent films. Helmed by director Edward Cline (who would later direct many of W.C. Field’s best pictures), The Paleface provides what all great comedies, regardless of era or technique, must: laughter in abundance.