FILM · 1926 · USA
The General
- Directed by
- Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton
- Runtime
- 79 min
- Studio
- Joseph M. Schenck Productions, Buster Keaton Productions
81 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnny Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.
81 Interesting Facts About The General
Interesting Facts (22)
- #001
For the scene in which the Texas crosses the bridge, Keaton spared no expense, using six cameras and thousands of local extras. At the time it cost about $50,000 (roughly $750,000 in 2021 dollars), making it the most expensive single shot of the entire silent-film era. The Texas remained in the river until World War II, when it was salvaged for scrap iron.
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The original copyright holder's failure to renew the film's copyright caused the film to fall into the public domain, meaning almost anyone could copy and sell a VHS/DVD copy of it. As a result, most of the versions of this film on the market are either heavily (and often badly) re-edited and/or of extremely low quality, copied from a second- or third-generation (or later) copy of the film.
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In The General, the General was portrayed by Oregon Pacific No. 12, built as number 12 in 1886 by Cooke Locomotive and Machine Works for the Oregon Pacific railroad, for which it was built to haul lumber trains. The Texas was built in 1881 as number 44 for the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company. All were scrapped during World War II for the war effort.
Production Story (22)
- #023
Buster Keaton wanted to use the real "General" locomotive, which was housed at the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Union Depot in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The railway company initially agreed, and even allocated a line for the shoot. But once it became clear the film was a comedy, the permission was withdrawn and Keaton had to look elsewhere.
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The film is based on a real event that took place during the American Civil War. In April 1862, Union agent James J. Andrews led a team of 21 soldiers on a daring secret mission. Dressed in civilian clothes, Andrews and his men traveled by train into the Southern states. Their mission was to sabotage the railway lines and disrupt the Confederate army's supply chain. At Big Shanty, Georgia (now Kennesaw), they stole a locomotive named the "General." As they advanced north, they tore up tracks, burned covered bridges and cut telegraph lines. The "General"'s conductor, William Fuller, and its engineer, Jeff Cain, pursued the stolen train first by handcar (as Buster Keaton does in the film), then with a work locomotive, the "Yonah," and finally with a full-sized Confederate locomotive named the "Texas," covering 51 miles in the opposite direction. During the chase, Confederate soldiers managed to repair the sabotaged telegraph lines and send messages ahead of the raiders. Andrews and his men were captured near Chattanooga by Confederate forces led by General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Tried as spies, Andrews and seven raiders were hanged; a special gallows had been built to hang eight men at once. The remaining raiders were freed in a prisoner exchange. In 1863, the first Medals of Honor were awarded to the survivors of the mission. Although the film is a comedy, the event was later filmed by Walt Disney as a drama titled The Great Locomotive Chase (1956).
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Behind the Scenes (15)
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Several notable figures have small roles in The General: Glen Cavender was a hero of the Spanish-American War. Frederick Vroom had previously appeared in Buster Keaton's The Navigator (1924) as the father of the girl whose ship is hijacked. Keaton's former cinematographer, Elgin Lessley, has a cameo as the Union general who gives the order to cross the burning bridge. Producer Louis Lewyn has a small role as a soldier.
- #046
For the scene in which The Texas falls from the bridge, Keaton spared no expense: he used six cameras and thousands of local extras. Costing around $50,000 at the time (roughly $750,000 in 2021), this shot was the most expensive single take of the silent-film era. The locomotive Texas remained in the river until World War II, after which it was salvaged as scrap iron.
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For the scenes of the opposing armies marching, Buster Keaton dressed the extras (including 500 Oregon National Guard soldiers) in Confederate gray uniforms and had them march past the camera in one direction, then dressed them in Union blue uniforms and had them march in the opposite direction.
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Buster Keaton's location manager, Bert Jackson, discovered the three Civil War-era locomotives used in this film and bought them from the Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway. The film was shot on that company's tracks. The same line was also used in the 1973 film Emperor of the North and the 1986 film Stand by Me. The railway was abandoned in 1994, its tracks were torn up as scrap, and the land became the Row River National Recreation Trail.
- #056
Three locomotives were used in the film: one as the General, one as the Texas and one as a spare. The spare engine was initially intended for the role of the Texas, but the engine that got the part turned out to be in better condition. The spare engine played the Union locomotive up to the bridge scene and portrayed the Texas as it crossed the bridge.
- #057
- #058
In The General, the General was portrayed by Oregon Pacific No. 12, built as locomotive number 12 for the Oregon Pacific in 1886 by Cooke Locomotive and Machine Works; it was built to pull lumber trains. The Texas was built in 1881 as locomotive number 44 for the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company. Both were scrapped during World War II.
- #059
During the first take of a scene in which the General takes on water, the tower hose came down with unexpected force and struck Keaton on the head, knocking him unconscious. Keaton suffered a hairline fracture in one of his cervical vertebrae, which he only learned years later when a doctor saw the bone callus on an X-ray.
Characters & Cast (5)
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Three locomotives were used in The General: one as the "General", one as the "Texas", and one as a backup. The backup engine was originally intended to play the Texas, but the engine that ultimately took the role turned out to be in better condition. The backup engine played the Union locomotive up to the bridge scene, where it portrayed the Texas as it crossed the bridge.
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Many famous names make cameos in this film: Glen Cavender was a hero of the Spanish-American War. Frederick Vroom had previously appeared in Buster Keaton's The Navigator (1924) as the father of the girl whose ship is hijacked. Keaton's former cinematographer, Elgin Lessley, makes a cameo as the Union general who gives the order to cross the burning bridge. Producer Louis Lewyn appears in a small role as a soldier.
Deeper Meaning (17)
- #065
Buster Keaton wanted to use the real locomotive "General," which was in Nashville, Chattanooga, and at the St. Louis Union Depot in Chattanooga, TN. The railroad initially gave him permission and even provided a branch line for him to shoot on, but when it learned the film was to be a comedy, the railroad withdrew the permission and Keaton had to look elsewhere.
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- #067
It is based on a real event during the American Civil War. In April 1862, Union agent James J. Andrews led a team of 21 soldiers on a daring undercover raid. Andrews and his men traveled by rail through the Southern states in civilian clothes. Their mission was to sabotage the railroad lines and disrupt the Confederate army's supply chain. In the Georgia town of Big Shanty (now known as Kennesaw), the raiders stole a locomotive known as the "General." They headed north, tearing up tracks, burning covered bridges and cutting telegraph lines along the way. William Fuller and Jeff Cain, respectively the conductor and engineer of "The General," chased the stolen train by rail and on foot. They used first a handcar (as Buster Keaton does in the film), then a small work locomotive called "The Yonah" borrowed from a railroad work crew, and finally a full-size Confederate army locomotive called the "Texas," which chased the "General" in reverse for 51 miles. During the chase, Confederate soldiers managed to repair the sabotaged telegraph wires and send messages ahead of the raiders. Andrews and his men were caught and captured near Chattanooga, Tennessee, by a group of Confederate troops led by General Nathan Bedford Forrest (who was one of the first members of the Ku Klux Klan after the war). Tried as spies, Andrews and seven of his raiders were hanged. (A special gallows was built to hold all eight men.) The rest of the raiders were exchanged in a prisoner swap. In 1863, the survivors of the mission received the first Medals of Honor. (Andrews and the hanged raiders later received their medals posthumously.) Although this film is a comedy, the event was later filmed as a drama by Walt Disney as The Great Locomotive Chase (1956), with Fess Parker — a Southerner born in Texas — in the role of Andrews.
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Buster Keaton's location manager, Bert Jackson, discovered the three Civil War-era locomotives used in this film and bought them from the Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway in central Oregon. The picture was shot on this company's tracks. The railroad's right of way was also used in the films Emperor of the North (1973) and Stand by Me (1986). The railroad was abandoned in 1994, its tracks were scrapped, and the land was used for the Row River National Recreation Trail.
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The film was selected for the National Film Registry in 1989 (its first year) for being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.' Ironically, by the 1950s all copies of the film had been lost; in 1952, when actor James Mason bought Keaton's old house, he found a copy in a hidden closet, allowing copies and screenings to resume. (A similar situation applies to Keaton's 'Our Hospitality.')
- #072
The original copyright holder's failure to renew the film's copyright caused the film to fall into the public domain, which meant that almost anyone could duplicate and sell VHS/DVD copies of the film. As a result, many versions of this film on the market are either severely (and often badly) abridged and/or are extremely low quality because they were duplicated from second- or third-generation (or later) copies.
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