# Which film does this scene come from? (Building front collapses over unscathed man) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 16, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354 "2007-04-16T16:56:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/1 "2007-04-16T16:56:10Z")
You can probably picture the scene I mean - a wooden house collapses, with the walls falling outwards. The front wall topples towards a man who is standing, oblivious, in the street. It appears he’s going to get flattened, but he’s standing in just the right spot for the windowframe to pass over his head, so he’s left standing in the middle of the horizontal wall section. What film is that from? I’m thinking possibly Laurel and Hardy… ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/2 "2007-04-16T16:58:28Z")
I’m pretty sure it was originally a Buster Keaton silent movie. The scene has probably been reused since then. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/3 "2007-04-16T16:59:14Z")
Definitely Buster Keaton - that scene is in my Legends of Comedy set. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/4 "2007-04-16T17:01:13Z")
I would have thought it was Harold Lloyd. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/5 "2007-04-16T17:02:36Z")
I thought it was Harold Lloyd also, but it’s apparently Keaton’s _Steamboat Bill, Jr._ I haven’t seen the movie, but I recognize it from Arrested Development’s homage to that scene, where a house falls down around Buster Bluth. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/6 "2007-04-16T17:04:40Z")
Buster Keaton in _Steamboat Bill, Jr._ Here’s [Roger Ebert](http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20021110/REVIEWS08/40802001/1023) on the stunt: > [@](#): > > Keaton is famous for a shot in “Steamboat Bill, Jr.,” where he stands in front of a house during a cyclone, and a wall falls on top of him; he is saved because he happens to be exactly where the window is. There was scant clearance on either side, and you can see his shoulders tighten a little just as the wall lands. He refused to rehearse the stunt because, he explained, he trusted his set-up, so why waste a wall? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/7 "2007-04-16T17:05:21Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] I thought it was Harold Lloyd also, but it’s apparently Keaton’s _Steamboat Bill, Jr._ [/QUOTE] Thanks all. IMDB seems to back that up, based on this [user comment](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0019421/): _“The part that makes this one of the more memorable silent films of all time is the hurricane segment near the end. There are some amazing scenes in that, including a very famous one in which an entire side of house falls on Buster, who escapes without injury because an open door on the house is exactly where Keaton is standing.”_ Edit: Asked, answered and cited in less than 10 minutes flat - gotta love this place 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/8 "2007-04-16T17:15:44Z")
Lolly, Johnny Knoxville did it in Jackass 2, but first he got crushed under it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/9 "2007-04-16T17:19:15Z")
[QUOTE=Indygrrl] Lolly, Johnny Knoxville did it in Jackass 2, but first he got crushed under it. 😃 [/QUOTE] Strangely enough, the reason I asked this question was that I read an article about _Jackass 2_ that mentioned that stunt… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/10 "2007-04-16T17:40:32Z")
Actually, Buster did it first in the 1920 \*\*[One Week\*\*](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011541/) (you can see it [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7PFlQ9Vdes&mode=related&search=) at the 5:00 mark), which is my favorite of all his early comedy shorts. _Steamboat Bill Jr._ was just a larger, more dangerous version of the same stunt (see it [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZamoLAhakUg&mode=related&search=) at the 2:05 mark; pardon the techno music). It should be noted Jackie Chan did a very good version of the stunt in his film _ **Project A II** _ (it’s the very first shot in [this clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRQz7kaVwXw&mode=related&search=)). ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/11 "2007-04-16T20:08:15Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] (see it [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZamoLAhakUg&mode=related&search=) at the 2:05 mark; pardon the techno music) [/QUOTE] Buster Keaton and Doctor Who. I think my brain is melting. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/12 "2007-04-16T22:44:04Z")
When I read the thread title, for some reason Charlie Chaplin’s little tramp immediately came to mind. Did Charlot have a similar scene in one of his films? ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/13 "2007-04-16T22:56:57Z")
Buster Bluth (Tony Hale) reenacts this stunt in the episode “The One Where They Build a House” in _Arrested Development_. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/14 "2007-04-16T23:40:48Z")
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried] When I read the thread title, for some reason Charlie Chaplin’s little tramp immediately came to mind. Did Charlot have a similar scene in one of his films? [/QUOTE] I’ve seen all his shorts (though admittedly a long time ago), and I don’t remember it ever appearing in them–and if it did, it almost certainly didn’t precede the 1920 BK cite I gave. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2007, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/15 "2007-04-17T00:27:51Z")
I believe Laurel and Hardy did it in one of their shorts as well, though I can’t remember which one. This would have been after Keaton did it anyway, though. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2007, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/16 "2007-04-17T04:26:10Z")
[QUOTE=Poysyn] Definitely Buster Keaton - that scene is in my Legends of Comedy set. [/QUOTE] I got that also. A bit disappointing, except for the wonderful Spike Jones “Cocktails for Two” bit. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2007, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/17 "2007-04-17T05:38:28Z")
Quoting Roger Ebert is, frankly, dubious at best. He often gets facts wrong. He was correct on this one, he can’t miss them all, but I’m just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2007, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/18 "2007-04-17T05:50:26Z")
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried] When I read the thread title, for some reason Charlie Chaplin’s little tramp immediately came to mind. Did Charlot have a similar scene in one of his films? [/QUOTE] I couldn’t find anything by googling; I thought the same thing as you. As soon as I saw the thread title, in fact. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2007, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/19 "2007-04-17T05:54:32Z")
It is definitely Buster Keaton in _Steamboat Bill Jr._ We have it, along with a dozen or so others of his films, on DVD. But most people don’t realize that this was not his first time to perform that stunt. He did it before in one of his short features a few years before he made _Steamboat Bill Jr._ It’s only the one in this feature-length film that is always shown. EDIT: Ah, I see now that Archive Guy also pointed out that it was not Keaton’s first attempt at the stunt. We also have a lot of his short features on DVD, too, including _One Week_. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2007, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-film-does-this-scene-come-from-building-front-collapses-over-unscathed-man/400354/20 "2007-04-17T13:15:08Z")
[QUOTE=Subterraneanus] Buster Bluth (Tony Hale) reenacts this stunt in the episode “The One Where They Build a House” in _Arrested Development_. [/QUOTE] Macgyver did it as well, in a movie-themed episode (where Mac also does a knife ride down a movie screen), while rescuing a former silent film star from thugs. Classic Si