The Paleface (1922 film)

The Paleface
Advertisement for the film in The Moving Picture World
Directed by	Buster Keaton Edward F. Cline
Produced by	Joseph M. Schenck
Starring	Buster Keaton
Cinematography	Elgin Lessley
Release date	January 15, 1922 (1922-01-15)
Running time	20 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	Silent Film English intertitles

The Paleface is a 1922 American silent comedy Western two-reeler film starring Buster Keaton.

Plot

The short

Crooked "oil sharks" led by a man named Hunt have stolen an Indian tribe's lease to their land and given them 24 hours to vacate. Furious, the Indian chief orders that the first white man who enters their encampment be killed. A butterfly collector (Keaton) unwittingly wanders in while chasing a butterfly. They tie him to a stake and collect wood. When he frees himself, the Indian warriors give chase. During the pursuit, he finds some asbestos and fashions himself some fireproof underwear. As a result, when they catch him and try to burn him at the stake, he remains unharmed. Awed by this, the Indians adopt him and give him the title "Little Chief Paleface".

He subsequently leads the tribe in a confrontation with the crooks. When a brawl breaks out, the crooks' leader Hunt flees. The Indians give chase, with Little Chief Paleface bringing up the rear. Hunt captures the hero, forces him to switch clothes and gets away in disguise. After being nearly skewered by arrows from his own tribe, Little Chief Paleface finds the deed to the land in a pocket. As his reward, he chooses a pretty Indian maiden.

Cast

• Buster Keaton as Little Chief Paleface
• Virginia Fox as Indian Maiden (uncredited)
• Joe Roberts as The Indian Chief (uncredited)

See also

• List of American films of 1922
• Buster Keaton filmography

External links

• The Paleface is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
• The Paleface at IMDb
• The Paleface at AllMovie
• The Paleface Archived March 27, 2020, at the Wayback Machine at the International Buster Keaton Society