The Love Nest (1922)

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When Buster (Buster Keaton) is spurned by his sweetheart, he decides to forget by sailing around the world. He posts a letter to his girl, sealing it with his tears, and heads out to sea in a ramshackle little boat he's named "Cupid." Weeks later, he encounters a whaling ship called… More When Buster (Buster Keaton) is spurned by his sweetheart, he decides to forget by sailing around the world. He posts a letter to his girl, sealing it with his tears, and heads out to sea in a ramshackle little boat he's named "Cupid." Weeks later, he encounters a whaling ship called "The Love Nest" -- an ironic name, considering the captain (the very formidable Joe Roberts) is extremely mean-spirited and in the habit of throwing men overboard for the smallest infraction. When the steward spills the Captain's coffee and receives the ultimate penalty, Buster is given his job. Buster's seafaring talents, of course, leave much to be desired -- for example, when he hears the order, "All hands on deck!" he takes it literally and, yes, puts his hand on the deck. Amazingly, Buster goes for quite a while before he incurs the Captain's fatal ire. He outfoxes his tormentor, sinks the ship and takes off on a lifeboat. But fate isn't done with him yet -- he winds up fishing in a Naval target practice zone. But just as the target he's sitting on explodes, he wakes up, back on the "Cupid" -- it was all a dream. But Buster's relief is only temporary, as he discovers that he has no food or water. Then he sees someone swimming past him ... his boat, luckily, is still tied to the port. This was Keaton's final two-reel short; by the time it was released in March 1923, he was already working on his first feature, The Three Ages. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi