The General
“Buster drives "The General" to trainload of laughter.”
Synopsis
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.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Masters of Cinema 100th Anniversary TrailerOfficial
Type: Trailer • Published 2026-02-26
Top Cast
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Buster Keaton
Johnnie Gray
Marion Mack
Annabelle Lee
Glen Cavender
Captain Anderson
Jim Farley
General Thatcher
Frederick Vroom
A Southern General
Frank Barnes
Annabelle's Brother
Charles Henry Smith
Annabelle's Father
Joe Keaton
Union General
Mike Donlin
Union General
Tom Nawn
Union General
Henry Baird
Soldier (uncredited)
Joe Bricher
Soldier (uncredited)
Jimmy Bryant
Raider (uncredited)
Sergeant Bukowski
Officer (uncredited)
C.C. Cruson
Officer (uncredited)
Jack Dempster
Raider (uncredited)
Keith Fennell
Soldier (uncredited)
Budd Fine
Raider (uncredited)
Release History & Theatrical Window
January 15, 1927
Wide Cinema Exhibition
October 26, 1984
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$750K
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$1M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
1.33x
+$250K net gain
Theatrical Status
Budget Return
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton
- Screenplay & Story
- Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman
- Original Title
- The General
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- No Language
- Runtime
- 1h 19m
- Production Budget
- $750K
- Worldwide Gross
- $1M
- Production Studios
- Joseph M. Schenck Productions, Buster Keaton Productions
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman, Al Boasberg, William Pittenger, Charles Henry Smith
Devereaux Jennings, Bert Haines
Buster Keaton, Sherman Kell
Buster Keaton, Joseph M. Schenck
Department Leadership Roster
Buster Keaton
Producer
Devereaux Jennings
Director of Photography
Joseph M. Schenck
Producer
Bert Haines
Director of Photography
Buster Keaton
Screenplay
Clyde Bruckman
Director
Buster Keaton
Director
Buster Keaton
Editor
Clyde Bruckman
Screenplay
Sherman Kell
Editor
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
NR: Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
General — Suitable for all audiences.
General — Suitable for all ages.
FSK 6 — Restricted to viewers aged 6 and older.
Tous publics — Universal audience.
Universal — Suitable for all audiences.
Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The General.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The General.
watchlist
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (All editions 2003-2024). A cumulative list including films subsequently removed in later editions. Totaling 1,260 films as of Nov 2024. 《1001部死前必看的电影》（2003-2024 全版本累积版）： 包含自2003年首版至2024年11月德语版修订的所有影片。即使在后期版本中被剔除的电影也予以保留。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#019] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#418] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:37:48 UTC+8)*
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AFI Top 100 (2007 Edition)
AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition is an updated edition to AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies, a list of the top 100 greatest American films of all time. AFI 百年百大电影（10周年修订版）： 美国电影学会（AFI）评选的最伟大的100部美国电影。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:36:43 UTC+8)*
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Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time 2022 (Critics' Poll). Every decade the Sight and Sound team asks critics to name the greatest films of all time. Here are the results of the 2022 poll – the largest ever, with 1,639 critics, programmers, curators, archivists and academics each submitting their top ten ballot - and now updated with the complete list. 《视与听》2022年影评人评选影史百大电影（含并列完整版）： 由 1639 位影评人、策展人及学者共同票选的影史最伟大电影。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#152] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#171] Out 1 (1971) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:36:35 UTC+8)*
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Frequently Asked Questions About The General
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The General about?
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.
Who directed The General?
The General was directed by Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton.
Who stars in The General?
The principal cast of The General includes Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender, Jim Farley, Frederick Vroom.
When was The General released and how long is it?
The General was released in 1926 with a total runtime of 1h 19m.
What was the box office and production budget of The General?
The General had a reported production budget of $750K and grossed $1M at the worldwide box office (1.33 return on budget, classified as a budget recovered).
Is The General based on a book or true story?
The General is adapted from the following source material: Book: "William Pittenger".
What is the age rating and content advisory for The General?
The General holds official age classifications: AU: G (General — Suitable for all audiences.); CA: G (General — Suitable for all ages.); DE: 6 (FSK 6 — Restricted to viewers aged 6 and older.); FR: U (Tous publics — Universal audience.); GB: U (Universal — Suitable for all audiences.); US: NR (Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.).