The General
Union spy thieves steal engineer Johnny Gray’s beloved locomotive with his love, Annabelle, aboard; determined, he races across war‑torn terrain to reclaim *The General* and save her before the Confederacy turns the chase into a deadly showdown.
“Buster drives "The General" to trainload of laughter.”
Synopsis
During the American Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnny Gray's beloved locomotive, *The General*, which is attached to a boxcar carrying Johnnie's love interest, Annabelle. Determined to recover his train and save her, Johnny sets out on a solo mission to reclaim *The General* and rescue Annabelle.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 106+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Buster KeatonShot by Bert HainesScored by The Alloy Orchestra
Box Office
1926 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.3× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$1.0M
Versions & cuts
- 2003 alternate· 75 min · 2003
- 1962· 83 min · 1962
- 1982· 80 min · 1982
Also known as
- Der Generalde
- El maquinista de La Generales
- Le mécano de la Generalfr
- Le Mécano de la Généralefr
- (Alternative Title)General
- Come vinsi la guerrait
Release dates around the world3 countries · showhide
- United StatesDec 25, 1926
- JapanDec 31, 1926
- United KingdomJan 17, 1927
Companies
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Cast & Crew
106 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Buster Keaton
as Johnnie Gray
Marion Mack
as Annabelle Lee
Glen Cavender
as Captain Anderson
Jim Farley
as General Thatcher
Frederick Vroom
as A Southern General
Frank Barnes
as Her Brother
Charles Henry Smith
as Her Father
Joe Keaton
as Union General
Mike Donlin
as Union General
Tom Nawn
as Union General
Henry Baird
as Soldier
Joe Bricher
as Soldier
Supporting cast
32Jimmy Bryant
as Raider
Sergeant Bukowski
as Officer
C C Cruson
as Officer
Jack Dempster
as Raider
Keith Fennell
as Soldier
Budd Fine
as Raider
Eddie Foster
as Union Railroad Fireman
Ronald Gilstrap
as Union Soldier
Frank Hagney
as Confederate Recruiter
Ray Hanford
as Raider
Jack Hanlon
as Bit Part
Al Hanson
as Raider
Anthony Harvey
as Raider
Edward Hearn
as Union Officer
Hilliard Karr
as Soldier
Elgin Lessley
as Union General Who Gives Command to Cross Bridge
Louis Lewyn
as Soldier
Jackie Lowe
as Boy Who Follows Johnny
Billy Lynn
as Soldier
Ross Mccutcheon
as Raider
Tom Moran
as Raider
Charles Phillips
as Raider
Red Rial
as Raider
Al St John
as Officer on Horseback
Harold Terry
as Union Soldier
Ray Thomas
as Raider
Red Thompson
as Raider
James Walsh
as Soldier
Kenneth Hawley Ward
as Soldier
Ford West
as Tailcoated Gent at Big Shanty
John Wilson
as Union Soldier
Jean Woodward
as Undetermined Role
Directors
2Writers
6Producers
3Other crew
66Konrad Elfers
(1962 re-issue), sound effects (1962 re-issue) (uncredited)
Charles Henry Smith
adapted by (as Charles Smith)
Al Boasberg
adapted by and
Fred Gabourie
Art Director, production manager, technical director (uncredited)
Harry J Wild
assistant camera (uncredited)
Ed Levy
assistant chief lighting technician (uncredited)
Edward Hearn
assistant director: Oregon (uncredited)
Bennie Hubbel
assistant makeup artist, assistant wardrobe (uncredited)
John W Considine Jr
assistant production coordinator (uncredited)
Mike Graves
assistant property master (uncredited)
Willie Riddle
assistant: Mr. Keaton (uncredited)
Fred A Lowry
brakeman (uncredited)
Parents Guide
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