- Another day, another terrific Buster Keaton short. Although The Balloonatic was best known to me for the amazing sequence in which Keaton literally climbs around on the outside of a hot-air balloon (before engaging in some airborne duck hunting, naturally), the funnier part of the film actually involves his constant run-ins with The Young Woman (Phyllis Haver). At first, he simply sits next to her in a ride at the amusement park. No explanation given, but he ends up with a black eye upon exiting the Tunnel of Love. Later, he places his coat on the ground so that she doesn't have to walk through a puddle. The coat doesn't handle car traffic, unfortunately.
- Finally, the two adventurers find themselves out in the wilderness. Despite his efforts to build a dam, Keaton's fishing doesn't go very well. Cooking a fish in the canoe goes even worse. Later, he stalks a squirrel at the same time a bear stalks him. No, make that two bears. At one point, Keaton tries coming to the rescue of The Young Woman, but she literally grabs a bull by the horns to save herself. In the film's fantastic final sequence, the two begin to enjoy each other's company on a quiet canoe trip. The canoe approaches a steep waterfall and proceeds straight into the air. I won't ruin the surprise if you don't remember how it happened.
