Hard Luck is a 1921 short comedy film starring comedian Buster Keaton. It was written and directed by Keaton and Edward F. Cline. The runtime is 22 minutes. For sixty years it was Keaton's only major lost film until it was partially reconstructed in 1987, with the critical final scene (which Keaton called the greatest laugh-getting scene of his career) still missing. This scene was later discovered in a Russian archive print, and now the full film is available.<></>

Plot

Buster plays a down on his luck young man who decides to commit suicide after losing his job and his girl. After several inept attempts to end his life - and bolstered by whiskey disguised as poison - he joins an expedition to capture an armadillo. Buster finds himself becoming more confident through a series of adventures (such as fishing and fox hunting) as the film proceeds. The confidence becomes his undoing as he misses the pool in a dive from a high board and hits the ground on the far side with such force that he disappears into a hole. Some years later, an Asian-garbed Buster climbs out of the hole in the now dry and deserted pool followed by a Chinese wife and two young children.

Cast

• Buster Keaton - Suicidal Boy
• Virginia Fox - Virginia
• Joe Roberts - Lizard Lip Luke
• Bull Montana - Virginia's husband (uncredited)

See also

• List of American films of 1921
• Buster Keaton filmography
• List of rediscovered films

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Category:1921 films
Category:1920s comedy films
Category:English-language films
Category:Films directed by Buster Keaton
Category:Films directed by Edward F. Cline
Category:American films
Category:Black-and-white films
Category:American silent short films
Category:Metro Pictures films