Buster Keaton – Steamboat Bill Jr.

Buster Keaton may be slightly less famous than Charlie Chaplin, but he was an even better physical comedian. And he was willing to put life and limb in jeopardy to prove it. Take one of his most famous stunts from Steamboat Bill Jr. You’ve probably seen it parodied more times than the actual footage. After being blown around by a cyclone, the front wall of a house falls toward Keaton. However, he’s place directly under where the open window lands, leaving him unharmed.

Keaton had driven a nail in the ground to mark where he needed to stand, but even that only allowed him 2-inches of clearance space on either side. Keaton later reported that he saw crew members praying before the stunt was performed, and the cameraman looked away while filming. Said Keaton, “I was mad at the time, or I never would have done the thing.”