The General (1926): cast, story & where to watch
1926 · Film · ★ 8
Released in 1926, The General is an action, comedy, drama and adventure film directed by Buster Keaton, running about 79 minutes. “Buster drives "The General" to trainload of laughter.” — that tagline sets the tone.
What it’s 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’s in it. The General stars Buster Keaton as Johnny Gray, Marion Mack as Annabelle Lee, Glen Cavender as Captain Anderson and Jim Farley as General Thatcher, among others.
How it landed. With an audience score of 8.0/10, The General sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue. It went on to earn $1M at the box office.
Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel and Philo and rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The General page.
If you liked it. Fans of The General tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Frequently asked
- Where can I watch The General (1926)?
- In US, The General is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV and MGM+ Amazon Channel, and rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Google Play Movies. Availability varies by country — check our where-to-watch page for every region.
- Is The General worth watching?
- The General holds an audience score of 8.0 out of 10, and is a strong pick if you enjoy action, comedy, drama and adventure. Most viewers rate it highly.
- Who stars in The General?
- The General stars Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender, Jim Farley and Frederick Vroom.
- When was The General released?
- The General was released in 1926, with a runtime of about 79 minutes.