Fred Gabourie

Fred Gabourie (September 19, 1881 - March 1, 1951)[1] was a technical director and department head.

Fred Gabourie
Gabourie - center - flanked by Phyllis Haver and Buster Keaton (Buster in front of Eddie Cline) on location for The Balloonatic (1923)
Born	Fred Gabourie (1881-09-19)September 19, 1881 Tweed, Ontario, Canada
Died	March 1, 1951(1951-03-01) (aged 69) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Occupations	Technical Director, Art Director Production Manager
Years active	c.1918–1951

Gabourie was born in Tweed, Ontario, Canada. He was a member of the Seneca Indian tribe.[1] He served in the Spanish–American War.[2]

He worked primarily for Buster Keaton, figuring out how to make Keaton's innovative stunts work. As one author put it, "Fred Gabourie had the most interesting job in the world: He solved problems for Buster Keaton."[3] As technical director, he was responsible for set design, construction, props management, and location scouting.[3] During this time, he designed the electric house in The Electric House, which featured an automated staircase, library, swimming pool, and dining room.[4] He located and purchased the ship for The Navigator. Only after Gabourie found the ship and suggested to Keaton that it would be a great prop to build a movie around did Keaton and his staff come up with a script.[5] Gabourie also worked out how to accomplish the famous stunt in Steamboat Bill, Jr. in which the front of a house (weighing two tons) falls on Keaton without harming him.[6]

Keaton and Gabourie, working with an architect, co-designed Keaton's lavish Beverly Hills mansion, eventually called the Italian Villa.[7]

Gabourie was also responsible for the ships in the silent version of The Sea Hawk.[1]

Gabourie went to MGM with Keaton but worked on just one picture with him (The Cameraman) before MGM promoted him to construction superintendent, a position he held until he died.[8]

Gabourie's son, Fred Gabourie Jr., played some small parts in film and on TV, but eventually became a judge.[9]