Buttons on AllMovie

Buttons was another mild entry in the ever-fading career of juvenile star Jackie Coogan. This is the story of a London slum boy who manages to land a job as a page on a luxury ocean liner. Performing above and beyond the call of duty, "Buttons" prevents leading lady Gertrude Olmstead from entering into a disastrous marriage with fortune-hunting Roy D'Arcy. Inevitably, the ship hits an iceberg, but while the passengers and the rest of the crew head for the lifeboats, "Buttons" loyally returns -- to go down with the ship with his best friend, the captain; fortunately, both are saved just before they sink beneath the waves. After completing Buttons, 13-year-old Jackie Coogan temporarily retired from films to enter military school; he would not be seen on screen again until 1930's Tom Sawyer.