Buster Keaton
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Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his
silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic,
deadpan Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant to be blun ...
expression that earned him the nickname "The Great Stone Face". Critic
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
wrote of Keaton's "extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929" when he "worked without interruption" as having made him "the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies". In 1996, ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' recognized Keaton as the seventh-greatest film director, and in 1999 the
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...
ranked him as the 21st-greatest male star of classic Hollywood cinema. Working with independent producer Joseph M. Schenck and filmmaker Edward F. Cline, Keaton made a series of successful
two-reel A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
comedies in the early 1920s, including ''
One Week One Week may refer to: * One Week (1920 film), ''One Week'' (1920 film), a short film starring and co-directed by Buster Keaton * One Week (2008 film), ''One Week'' (2008 film), a Canadian feature film directed by Michael McGowan * One Week (song), ...
'' (1920), '' The Playhouse'' (1921), '' Cops'' (1922), and ''
The Electric House ''The Electric House'' is a 1922 American short comedy film co-directed by and starring Buster Keaton. Plot Three graduating students drop their degree certificates, but each picks up the wrong ones off the floor. Keaton plays a botany studen ...
'' (1922). He then moved to feature-length films; several of them, such as ''
Sherlock Jr. ''Sherlock Jr.'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by and starring Buster Keaton and written by Clyde Bruckman, Jean Havez, and Joseph A. Mitchell. It features Kathryn McGuire, Joe Keaton, and Ward Crane. In 1991, ''Sherlock J ...
'' (1924), '' The General'' (1926), '' Steamboat Bill, Jr.'' (1928), and ''
The Cameraman ''The Cameraman'' is a 1928 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and an uncredited Buster Keaton. The picture stars Keaton and Marceline Day. ''The Cameraman'' was Keaton's first film with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It ...
'' (1928), remain highly regarded. ''The General'' is widely viewed as his masterpiece:
Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
considered it "the greatest comedy ever made...and perhaps the greatest film ever made". Keaton's art has inspired full academic study. His career declined when he signed with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
and lost his artistic independence. His wife divorced him, and he descended into alcoholism. He recovered in the 1940s, remarried, and revived his career as an honored comic performer for the rest of his life, earning an Academy Honorary Award in 1959.


Career


Early life in vaudeville

Keaton was born into a
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
family in
Piqua, Kansas Piqua is an unincorporated community in Woodson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the community and nearby areas was 90. History Piqua had its start in the year 1882 by the building of the railroads throu ...
, the small town where his mother,
Myra Keaton Myra Edith Keaton (née Cutler; March 13, 1877 – July 21, 1955) was an American vaudeville performer and film actress. She was the mother of actor Buster Keaton. Early life and career Myra Keaton was born on March 13, 1877, in Modale, Io ...
(née Cutler), was when she went into labor. He was named Joseph to continue a tradition on his father's side (he was sixth in a line bearing the name Joseph Keaton) and Frank for his maternal grandfather, who disapproved of his parents' union. His father was Joseph Hallie "Joe" Keaton, who owned a traveling show with Harry Houdini called the Mohawk Indian Medicine Company, or the Keaton Houdini Medicine Show Company, which performed on stage and sold
patent medicine A patent medicine, sometimes called a proprietary medicine, is an over-the-counter (nonprescription) medicine or medicinal preparation that is typically protected and advertised by a trademark and trade name (and sometimes a patent) and claimed ...
on the side. According to a frequently repeated story, which may be apocryphal, Keaton acquired the nickname Buster at the age of 18 months. After the child fell down a long flight of stairs without injury, an actor friend named George Pardey remarked, "Gee whiz, he's a regular buster!"Meade, Marion (2014).
Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase: A Biography
''. Open Road Media. .
After this, Keaton's father began to use the nickname to refer to the youngster. Keaton retold the anecdote over the years, including in a 1964 interview with the CBC's ''
Telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observ ...
''. In Keaton's retelling, he was six months old when the incident occurred, and Harry Houdini gave him the nickname (though the family did not get to know Houdini until later). At the age of three, Keaton began performing with his parents in The Three Keatons. He first appeared on stage in 1899 in
Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
. The act was mainly a comedy sketch. Myra played the saxophone to one side, while Joe and Keaton performed center stage. The young Keaton goaded his father by disobeying him, and the elder Keaton responded by throwing him against the scenery, into the orchestra pit, or even into the audience. A suitcase handle was sewn into Keaton's clothing to aid with the constant tossing. The act evolved as Keaton learned to take trick falls safely; he was rarely injured or bruised on stage. This knockabout style of comedy led to accusations of child abuse, and occasionally, arrest. However, Keaton was always able to show the authorities that he had no bruises or broken bones. He was eventually billed as "The Little Boy Who Can't Be Damaged", and the overall act as "The Roughest Act That Was Ever in the History of the Stage". Decades later, Keaton said that he was never hurt by his father and that the falls and physical comedy were a matter of proper technical execution. In 1914, he told the ''
Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on Februar ...
'': "The secret is in landing limp and breaking the fall with a foot or a hand. It's a knack. I started so young that landing right is second nature with me. Several times I'd have been killed if I hadn't been able to land like a cat. Imitators of our act don't last long, because they can't stand the treatment." Keaton said he had so much fun that he sometimes began laughing as his father threw him across the stage. Noticing that this caused the audience to laugh less, he adopted his famous deadpan expression when performing. The act ran up against laws banning child performers in vaudeville. According to one biographer, Keaton was made to go to school while performing in New York, but only attended for part of one day. Despite tangles with the law, Keaton was a rising star in the theater. He stated that he learned to read and write late, and was taught by his mother. By the time he was 21, his father's alcoholism threatened the reputation of the family act, so Keaton and his mother, Myra, left for New York, where Keaton's career quickly moved from vaudeville to film. Keaton served in the
American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought along ...
in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
with the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
's 40th Infantry Division during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. His unit remained intact and was not broken up to provide replacements, as happened to some other late-arriving divisions. During his time in uniform, he suffered an ear infection that permanently impaired his hearing.


Film


Silent film era

Keaton spent the summers of 1908–1916 "at the 'Actor's Colony' in the Bluffton neighborhood of
Muskegon Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expans ...
, along with other famous vaudevillians." In February 1917, he met
Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle (; March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked w ...
at the Talmadge Studios in New York City, where Arbuckle was under contract to Joseph M. Schenck. Joe Keaton disapproved of films, and Keaton also had reservations about the medium. During his first meeting with Arbuckle, he was asked to jump in and start acting. Keaton was such a natural in his first film, '' The Butcher Boy,'' he was hired on the spot. At the end of the day, he asked to borrow one of the cameras to get a feel for how it worked. He took the camera back to his hotel room where he dismantled and reassembled it by morning. Keaton later said that he was soon Arbuckle's second director and his entire gag department. He appeared in a total of 14 Arbuckle
shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they ...
, running into 1920. They were popular, and contrary to Keaton's later reputation as "The Great Stone Face", he often smiled and even laughed in them. Keaton and Arbuckle became close friends, and Keaton was one of few people, along with
Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
, to defend Arbuckle's character during accusations that he was responsible for the death of actress
Virginia Rappe Virginia Caroline Rappe (; July 7, 1891 – September 9, 1921) was an American model and silent film actress. Working mostly in bit parts, Rappe died after attending a party with actor Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, who was accused of manslaughter a ...
. (Arbuckle was eventually acquitted, with an apology from the jury for the ordeal he underwent.) In 1920, ''
The Saphead ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' was released, in which Keaton had his first starring role in a full-length feature. It was based on a successful play, ''The New Henrietta'', which had already been filmed once, under the title ''The Lamb'', with
Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thi ...
playing the lead. Fairbanks recommended Keaton to take the role for the remake five years later, since the film was to have a comic slant. After Keaton's successful work with Arbuckle, Schenck gave him his own production unit, Buster Keaton Productions. He made a series of
two-reel A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
comedies, including ''
One Week One Week may refer to: * One Week (1920 film), ''One Week'' (1920 film), a short film starring and co-directed by Buster Keaton * One Week (2008 film), ''One Week'' (2008 film), a Canadian feature film directed by Michael McGowan * One Week (song), ...
'' (1920), '' The Playhouse'' (1921), '' Cops'' (1922), and ''
The Electric House ''The Electric House'' is a 1922 American short comedy film co-directed by and starring Buster Keaton. Plot Three graduating students drop their degree certificates, but each picks up the wrong ones off the floor. Keaton plays a botany studen ...
'' (1922). Keaton then moved to full-length features. Keaton's writers included
Clyde Bruckman Clyde Adolf Bruckman (June 30, 1894January 4, 1955) was an American writer and director of comedy films during the late silent era as well as the early sound era of cinema. Bruckman collaborated with such comedians as Buster Keaton, Monty Bank ...
, Joseph Mitchell, and
Jean Havez Jean Constant Havez (December 24, 1872 – February 11, 1925) was an American writer of novelty songs, vaudeville skits, and silent era comedy films. During his film career, Havez worked with comedians Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. Career ...
, but the most ingenious gags were generally conceived by Keaton himself. Comedy director
Leo McCarey Thomas Leo McCarey (October 3, 1898 – July 5, 1969) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was involved in nearly 200 films, the most well known today being '' Duck Soup'', ''Make Way for Tomorrow'', '' The Awful T ...
, recalling the freewheeling days of making slapstick comedies, said, "All of us tried to steal each other's gagmen. But we had no luck with Keaton because he thought up his best gags himself and we couldn't steal ''him!''" The more adventurous ideas called for dangerous stunts, performed by Keaton at great physical risk. During the railroad water-tank scene in ''
Sherlock Jr. ''Sherlock Jr.'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by and starring Buster Keaton and written by Clyde Bruckman, Jean Havez, and Joseph A. Mitchell. It features Kathryn McGuire, Joe Keaton, and Ward Crane. In 1991, ''Sherlock J ...
'', Keaton broke his neck when a torrent of water fell on him from a water tower, but he did not realize it until years afterwards. A scene from '' Steamboat Bill, Jr.'' required Keaton to stand still on a particular spot. Then, the facade of a two-story building toppled forward on top of Keaton. Keaton's character emerged unscathed, due to a single open window. The stunt required precision, because the prop house weighed two tons, and the window only offered a few inches of clearance around Keaton's body. The sequence furnished one of the most memorable images of his career. Aside from ''Steamboat Bill, Jr.'' (1928), Keaton's most enduring feature-length films include ''
Our Hospitality ''Our Hospitality'' is a 1923 American silent comedy film directed by Buster Keaton and John G. Blystone. Starring Keaton, Joe Roberts, and Natalie Talmadge and distributed by Metro Pictures Corporation, it uses slapstick and situational com ...
'' (1923), '' The Navigator'' (1924), ''Sherlock Jr.'' (1924), ''
Seven Chances ''Seven Chances'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by and starring Buster Keaton, based on the play of the same name by Roi Cooper Megrue, produced in 1916 by David Belasco. Additional cast members include T. Roy Barnes, Snitz Ed ...
'' (1925), ''The Cameraman'' (1928), and '' The General'' (1926). ''The General'', set during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, combined physical comedy with Keaton's love of trains, including an epic locomotive chase. Employing picturesque locations, the film's storyline reenacted an actual wartime incident. Though it would come to be regarded as Keaton's greatest achievement, the film received mixed reviews at the time. It was too dramatic for some filmgoers expecting a lightweight comedy, and reviewers questioned Keaton's judgment in making a comedic film about the Civil War, even while noting it had a "few laughs." It was an expensive misfire (the climactic scene of a locomotive plummeting through a burning bridge was the most expensive single shot in silent-film history), and Keaton was never entrusted with total control over his films again. His distributor,
United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
, insisted on a production manager who monitored expenses and interfered with certain story elements. Keaton endured this treatment for two more feature films, and then exchanged his independent setup for employment at Hollywood's biggest studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Keaton's loss of independence as a filmmaker coincided with the coming of sound films (although he was interested in making the transition) and mounting personal problems, and his career in the early sound era was hurt as a result.


New studio, new problems

Keaton's last three features had been produced and released independently, under Keaton's control, and fell short of financial expectations at the box office. In 1928 film executive
Nicholas Schenck Nicholas M. Schenck (14 November 1880, Rybinsk, Russia – 4 March 1969, Florida) was a Russian-American film studio executive and businessman. Biography Early life One of seven children, Schenck was born to a Jewish household in Rybinsk, ...
arranged a deal with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
for Keaton's services. Keaton had little to say about the details of the MGM contract; he would no longer have any financial responsibility for his films, and even his salary had been pre-negotiated, without his own input. Charlie Chaplin and
Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film co ...
advised him against making the move, cautioning that he would lose his independence. But, given Schenck's desire to keep things "in the family" and Keaton's having to admit that his independent pictures hadn't done well, Keaton agreed to sign with MGM. He would later cite this as the worst business decision of his life in his autobiography. He realized too late that the
studio system A studio system is a method of filmmaking wherein the production and distribution of films is dominated by a small number of large movie studios. It is most often used in reference to Hollywood motion picture studios during the Golden Age of Hol ...
MGM represented would severely limit his creative input. The giant studio was run along strict factory lines, with everything planned and budgeted in advance. The first of MGM's Keaton films was ''
The Cameraman ''The Cameraman'' is a 1928 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and an uncredited Buster Keaton. The picture stars Keaton and Marceline Day. ''The Cameraman'' was Keaton's first film with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It ...
'' (1928), and Keaton sensed trouble immediately when he saw the script. "It was as long as ''War and Peace''," Keaton recalled. "I took out 40 useless characters and a couple of subplots. These guys didn't realize -- they ''still'' don't realize -- that the best comedies are simple. I said, 'I'd like to do something with a drunk and a fat lady and a kid. Get 'em for me.' At my studio they would have the characters I wanted in 10 minutes. But not MGM. You had to requisition a toothpick in triplicate. I just stood there, and everybody is hassling." When the studio began making talking films, Keaton was enthused about the new technology and wanted to make his next film, ''
Spite Marriage ''Spite Marriage'' is a 1929 American silent comedy film co-directed by Buster Keaton and Edward Sedgwick and starring Keaton and Dorothy Sebastian. It is the second film Keaton made for MGM and his last silent film, although he had wanted it ...
'', with sound. MGM refused, because the film was more valuable in silent form; it could be shown around the world in theaters that had not converted to sound. Also, soundstages were then at a premium, and MGM usually reserved them for dramatic productions. MGM also forced Keaton to use a stunt double during some of the more dangerous scenes, something he had never done in his heyday, as MGM wanted badly to protect its investment. "...stuntmen don't get you laughs," Keaton had said. In the first Keaton pictures with sound, he and his fellow actors would shoot each scene three times: once in English, once in Spanish, and once in either French or German. The actors would phonetically memorize the foreign-language scripts a few lines at a time and shoot immediately after. This is discussed in the TCM documentary ''Buster Keaton: So Funny it Hurt'', with Keaton complaining about having to shoot lousy films not just once, but three times. Keaton kept trying to persuade his bosses to let him do things his way. Production head
Irving Thalberg Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather productio ...
would not permit Keaton to create a script from scratch because the studio had already purchased a stage property, ''Parlor, Bedroom, and Bath'', at the suggestion of
Lawrence Weingarten Lawrence Weingarten (December 30, 1897 – February 5, 1975) was an American film producer. He was best known for working for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and producing some of the studio's most prestigious films such as ''Adam's Rib'' (1949), ''I'll Cr ...
, who was Thalberg's brother-in-law and Keaton's producer. However, Thalberg did allow Keaton to stage the gags, including long stretches of pantomime, and agreed to send a crew to Keaton's own mansion for exterior shots. The film version was released as "A Buster Keaton Production" in 1931. The next project confirmed Keaton's fears about studio interference. He was handed a script titled '' Sidewalks of New York'' (1932), in which he played a millionaire becoming involved with a slum-neighborhood girl and a gang of rowdy kids. Keaton thought the premise was totally unsuitable, and was uncomfortable with his directors
Jules White Jules White (born Julius Weiss; hu, Weisz Gyula; 17 September 190030 April 1985) was a Hungarian-American film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring The Three Stooges Early years White began working in mo ...
and Zion Myers, who emphasized blunt slapstick. "I went over (Weingarten's) head and appealed to Irving Thalberg to help get me out of the assignment. Irving was usually on my side, but this time he said, 'Larry likes it. Everybody else in the studio likes the story. You are the only one who doesn't.' In the end, I gave up like a fool and said 'what the hell?' Who was I to say I was right and everyone was wrong?" Keaton made the film anyway, and was amazed that it became his biggest boxoffice success. MGM had been featuring comical musician
Cliff Edwards Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "Ukulele Ike", was an American singer, musician and actor. He enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standar ...
in Keaton's films. The studio replaced Edwards, who had substance-abuse problems, with nightclub comedian Jimmy Durante. The laconic Keaton and the rambunctious Durante offered enough contrast to function as a team, resulting in three very successful films: ''
Speak Easily ''Speak Easily'' is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film starring Buster Keaton, Jimmy Durante, and Thelma Todd, and directed by Edward Sedgwick. The studio also paired Keaton and Durante as a comedy team during this period in ''The Passionat ...
'' (1932), ''
The Passionate Plumber ''The Passionate Plumber'' is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick, and starring Buster Keaton, Jimmy Durante, and Irene Purcell. The screenplay by Laurence E. Johnson and Ralph Spence is based on the 1926 play ''Da ...
'' (1932), and ''
What! No Beer? ''What - No Beer?'' is a 1933 Pre-Code comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante. MGM had also paired Keaton and Durante as a comedy team during this period in ''The Pa ...
'' (1933).Everson, William K., ''American Silent Film'', New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. p. 274-5. The latter was Keaton's last starring feature in his home country. (Thirty years later, both Keaton and Durante had cameo roles in '' It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World'', albeit not in the same scenes.) Keaton was so demoralized during the production of 1933's ''What! No Beer?'' that MGM fired him after the filming was completed, despite the film being a commercial hit. In 1934, Keaton accepted an offer to make an independent film in Paris, ''
Le Roi des Champs-Élysées ''Le Roi des Champs-Élysées'' is a 1934 French comedy starring Buster Keaton. This French-made film has Keaton playing two roles, as an aspiring actor, and as an American gangster. A closing gag has the typically deadpan Keaton breaking out in ...
''. During this period, he made another film in England, '' The Invader'' (released in the United States as ''An Old Spanish Custom'' in 1936).


Educational Pictures

Upon Keaton's return to Hollywood in 1934, he made a screen comeback in two-reel comedies for
Educational Pictures Educational Pictures, also known as Educational Film Exchanges, Inc. or Educational Films Corporation of America, was an American film production and film distribution company founded in 1916 by Earle (E. W.) Hammons (1882–1962). Educational pr ...
. Most of these 16 films are simple visual comedies, with many of the gags supplied by Keaton himself, often recycling ideas from his family vaudeville act and his earlier films. Keaton had a free hand in staging the films, within the studio's budgetary limits and using its staff writers. The Educational two-reelers have far more pantomime than his earlier talkies, and Keaton is in good form throughout. The high point in the Educational series is ''Grand Slam Opera'' (1936), featuring Keaton in his own screenplay as an amateur-hour contestant.


Gag writer

When the Educational series lapsed in 1937, Keaton returned to MGM as a gag writer, supplying material for the final three
Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) ...
MGM films: ''
At the Circus ''At the Circus'' is a 1939 comedy film starring the Marx Brothers (Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx and Chico Marx) released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in which they help save a circus from bankruptcy. The film contains Groucho Marx's classic rendition of ...
'' (1939), '' Go West'' (1940), and ''
The Big Store ''The Big Store'' is a 1941 American comedy film starring the Marx Brothers (Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx and Chico Marx) that takes place in a large department store. Groucho appears as private detective Wolf J. Flywheel (a character name originatin ...
'' (1941); these were not as artistically successful as the Marxes' previous MGM features. Keaton also directed three one-reel novelty shorts for the studio, but these did not result in further directorial assignments.


Columbia Pictures

In 1939,
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
hired Keaton to star in 10 two-reel comedies; the series ran for two years, and comprise his last series as a starring comedian. The director was usually
Jules White Jules White (born Julius Weiss; hu, Weisz Gyula; 17 September 190030 April 1985) was a Hungarian-American film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring The Three Stooges Early years White began working in mo ...
, whose emphasis on slapstick and farce made most of these films resemble White's famous
Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeare ...
shorts. Keaton's personal favorite was the series' debut, ''
Pest from the West ''Pest from the West'' is the first short subject starring American comedian Buster Keaton made for Columbia Pictures. Keaton made a total of ten films for the studio between 1939 and 1941. Synopsis Keaton is a millionaire vacationing in Mexico ...
'', a shorter, tighter remake of Keaton's little-viewed 1934 feature ''The Invader''; it was directed not by White but by
Del Lord Delmer "Del" Lord (October 7, 1894March 23, 1970) was a Canadian film director and actor best known as a director of Three Stooges films. Career Delmer Lord was born in the small town of Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. Interested in the theatre, he t ...
, a veteran director for
Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...
. Moviegoers and exhibitors welcomed Keaton's Columbia comedies.


1940s and feature films

Keaton's personal life had stabilized with his 1940 marriage to MGM dancer Eleanor Norris, and now he was taking life a little easier, abandoning Columbia for the less strenuous field of feature films. Resuming his daily job as an MGM gag writer, he provided material for
Red Skelton Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...
Knopf, Robert ''The Theater and Cinema of Buster Keaton'' B
p.34
/ref> and gave help and advice to
Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golde ...
. Keaton accepted various character roles in both "A" and "B" features. He made his last starring feature, ''El Moderno Barba Azul'' (1946), in Mexico; the film was a low-budget production, and it may not have been seen in the United States until its release on VHS in the 1980s, under the title ''
Boom in the Moon ''Boom in the Moon'' ( es, El Moderno Barba Azul) ( en, The Modern-Day Bluebeard, italic=yes) is a 1946 Mexican comedy science fiction film directed by Jaime Salvador and starring Buster Keaton. The film is notable both as Keaton's only Mexican p ...
''. The film has a largely negative reputation, with renowned film historian
Kevin Brownlow Kevin Brownlow (born Robert Kevin Brownlow; 2 June 1938) is a British film historian, television documentary-maker, filmmaker, author, and film editor. He is best known for his work documenting the history of the silent era, having become inter ...
calling it the worst film ever made. Critics rediscovered Keaton in 1949 and producers occasionally hired him for bigger "prestige" pictures. He had cameos in such films as ''
In the Good Old Summertime ''In the Good Old Summertime'' is a 1949 American Technicolor musical film directed by Robert Z. Leonard. It stars Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S.Z. Sakall, Spring Byington, Clinton Sundberg, and Buster Keaton in his first featured film role at M ...
'' (1949), ''
Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...
'' (1950), and ''
Around the World in 80 Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...
'' (1956). In ''In the Good Old Summertime'', Keaton personally directed the stars
Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
and
Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...
in their first scene together, where they bump into each other on the street. Keaton invented comedy bits where Johnson keeps trying to apologize to a seething Garland, but winds up messing up her hairdo and tearing her dress. Keaton also appeared in a comedy routine about two inept stage musicians in
Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
's '' Limelight'' (released in 1952), recalling the vaudeville of '' The Playhouse''. With the exception of ''Seeing Stars'', a minor publicity film produced in 1922, ''Limelight'' was the only time in which the two would ever appear together on film.


Television and rediscovery

In 1949, comedian
Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He was noted for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a d ...
invited Keaton to appear on his CBS Television comedy-variety show, ''
The Ed Wynn Show ''The Ed Wynn Show'' was an American variety show originally broadcast from September 22, 1949 to July 4, 1950, on the CBS Television Network. Comedian and former vaudevillian Ed Wynn was the star of the program's 39 episodes, which were the firs ...
'', which was televised live on the West Coast.
Kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 194 ...
s were made for distribution of the programs to other parts of the country, since there was no transcontinental coaxial cable until September 1951. Reaction was strong enough for a local Los Angeles station to offer Keaton his own show, also broadcast live, in 1950. ''Life with Buster Keaton'' (1951) was an attempt to recreate the first series on film, allowing the program to be broadcast nationwide. The series benefited from a company of veteran actors, including Marcia Mae Jones as the ingenue, Iris Adrian, Dick Wessel, Fuzzy Knight, Dub Taylor, Philip Van Zandt, and his silent-era contemporaries Harold Goodwin (American actor), Harold Goodwin, Hank Mann, and stuntman Harvey Parry. Keaton's wife Eleanor also was seen in the series (notably as Juliet to Keaton's Romeo in a little-theater vignette). The theatrical feature film ''The Misadventures of Buster Keaton'' was fashioned from the series. Keaton said that he canceled the filmed series himself, because he was unable to create enough fresh material to produce a new show each week. Keaton's periodic television appearances during the 1950s and 1960s helped to revive interest in his silent films. He appeared in the early television series ''Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town''. Whenever a TV show wanted to simulate silent-movie comedy, Keaton answered the call and guested in such successful series as ''The Ken Murray Show'', ''You Asked for It'', and ''The Garry Moore Show'', and ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. Well into his fifties, Keaton successfully recreated his old routines, including one stunt in which he propped one foot onto a table, then swung the second foot up next to it and held the awkward position in midair for a moment before crashing to the stage floor. Garry Moore recalled, "I asked (Keaton) how he did all those falls, and he said, 'I'll show you.' He opened his jacket and he was all bruised. So that's how he did it—it ''hurt''—but you had to care enough not to care."


Silent films revived

In 1954, Keaton and Eleanor met film programmer Raymond Rohauer, with whom they developed a business partnership to re-release his films. Actor James Mason had bought the Keatons' house and found numerous cans of films, among which was Keaton's long-lost classic ''The Boat (1921 film), The Boat''. Keaton had prints of the features ''Three Ages'', ''
Sherlock Jr. ''Sherlock Jr.'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by and starring Buster Keaton and written by Clyde Bruckman, Jean Havez, and Joseph A. Mitchell. It features Kathryn McGuire, Joe Keaton, and Ward Crane. In 1991, ''Sherlock J ...
'', '' Steamboat Bill, Jr.'', and ''College (1927 film), College'' (missing one reel), and the shorts "The Boat" and "My Wife's Relations", which Keaton and Rohauer then transferred to Cellulose acetate film from deteriorating nitrate film stock. From 1950 through 1964, Keaton made around 70 guest appearances on television variety shows, including those of Ed Sullivan and Garry Moore. Keaton also found steady work as an actor in TV commercials for Colgate, Alka-Seltzer, U.S. Steel, 7-Up, RCA Victor, Phillips 66, Milky Way, Ford Motors, Minute Rub, and Budweiser, among others. In a series of silent television commercials for Simon Pure Beer made in 1962 by Jim Mohr in Buffalo, New York, Keaton revisited some of the gags from his silent film days. On April 3, 1957, Keaton was surprised by Ralph Edwards for the weekly NBC program ''This Is Your Life (American franchise), This Is Your Life''. The program also promoted the release of the biographical film ''The Buster Keaton Story'' with Donald O'Connor. In December 1958, Keaton was a guest star in the episode "A Very Merry Christmas" of ''The Donna Reed Show'' on ABC. He returned to the program in 1965 in the episode "Now You See It, Now You Don't". In August 1960, Keaton played mute King Sextimus the Silent in the national touring company of the Broadway musical ''Once Upon A Mattress''. In 1960, he returned to MGM for the final time, playing a lion tamer in a The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960 film), 1960 adaptation of Mark Twain's ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn''. Much of the film was shot on location on the Sacramento River, which doubled for the Mississippi River setting of Twain's book. In 1961, he starred in ''The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series), The Twilight Zone'' episode "Once Upon a Time (The Twilight Zone), Once Upon a Time", which included both silent and sound sequences. He worked with comedian Ernie Kovacs on a television pilot tentatively titled "Medicine Man," shooting scenes for it on January 12, 1962—the day before Kovacs died in a car crash. "Medicine Man" was completed but not aired. In 1961, Keaton appeared in promotional films for Maryvale, Phoenix, Maryvale, a housing development in the western part of Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix. Meanwhile, Keaton's big-screen career continued. He had a cameo as Jimmy, appearing near the end of the film ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' (1963). Jimmy assists Spencer Tracy's character, Captain C. G. Culpepper, by readying Culpepper's ultimately-unused boat for his abortive escape. (The restored version of that film, released in 2013, contains a scene where Jimmy and Culpeper talk on the telephone. Lost after the comedy epic's "Roadshow theatrical release, roadshow" exhibition, the audio of that scene was discovered and combined with still pictures to recreate the scene.) Keaton starred in five films for American International Pictures: ''Pajama Party (film), Pajama Party'' (1964), ''Beach Blanket Bingo'', ''How to Stuff a Wild Bikini'', and ''Sergeant Deadhead'' (all 1965), and ''Due Marines e un Generale, War Italian Style'' (1966, co-starring the Italian comedy team of Franco and Ciccio). Director William Asher recalled: In 1965, Keaton starred in the short film ''The Railrodder'' for the National Film Board of Canada. He traveled from one end of Canada to the other on a motorized handcar, wearing his traditional pork pie hat and performing gags similar to those in films that he made 50 years before. The film is also notable for being his last silent screen performance. He played the central role in Samuel Beckett's ''Film (film), Film'' (1965), directed by Alan Schneider. In 1965 he appeared on the CBS television special ''A Salute to Stan Laurel'', a tribute to the comedian and friend of Keaton who had died earlier that year. Keaton's last commercial film appearance was in ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (film), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' (1966), which was filmed in Spain in September–November 1965. He amazed the cast and crew by doing many of his own stunts, although the Thames Television documentary reported that his increasingly ill health did force the use of a stunt double for some scenes. His final appearance on film was in ''The Scribe (film), The Scribe'', a 1966 safety film produced in Toronto by the Construction Safety Associations of Ontario: he died shortly after completing it.


Style and themes


Use of parody

Keaton started experimenting with parody during his vaudeville years, where most frequently his performances involved impressions and burlesques of other performers' acts. Most of these parodies targeted acts with which Keaton had shared the bill. When Keaton transposed his experience in vaudeville to film, in many works he parodied melodramas. Other favorite targets were cinematic plots, structures and devices. One of his most biting parodies is ''The Frozen North'' (1922), a satirical take on William S. Hart's Western melodramas, like ''Hell's Hinges'' (1916) and ''The Narrow Trail'' (1917). Keaton parodied the tired formula of the melodramatic transformation from bad guy to good guy, which Hart's characters went through, known as "the good badman". He wears a small version of Hart's campaign hat from the Spanish–American War and a six-shooter on each thigh, and during the scene in which he shoots the neighbor and her husband, he reacts with thick glycerin tears, a trademark of Hart's. Audiences of the 1920s recognized the parody and thought the film hysterically funny. However, Hart himself was not amused by Keaton's antics, particularly the crying scene, and did not speak to Keaton for two years after he had seen the film. The film's opening intertitles give it its mock-serious tone, and are taken from "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" by Robert W. Service. In '' The Playhouse'' (1921), he parodied his contemporary Thomas H. Ince, Hart's producer, who indulged in over-crediting himself in his film productions. The short also featured the impression of a performing monkey which was likely derived from a co-biller's act (called ''Peter the Great#Popular culture, Peter the Great''). ''Three Ages'' (1923), his first feature-length film, is a parody of D. W. Griffith's ''Intolerance (film), Intolerance'' (1916), from which it replicates the three inter-cut shorts structure. ''Three Ages'' also featured parodies of Bible stories, like those of Samson and Daniel (biblical figure), Daniel. Keaton directed the film, along with Edward F. Cline. By this time, Keaton had further developed his distinct signature style that consisted of lucidity and precision along with acrobatics of ballistic precision and kineticism. Critic and film historian Imogen Sara Smith stated about Keaton's style:
"the coolness and subtlety of his style [is] very cinematic in terms of recognising that the camera can pick up very, very small effects".


Body language

Film critic David Thomson (film critic), David Thomson later described Keaton's style of comedy: "Buster plainly is a man inclined towards a belief in nothing but mathematics and absurdity ... like a number that has always been searching for the right equation. Look at his face—as beautiful but as inhuman as a butterfly—and you see that utter failure to identify sentiment." Gilberto Perez commented on "Keaton's genius as an actor to keep a face so nearly deadpan and yet render it, by subtle inflections, so vividly expressive of inner life. His large, deep eyes are the most eloquent feature; with merely a stare, he can convey a wide range of emotions, from longing to mistrust, from puzzlement to sorrow." Critic Anthony Lane also noted Keaton's body language:
The traditional Buster stance requires that he remain upstanding, full of backbone, looking ahead... [in '' The General''] he clambers onto the roof of his locomotive and leans gently forward to scan the terrain, with the breeze in his hair and adventure zipping toward him around the next bend. It is the ''angle'' that you remember: the figure perfectly straight but tilted forward, like the Spirit of Ecstasy on the hood of a Rolls-Royce... [in ''The Three Ages''], he drives a low-grade automobile over a bump in the road, and the car just ''crumbles'' beneath him. Rerun it on video, and you can see Buster riding the collapse like a surfer, hanging onto the steering wheel, coming beautifully to rest as the wave of wreckage breaks.
Film historian Jeffrey Vance wrote:
Buster Keaton's comedy endures not just because he had a face that belongs on Mount Rushmore, at once hauntingly immovable and classically American, but because that face was attached to one of the most gifted actors and directors who ever graced the screen. Evolved from the knockabout upbringing of the vaudeville stage, Keaton's comedy is a whirlwind of hilarious, technically precise, adroitly executed, and surprising gags, very often set against a backdrop of visually stunning set pieces and locations—all this masked behind his unflinching, stoic veneer.


Pork-pie hats

Keaton designed and modified his own pork pie hats during his career. In 1964, he told an interviewer that in making "this particular pork pie", he "started with a good Stetson and cut it down", stiffening the brim with sugar water. The hats were often destroyed during Keaton's wild film antics; some were given away as gifts and some were snatched by souvenir hunters. Keaton said he was lucky if he used only six hats in making a film. He estimated that he and his wife Eleanor made thousands of hats during his career. Keaton observed that during his silent period, such a hat cost him around two dollars (~$27–33 in 2022 dollars); at the time of his interview, he said, they cost almost $13 (~$116 in 2022 dollars).


Personal life

On May 31, 1921, Keaton married Natalie Talmadge, his leading lady in ''
Our Hospitality ''Our Hospitality'' is a 1923 American silent comedy film directed by Buster Keaton and John G. Blystone. Starring Keaton, Joe Roberts, and Natalie Talmadge and distributed by Metro Pictures Corporation, it uses slapstick and situational com ...
'', and the sister of actresses Norma Talmadge (married to his business partner Joseph M. Schenck at the time) and Constance Talmadge, at Norma's home in Bayside, Queens. They had two sons: Joseph, called James (June 2, 1922 – February 14, 2007), and Robert (February 3, 1924 – July 19, 2009). After Robert's birth, the marriage began to suffer. Note: Source misspells Keaton's frequent appellation as "Great Stoneface". Talmadge decided not to have any more children, banishing Keaton to a separate bedroom; he dated actresses Dorothy Sebastian and Kathleen Key during this period. Natalie's extravagance was another factor, spending up to a third of her husband's earnings. It was clear that Mr. Keaton and Mrs. Keaton had different ideas and lifestyles. Keaton had designed and built a modest but comfortable, cottage-like home as a surprise wedding gift for his bride. When she saw the little house, she flew into a rage: she thought the house was much too small, with no place for servants. Realizing that his bride wanted a palace, he sold the cottage to MGM executive Eddie Mannix at cost, and commissioned Gene Verge Sr. in 1926 to build a estate in Beverly Hills, California, Beverly Hills for $300,000, which was later owned by James Mason and Cary Grant. After attempts at reconciliation, she divorced him in 1932, and changed the boys' surname to "Talmadge".Cox, Melissa Talmadge, in On July 1, 1942, the 18-year-old Robert and the 20-year-old Joseph made the name change permanent after their mother won a court petition. With the failure of his marriage and the loss of his independence as a filmmaker, Keaton descended into alcoholism. He was briefly institutionalized, according to the Turner Classic Movies documentary ''So Funny It Hurt''. He escaped a straitjacket with tricks learned from Harry Houdini. In 1933, he married his nurse Mae Scriven during an alcoholic binge about which he afterwards claimed to remember nothing. Scriven claimed that she didn't know Keaton's real first name until after the marriage. She filed for divorce in 1935 after finding him with Leah Clampitt Sewell, the wife of millionaire Braden Copper Company, Barton Sewell, in a hotel in Santa Barbara. They divorced in 1936 at great financial cost to Keaton. After undergoing aversion therapy, he stopped drinking for five years. On May 29, 1940, Keaton married Eleanor Norris, who was 23 years his junior. She has been credited with salvaging his life and career. The marriage lasted until his death. Between 1947 and 1954, the couple appeared regularly in the Cirque Medrano in Paris as a double act. She came to know his routines so well that she often participated in them in television revivals.


Death

Keaton died of lung cancer on February 1, 1966, aged 70, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Despite being diagnosed with cancer in January 1966, he was never told he was terminally ill. Keaton thought that he was recovering from a severe case of bronchitis. Confined to a hospital during his final days, Keaton was restless and paced the room endlessly, desiring to return home. In a British television documentary about his career, his widow Eleanor told producers from Thames Television that Keaton was up out of bed and moving around, and even played cards with friends who came to visit the day before he died. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, California.


Influence and legacy

Keaton was presented with a 1959 Academy Honorary Award at the 32nd Academy Awards, held in April 1960. Keaton has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: 6619 Hollywood Boulevard (for motion pictures); and 6225 Hollywood Boulevard (for television). Six of his films have been included in the National Film Registry, making him one of the most honored filmmakers on that list: ''
One Week One Week may refer to: * One Week (1920 film), ''One Week'' (1920 film), a short film starring and co-directed by Buster Keaton * One Week (2008 film), ''One Week'' (2008 film), a Canadian feature film directed by Michael McGowan * One Week (song), ...
'' (1920)'', Cops (''1922)'',
Sherlock Jr. ''Sherlock Jr.'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by and starring Buster Keaton and written by Clyde Bruckman, Jean Havez, and Joseph A. Mitchell. It features Kathryn McGuire, Joe Keaton, and Ward Crane. In 1991, ''Sherlock J ...
'' (1924)'', The General'' (1926)'', Steamboat Bill, Jr.'', and ''
The Cameraman ''The Cameraman'' is a 1928 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and an uncredited Buster Keaton. The picture stars Keaton and Marceline Day. ''The Cameraman'' was Keaton's first film with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It ...
'' (both 1928) A 1957 film biography, ''The Buster Keaton Story'', starring Donald O'Connor as Keaton was released. The screenplay, by Sidney Sheldon, who also directed the film, was loosely based on Keaton's life but contained many factual errors and merged his three wives into one character. A 1987 documentary, ''Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow'', directed by
Kevin Brownlow Kevin Brownlow (born Robert Kevin Brownlow; 2 June 1938) is a British film historian, television documentary-maker, filmmaker, author, and film editor. He is best known for his work documenting the history of the silent era, having become inter ...
and David Gill (film historian), David Gill, won two Emmy Awards. The International Buster Keaton Society was founded on October 4, 1992: Keaton's birthday. Dedicated to bringing greater public attention to Keaton's life and work, the membership includes many individuals from the television and film industry: actors, producers, authors, artists, graphic novelists, musicians, and designers, as well as those who simply admire the magic of Buster Keaton. The Society's nickname, the "Damfinos," draws its name from a boat in Keaton's 1921 comedy, ''The Boat (1921 film), The Boat''. In 1994, caricaturist Al Hirschfeld penned a series of silent film stars for the United States Postal Service, United States Post Office, including Rudolph Valentino and Keaton. Hirschfeld said that modern film stars were more difficult to depict, that silent film comedians such as Laurel and Hardy and Keaton "looked like their caricatures". In his essay ''Film-arte, film-antiartístico'', artist Salvador Dalí declared the works of Keaton to be prime examples of "anti-artistic" filmmaking, calling them "pure poetry". In 1925, Dalí produced a collage titled ''The Marriage of Buster Keaton'' featuring an image of the comedian in a seated pose, staring straight ahead with his trademark boater hat resting in his lap. Film critic
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
stated, "The greatest of the silent clowns is Buster Keaton, not only because of what he did, but because of how he did it.
Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film co ...
made us laugh as much,
Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
moved us more deeply, but no one had more courage than Buster." In his presentation for '' The General'', filmmaker
Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
hailed Buster Keaton as "the greatest of all the clowns in the history of the cinema... a supreme artist, and I think one of the most beautiful people who was ever photographed". Filmmaker Mel Brooks has credited Keaton as a major influence, saying: "I owe (Buster) a lot on two levels: One for being such a great teacher for me as a filmmaker myself, and the other just as a human being watching this gifted person doing these amazing things. He made me believe in make-believe." He also admitted to borrowing the idea of the changing room scene in ''
The Cameraman ''The Cameraman'' is a 1928 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and an uncredited Buster Keaton. The picture stars Keaton and Marceline Day. ''The Cameraman'' was Keaton's first film with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It ...
'' for his own film ''Silent Movie''. Actor and stunt performer Johnny Knoxville cites Keaton as an inspiration when coming up with ideas for ''Jackass (franchise), Jackass'' projects. He re-enacted a famous Keaton stunt for the finale of ''Jackass Number Two''. Comedian Richard Lewis (comedian), Richard Lewis stated that Keaton was his prime inspiration, and spoke of having a close friendship with Keaton's widow Eleanor. Lewis was particularly moved by the fact that Eleanor said his eyes looked like Keaton's. In 2012, Kino Lorber released ''The Ultimate Buster Keaton Collection'', a 14-disc Blu-ray box set of Keaton's work, including 11 of his feature films. In 2016, Tony Hale portrayed Keaton in an episode of ''Drunk History'' focusing on the silent comedian's supposed rivalry with
Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
, who was played by musician Billie Joe Armstrong. On June 16, 2018, the International Buster Keaton Society laid a four-foot plaque in honor of both Keaton and Charles Chaplin on the corner of the shared block (1021 Lillian Ave) where each had made many of their silent comedies in Hollywood. In honor of the event, the City of Los Angeles declared the date "Buster Keaton Day." In 2018 filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich released ''The Great Buster: A Celebration'', a documentary about Keaton's life, career, and legacy. In 2022, two works on Keaton appeared within a month of each other. Critic Dana Stevens (critic), Dana Stevens published a cultural history of Keaton's life and work, ''Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century''. It was followed a month later by James Curtis (biographer), James Curtis' biography ''Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life''. In 2022, one industry trade site, citing anonymous sources, said James Mangold will direct a Keaton Biographical film, film biography. In 2022, Kevin Mori's novel ''Third Act'' explored Keaton's relationship with his third wife Eleanor, with the two narrating alternating chapters.


Filmography


References


Further reading

* Agee, James, "Comedy's Greatest Era" from ''Life Magazine, Life'' (September 5, 1949), reprinted in ''Agee on Film'' (1958), McDowell, Obolensky (2000), Modern Library * Anobile, Richard J. (ed.) (1976), ''The Best of Buster: Classic Comedy Scenes Direct from the Films of Buster Keaton''. Crown Books. * Benayoun, Robert, ''The Look of Buster Keaton'' (1983) St. Martin's Press * Bengtson, John (1999), ''Silent Echoes: Discovering Early Hollywood Through the Films of Buster Keaton'', Santa Monica Press. * * Brighton, Catherine (2008), ''Keep Your Eye on the Kid: The Early Years of Buster Keaton'', Roaring Brook Press. An illustrated children's book about Keaton's career. * Brownlow, Kevin, "Buster Keaton" from ''The Parade's Gone By''. Alfred A. Knopf (1968), University of California Press (1976) * Byron, Stuart and Weis, Elizabeth (eds.) (1977), ''The National Society of Film Critics on Movie Comedy'', Grossman/Viking * Carroll, Noel (2009), ''Comedy Incarnate: Buster Keaton, Physical Humor, and Bodily Coping'', Wiley-Blackwell * James Curtis (biographer), Curtis, James (2022), ''Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life'' Knopf * Dardis, Tom, ''Keaton: The Man Who Wouldn't Lie Down'', Scribners (1979), Limelight Editions (2004) * David Robinson (film critic), Robinson, David (1969), ''Buster Keaton'', Indiana University Press, in association with British Film Institute * Durgnat, Raymond (1970), "Self-Help with a Smile" from ''The Crazy Mirror: Hollywood Comedy and the American Image'', Dell * Edmonds, Andy (1992), ''Frame-Up!: The Shocking Scandal That Destroyed Hollywood's Biggest Comedy Star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle'', Avon Books * Everson, William K. (1978), ''American Silent Film'', Oxford University Press * Gilliatt, Penelope (1973), "Buster Keaton" from ''Unholy Fools: Wits, Comics, Disturbers of the Peace'', Viking * Horton, Andrew (1997), ''Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr.'' Cambridge University Press * Keaton, Buster (with Charles Samuels) (1960),
My Wonderful World of Slapstick
', Doubleday * Keaton, Buster (2007), ''Buster Keaton: Interviews'' (Conversations with Filmmakers Series), University Press of Mississippi * Keaton, Eleanor, and Vance, Jeffrey (2001), ''Buster Keaton Remembered'', Harry N. Abrams * Walter Kerr, Kerr, Walter (1975), ''The Silent Clowns'', Alfred A. Knopf, (1990) Da Capo Press * Kline, Jim (1993), ''The Complete Films of Buster Keaton'', Carol Pub. Group * Knopf, Robert (1999), ''The Theater and Cinema of Buster Keaton'', Princeton University Press * Lahue, Kalton C. (1966), ''World of Laughter: The Motion Picture Comedy Short, 1910–1930'', University of Oklahoma Press * (1967), ''Buster Keaton'', A.S. Barnes * Maltin, Leonard (1978), ''The Great Movie Comedians'', Crown Books * Maltin, Leonard (revised 1983), ''Selected Short Subjects'' (first published as ''The Great Movie Shorts'', 1972, Crown Books), Da Capo Press * Mast, Gerald (1973, 2nd ed. 1979), ''The Comic Mind: Comedy and the Movies'', University of Chicago Press * McCaffrey, Donald W. (1968), ''4 Great Comedians: Chaplin, Lloyd, Keaton, Langdon'' A.S. Barnes * McPherson, Edward (2005), ''Buster Keaton: Tempest in a Flat Hat'' Newmarket Press * Meade, Marion (1995), ''Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase'', HarperCollins * Mitchell, Glenn (2003), ''A–Z of Silent Film Comedy'', B.T. Batsford Ltd. * Moews, Daniel (1977), ''Keaton: The Silent Features Close Up'' University of California Press * Neibaur, James L. and Terri Niemi (2013), ''Buster Keaton's Silent Shorts'', Scarecrow Press * Neibaur, James L. (2010), ''The Fall of Buster Keaton: His Films for MGM, Educational Pictures, and Columbia'', Scarecrow Press * Neibaur, James L. (2006), ''Arbuckle and Keaton: Their 14 Film Collaborations'', McFarland & Co. * Oderman, Stuart (2005), ''Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle: A Biography of the Silent Film Comedian'', McFarland & Co. * Oldham, Gabriella (1996), ''Keaton's Silent Shorts: Beyond the Laughter'', Southern Illinois University Press * Rapf, Joanna E. and Green, Gary L. (1995), ''Buster Keaton: A Bio-Bibliography'', Greenwood Press * Robinson, David (1969), ''The Great Funnies: A History of Film Comedy''. E.P. Dutton. * Scott, Oliver Lindsey (1995), ''Buster Keaton: The Little Iron Man''. Buster Books. * Smith, Imogen Sara (2008), ''Buster Keaton: The Persistence of Comedy''Gambit Publishing * Staveacre, Tony (1987), ''Slapstick!: The Illustrated Story'' Angus & Robertson Publishers * * Yallop, David (1976), ''The Day the Laughter Stopped: The True Story of Fatty Arbuckle''. St. Martin's Press.


External links

* * *
The International Buster Keaton Society



Buster Keaton and the Muskegon Connection

Buster Keaton in Five Easy Clips


(includes rare images of BK smiling and laughing)
Buster Keaton as a child performer
(Univ. of Washington/Sayre collection)
Buster Keaton's Silent Shorts (1920–1923) by James L. Neibaur and Terri Niemi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton, 1895 births 1966 deaths 19th-century American male actors 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors Academy Honorary Award recipients American male comedians American male comedy actors American male film actors American male silent film actors American male stage actors American male television actors United States Army personnel of World War I American mimes American parodists American stunt performers American surrealist artists American ukulele players Articles containing video clips Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Comedy film directors Deaths from lung cancer in California Film directors from California Male actors from Beverly Hills, California Male actors from Kansas Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Military personnel from Kansas Parody film directors People from Woodson County, Kansas Silent film comedians Silent film directors Slapstick comedians Surreal comedy United States Army soldiers Vaudeville performers Film directors from Kansas Columbia Pictures contract players 19th-century American comedians