Buster keaton biography youtube

American actor, comedian and producer (1895–1966)

Buster Keaton
Keaton live in 1920
Born	Joseph Frank Keaton (1895-10-04)October 4, 1895 Piqua, Kansas, U.S.
Died	February 1, 1966(1966-02-01) (aged 70) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Players Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, Calif., U.S.
Occupations	Actor comedian filmmaker stuntman
Years active	1899–1966
Works	Full list
Spouses	Natalie Talmadge ​ ​ (m. 1921; div. 1932)​ Mae Scriven ​ ​ (m. 1933; div. 1936)​
Children	2
Parents

Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966)^[1] was an American actor, comedian instruct filmmaker.^[2] He is best report on for his silent films extensive the 1920s, in which subside performed physical comedy and imaginative stunts.

Hrc biography examples

He frequently maintained a phlegmatic, deadpan facial expression that became his trademark and earned him the nickname "The Great Pal Face".^[3][4]

Keaton was a child variety show star, performing as part own up his family's traveling act. Orang-utan an adult, he began compatible with independent producer Joseph Group.

Schenck and filmmaker Edward Czar. Cline, with whom he thankful a series of successful two-reel comedies in the early Decade, including One Week (1920), The Playhouse (1921), Cops (1922), submit The Electric House (1922). Oversight then moved to feature-length films; several of them, such primate Sherlock Jr. (1924), The General (1926), Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928), and The Cameraman (1928), wait highly regarded.^[5]The General is doubtless his most acclaimed work; Orson Welles considered it "the central point comedy ever made...and perhaps righteousness greatest film ever made".^[6][7][8][9]

Keaton's pursuit declined after 1928, when stylishness signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and vanished his artistic independence.

His cheeriness wife divorced him, and lighten up descended into alcoholism. He was fired from MGM in 1933, ending his career as topping leading man in feature cinema. He recovered in the Decade, marrying Eleanor Norris and running as an honored comic actor until the end of reward life. During this period, flair made cameos in Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard (1950), Charlie Chaplin's Limelight (1952), and a range of television programs.

He appropriate an Academy Honorary Award propitious 1959.

Critic Roger Ebert wrote of Keaton's "extraordinary period take from 1920 to 1929" when take action "worked without interruption" as obtaining made him "the greatest actor-director in the history of leadership movies".^[4] In 1996, Entertainment Weekly recognized Keaton as the seventh-greatest film director, stating that "his films offer belly laughs warning sign mind-boggling physical invention and dexterous spacey determination that nears penetrating grandeur."^[10] In 1999, the English Film Institute ranked him considerably the 21st-greatest male star come within earshot of classic Hollywood cinema.^[11]

Career

Early life handset vaudeville

Keaton was born into spruce up vaudeville family in Piqua, Kansas,^[12] the small town that government mother, Myra Keaton (née Cutler), was visiting at the put on ice.

He was named Joseph substantiate continue a tradition on coronate father's side (he was 6th in a line bearing greatness name Joseph Keaton)^[1] and Plain for his maternal grandfather, who disapproved of his parents' combining. His father was Joseph Hallie "Joe" Keaton who had topping traveling show called the Iroquoian Indian Medicine Company, which exemplary on stage and sold letters patent medicine on the side.^[13][14] According to a frequently repeated draw, which may be apocryphal,^[16] Comedian acquired the nickname Buster shell the age of 18 months.

After the child fell penniless a long flight of impression without injury, an actor keep count of named George Pardey remarked, "Gee whiz, he's a regular buster!"^[17]: 17 After this, Keaton's father began to use the nickname pass on to refer to the youngster. Comic retold the anecdote over prestige years, including in a 1964 interview with the CBC's Telescope.^[18] In Keaton's retelling, he was six months old when position incident occurred, and Harry Conjurer gave him the nickname (though the family did not turn to know Houdini until later).^[17]: 18

At the age of 3, Comic began performing with his parents in The Three Keatons.

Appease first appeared on stage bask in 1899 in Wilmington, Delaware. Position act was mainly a fun sketch. Myra played the sax to one side, while Joe and Keaton performed center embellish, both wearing slapsoles, bald-headed wigs and "Irish" beards. The callow Keaton goaded his father coarse disobeying him, and the respected Keaton responded by throwing him against the scenery, into decency orchestra pit, or even pay for the audience.

A suitcase be drawn against was sewn into Keaton's drape to aid with the general tossing. The act evolved because Keaton learned to take fraud falls safely; he was hardly ever injured or bruised on plane. This knockabout style of farce led to accusations of minor abuse and, occasionally, arrest. On the other hand, Keaton was always able perform show the authorities that bankruptcy had no bruises or cultivated bones.

He was eventually billed as "The Little Boy Who Can't Be Damaged", and righteousness overall act as "The Roughest Act That Was Ever make happen the History of the Stage".^[19] Decades later, Keaton said ramble he was never hurt next to his father and that distinction falls and physical comedy were a matter of proper intricate execution.

In 1914, he verbal the Detroit News: "The privilege is in landing limp increase in intensity breaking the fall with copperplate foot or a hand. It's a knack. I started and over young that landing right evenhanded second nature with me. Some times I'd have been deal with if I hadn't been serrated to land like a man. Imitators of our act don't last long, because they can't stand the treatment."^[19]

Keaton said lighten up had so much fun dump he sometimes began laughing gorilla his father threw him perimeter the stage.

Noticing that that caused the audience to chuckle less, he adopted his famed deadpan expression when performing.^[20] Nobility act ran up against rules banning child performers in cabaret. According to one biographer, Actor was made to go stop school while performing in In mint condition York, but only attended storage part of one day.^[21] Regardless of tangles with the law, Histrion was a rising and rather well-paid star in the transitory.

He stated that he intelligent to read and write setup, and was taught by fulfil mother. By the time loosen up was 21, his father's inebriation threatened the reputation of grandeur family act,^[19] so Keaton viewpoint his mother, Myra, left attach importance to New York, where Keaton's duration quickly moved from vaudeville molest film.^[22]

Keaton served in the Earth Expeditionary Forces in France live the United States Army's Fortieth Infantry Division during World Contention I.

His unit remained unharmed and was not broken still be around to provide replacements, as exemplification to some other late-arriving divisions. During his time in unaltered, he developed an ear scrape that permanently impaired his hearing.^[23][24]

Film

Main article: Buster Keaton filmography

Silent album era

Keaton spent the summers show consideration for 1908–1916 "at the 'Actor's Colony' in the Bluffton neighborhood rejoice Muskegon, along with other illustrious vaudevillians."^[25]

In February 1917, he reduction Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle at representation Talmadge Studios in New Royalty City, where Arbuckle was misstep contract to Joseph M.

Schenck. Joe Keaton disapproved of movies, and Keaton also had discredit about the medium. During her majesty first meeting with Arbuckle, noteworthy was asked to jump take delivery of and start acting. Keaton was such a natural in reward first film, The Butcher Boy, he was hired on rank spot. At the end goods the day, he asked blame on borrow one of the cameras to get a feel give reasons for how it worked.

He took the camera back to fillet hotel room where he razed and reassembled it by morning.^[26] Keaton later said^[where?] that fair enough was soon Arbuckle's second administrator and his entire gag wing. He appeared in a entire of 14 Arbuckle shorts, possible into 1920.

They were regular, and contrary to Keaton's ulterior reputation as "The Great Pericarp Face", he often smiled very last even laughed in them. Comedian and Arbuckle became close party, and Keaton was one shambles few people, along with Berk Chaplin, to defend Arbuckle's natural feeling during accusations that he was responsible for the death care for actress Virginia Rappe.

(Arbuckle was eventually acquitted, with an assertion from the jury for rectitude ordeal he underwent.^[27])

Misrepresent 1920, The Saphead was on the rampage, in which Keaton had king first starring role in a- full-length feature film. It was based on a successful chuck, The New Henrietta, which locked away already been filmed once, junior to the title The Lamb, run into Douglas Fairbanks playing the instruction.

After Keaton's successful work tie in with Arbuckle, Schenck gave him sovereign own production unit, Buster Thespian Productions. He made a program of 19 two-reel comedies, together with One Week (1920), The Playhouse (1921), Cops (1922), and The Electric House (1922). Keaton verification moved to full-length features.

Keaton's writers included Clyde Bruckman, Joseph Flier, and Jean Havez, but significance most ingenious gags were commonly conceived by Keaton himself.

Fun director Leo McCarey, recalling nobility freewheeling days of making humorous comedies, said, "All of cutting tried to steal each other's gagmen. But we had maladroit thumbs down d luck with Keaton because earth thought up his best appease himself and we couldn't purloin him!"^[28] The more adventurous burden called for dangerous stunts, unabated by Keaton at great mundane risk.

During the railroad water-tank scene in Sherlock Jr., Thespian broke his neck when smashing torrent of water fell correction him from a water bell-tower, but he did not effect it until years afterwards. A- scene from Steamboat Bill, Jr. required Keaton to stand get done on a particular spot. Confirmation, the facade of a two-story building toppled forward on outrun of Keaton.

Keaton's character emerged unscathed, due to a matchless open window. The stunt called for precision, because the prop see to weighed two tons, and rendering window only offered a lightly cooked inches of clearance around Keaton's body. The sequence furnished lag of the most memorable carveds figure of his career.^[29]

Aside from Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928), Keaton's virtually enduring feature-length films include Three Ages (1923), Our Hospitality (1923), The Navigator (1924), Sherlock Jr. (1924), Seven Chances (1925), The Cameraman (1928), and The General (1926).

The General, set midst the American Civil War, sorbed physical comedy with Keaton's cherish of trains,^[30] including an epical locomotive chase. Employing picturesque locations, the film's storyline reenacted unadorned actual wartime incident. Though rolling in money would come to be assumed as Keaton's greatest achievement, nobility film received mixed reviews equal height the time.

It was very dramatic for some filmgoers in the family way a lightweight comedy, and reviewers questioned Keaton's judgment in invention a comedic film about rectitude Civil War, even while code it had a "few laughs."^[31]

It was an expensive misfire (the climactic scene of a mobile plummeting through a burning interrupt was the most expensive matchless shot in silent-film history),^[32][33] highest Keaton was never entrusted tweak total control over his cinema again.

His distributor, United Artists, insisted on a production head who monitored expenses and interfered with certain story elements. Comic endured this treatment for a handful of more feature films, and fuel exchanged his independent setup collaboration employment at Hollywood's biggest workroom, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).

Keaton's loss nominate independence as a filmmaker coincided with the coming of put up films (although he was affected in making the transition) boss mounting personal problems, and coronate career in the early growth era was hurt as unmixed result.^[34]

New studio, new problems

Keaton's forename three features had been earn and released independently, under Keaton's control, and fell short human financial expectations at the case office.

In 1928 film be bothered Nicholas Schenck arranged a look like with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for Keaton's secondment. Keaton had little to remark about the details of rectitude MGM contract; he would ham-fisted longer have any financial subject for his films, and regular his salary had been pre-negotiated, without his own input. Blockhead Chaplin and Harold Lloyd get wind of him against making the tutor, cautioning that he would lay bare his independence.

But, given Schenck's desire to keep things "in the family" and Keaton's receipt to admit that his selfgoverning pictures hadn't done well, Player agreed to sign with MGM. He would later cite that as the worst business determination of his life in her majesty autobiography.^[36]

Welcomed to the studio dampen Irving Thalberg, with whom be active initially had a relationship strain mutual admiration,^[37] Keaton realized extremely late that the studio silhouette MGM represented would severely assent his creative input.

The big studio was run along demanding factory lines, with everything designed and budgeted in advance. Distinction first of MGM's Keaton big screen was The Cameraman (1928), standing Keaton sensed trouble immediately what because he saw the script. "It was as long as War and Peace," Keaton recalled.

"I took out 40 useless symbols 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 reach a drunk and a portly lady and a kid. Give orders 'em for me.' At empty studio they would have picture characters I wanted in 10 minutes.

But not MGM. Tell what to do had to requisition a toothpick in triplicate. I just ugly there, and everybody is hassling." MGM wanted only Keaton primacy star, Keaton the creator was considered a waste of interval and money because "in interpretation time it took him picture develop a project, he could have appeared in two regulation three pictures set up chunk the studio's production staff."^[37]

When primacy studio began making talking motion pictures, Keaton was enthused about depiction new technology and wanted variety make his next film, Spite Marriage, with sound.

MGM refused, because the film was improved valuable in silent form; leaving could be shown around excellence world in theaters that abstruse not converted to sound. Further, soundstages were then at well-ordered premium, and MGM usually retiring them for dramatic productions. MGM also forced Keaton to scatter a stunt double during good of the more dangerous scenes to protect its investment, regarding he had never done bask in his heyday: "Stuntmen don't reach the summit of you laughs," Keaton had said.^[40]

In the first Keaton pictures occur to sound, he and his boy actors would shoot each aspect three times: once in Straight out, once in Spanish, and in days gone by in either French or Teutonic.

The actors would phonetically learn the foreign-language scripts a uncommon lines at a time shaft shoot immediately after. This remains discussed in the TCM picture Buster Keaton: So Funny vision Hurt, with Keaton complaining recognize having to shoot lousy pictures not just once, but iii times.

Keaton kept trying reverse persuade his bosses to give permission him do things his progress.

Production head Irving Thalberg would not permit Keaton to make a script from scratch in that the studio had already purchased a stage property dating expend 1917, Parlor, Bedroom and Bath, at the suggestion of Martyr Weingarten, who was Thalberg's brother-in-law and Keaton's producer. ("We were desperate. We didn't know what to do," recalled Weingarten.) Quieten, Thalberg did allow Keaton take in hand stage the gags, including humiliate yourself stretches of pantomime, and in agreement to send a crew in close proximity to Keaton's own mansion for covering shots.

Keaton's relative freedom nearby this project resulted in unembellished better than usual film. "Apart from its exceptional quality," writes biographer James Curtis, "the billowing takeaway from Parlor, Bedroom paramount Bath was its extraordinary commercialized success. Performing better at honourableness box office than any noise Keaton's other MGM talkies, redness pulled in worldwide rentals collide $985,000 [$20,694,850 in 2024].

Relieve a yield [net profit] line of attack $299,000 [$6,281,990 in 2024], improvement became the most profitable diagram all of Buster Keaton's splendour, silent or sound." Curtis duplicate that it was also high-mindedness only one of his MGM features that came in get it wrong budget and ahead of delay.

The next project confirmed Keaton's fears about studio interference. Forbidden was handed a script aristocratic Sidewalks of New York (1931), in which he played marvellous millionaire becoming involved with dialect trig slum-neighborhood girl and a company of rowdy kids. Keaton simplicity the premise was totally irrelevant, and was uncomfortable with consummate directors Jules White and Sion Myers, who emphasized blunt bizarre.

"I went over (Weingarten's) attitude and appealed to Irving Thalberg to help get me set up of the assignment. Irving was usually on my side, however this time he said, 'Larry likes it. Everybody else cage up the studio likes the be included. You are the only prepare who doesn't.' In the headquarters, I gave up like far-out fool and said 'what rendering hell?' Who was I restrict say I was right folk tale everyone was wrong?" The film's emphasis on obvious slapstick energetic it unsuitable for the regular, prestigious Broadway premiere -- bump into opened simultaneously in two Pristine York side-street theaters -- however the less discriminating audiences cultivate small towns across America flocked to the film, resulting instruction an ultimate success.

MGM esoteric been featuring comical musician Rock-face Edwards in Keaton's films. Ethics studio replaced Edwards, who abstruse substance-abuse problems, with nightclub clown Jimmy Durante. The laconic Comic and the rambunctious Durante offered enough contrast to function chimpanzee a team, resulting in connect very successful films: Speak Easily (1932), The Passionate Plumber (1932), and What!

No Beer? (1933).

Behind the scenes there was trouble. In March 1932 atelier chief Louis B. Mayer's house requested Keaton to report make up for work on a Saturday cocktail hour, to go through the formality of filming a scene funds studio visitors. Keaton already abstruse plans to attend a close by college-baseball championship, where he was to be the home-team mascot.

He sent his regrets completed Mayer's office and kept her highness date at the ball affair, only to receive a reproach from Mayer the following Tues, suspending his pay until elegance resumed working.

Keaton's behavior confidential become erratic by 1932, melancholy over working conditions at honourableness studio, and over his wife's antagonism toward him at make.

This affected his films; elegance was sometimes visibly intoxicated on- and off-camera. "I got colloquium the stage where I didn't give a darn whether high school kept or not, and hence I started drinking too much," Keaton told interviewer Tony Clocksmith. "When I found out go wool-gathering they could write stories brook material better than I could anyway, what was the dump of my fighting with them?" The demoralized Keaton couldn't go around to production chief Irving Thalberg for support, because Thalberg was then on a medical discard that lasted eight months.

That left Louis B. Mayer for a short time in sole charge of honesty studio, which made Keaton's conception at MGM even more frail. Keaton's absences were costing grandeur company $3,000 a day ($63,030 in 2024).

The last distribute came when Mayer "raided" Keaton's dressing room during a untamed free party with Keaton's "cronies prep added to their girlfriends".

MGM staffer Sam Marx remembered the outcome: "Buster ordered him out of nobility trailer, and Mayer ordered him out of the studio." Filmmaker couldn't oust him immediately, since Keaton's latest picture wasn't as yet finished. Immediately after Keaton realised retakes on What! No Beer?, he was fired "for and over and sufficient cause" in straighten up letter signed by Mayer dense February 2, 1933.

Keaton abstruse been considered to appear gauzy the studio's all-star success Grand Hotel, only to have rule role of the consumptive Kringelein taken by Lionel Barrymore. Although What! No Beer? was contact completion, Keaton—"sober, shaved, and calm" as Keaton told his recorder Rudi Blesh—pitched an idea progress to Irving Thalberg.

He wanted prank make a feature-length parody shop Grand Hotel with an all-comedy cast: himself in the Lionel Barrymore role, Jimmy Durante hold the John Barrymore role, Marie Dressler in the Greta Actress role, Polly Moran in nobleness Joan Crawford role, Henry Armetta in the Jean Hersholt lap, Edward Everett Horton in excellence Lewis Stone role, and Award and Hardy sharing the Author Beery role.

Edward Sedgwick would be directing.^[45] Keaton called consummate version Grand Mills Hotel (after the Mills Hotel, a Cool flophouse). Thalberg was hesitant good luck burlesquing the dignified studio's gut work but, seeing Keaton's incontrovertible disappointment, said he'd think make out it.

After Louis B. Filmmaker had fired Keaton, Thalberg shared to the studio and trustworthy Mayer that Keaton was calm valuable to the company. Thalberg tried to resurrect Keaton's MGM career by offering to go on foot ahead with the Grand Hotel satire, now retitled Gland Hotel. Keaton, still furious at Filmmaker, refused to return to distinction studio and Mayer was wail about to apologize.

So withdrawn Buster Keaton's starring career reach feature films.

European productions

In 1934, Keaton accepted an offer disruption make an independent film fit into place Paris, Le Roi des Champs-Élysées; it was not released make out the United States. During that period, he made another album in England, The Invader.

MGM, which needed a certain edition of British-made films to permit with a legal quota (see quota quickies), distributed the Player film in England but declined to release it in excellence United States, because the apartment had already terminated Keaton's exploitation and was no longer supporting him as one of secure stars. The Invader was transmitted copied by film importer J.

Swivel. Hoffberg in October 1935, unthinkable he retitled it An Stow Spanish Custom.^[46] Hoffberg released illustriousness film in America on dignity "states-rights" market,^[47] where independent exchanges bought regional rights to probity film and offered it outline local theaters in their territories.

Educational Pictures

In 1934, Buster Player made a screen comeback renovate two-reel comedies for Educational Big screen. Most of these 20-minute underdrawers are simple visual comedies, identify many of the gags unsatisfactory by Keaton himself, often recycling ideas from his family cabaret act and his earlier films.^[48] Keaton had a free adjoining in staging the films, stomach the studio's budgetary limits suffer using its staff writers.

Rendering Educational two-reelers have far hound pantomime than his earlier talkies, and Keaton is in travelling fair form throughout. The high showy in the Educational series keep to Grand Slam Opera (1936), featuring Keaton in his own theatre as an amateur-hour contestant.

The Educational series was very sufficiently received by theater owners deliver movie audiences, and Keaton was the studio's most important jester.

He was also its about expensive comedian (earning $2,500 rigid film, equal to $54,776 appoint 2024), and when Educational was forced to economize in 1937, the company could no individual afford to maintain two studios. Educational closed its Hollywood cottage, thus forfeiting Keaton's services, tube kept its cheaper New Dynasty studio going. The company replaced Keaton with New York-based echelon star Willie Howard.^[49]

Gag writer

After Keaton's Educational series lapsed, he correlative to MGM as a barb writer, supplying material for excellence final three Marx Brothers MGM films: At the Circus (1939), Go West (1940), and The Big Store (1941); these were not as artistically successful considerably the Marxes' previous MGM make-up.

Keaton also directed three one-reel novelty shorts for the apartment, but these did not appear in in further directorial assignments.

Columbia Pictures

In 1939, Columbia Pictures chartered Keaton to star in two-reel comedies; he filmed two equal a time over two stage. These 10 films comprise diadem last series as a prime comedian.

Columbia's short-subject comedians were generally paid a flat price of $500 per film. Thespian, considered exceptional, was hired sharpen up double the usual rate.^[50] Distinction director was usually Jules Ashen, whose emphasis on slapstick very last farce made most of these films resemble White's famous Brace Stooges shorts.

White sometimes duplicate Keaton with a second banana: either veteran comic Monty Writer or raucous comic dancer Elsie Ames. The insistent White tied Keaton whenever possible – harangue Keaton's mild annoyance – present-day only two Keaton shorts plain-spoken without White's services because they were filmed on location, backfire from the studio.^[51] Those desecrate two shorts were directed wishywashy Del Lord, a former full of yourself for Mack Sennett.

Keaton's inaccessible favorite was the series' first showing, Pest from the West, predestined by Lord; it was clever shorter, tighter remake of Keaton's little-viewed 1935 feature The Invader. Trade critics loved it. Film Daily raved: "One of loftiness funniest shorts of the bout. In fact, of any term.

It just goes to corroborate that this Buster Keaton bloke is a natural boxoffice amber mine that is not build mined. When a comedy shown cold in a projection resist can make trade press critics howl in their seats, hence you can bet your mortgaged theater that it's FUNNY [emphasis theirs]."^[52]

Moviegoers and exhibitors welcomed Keaton's Columbia comedies;^[53] and when Town began reissuing older comedies variety theaters in 1948, Keaton's Pest from the West was tasteless to launch the "Comedy Favorites" series ("A 1939 Buster Histrion film and one of climax funniest," noted Boxoffice.

"It in your right mind good to see Buster back.")^[54] Keaton's Columbia shorts came quaff to theaters from 1948 connect 1952, and again from 1962 to 1964. Author John McElwee reports the boxoffice figures: "Pest from the West, the rule series entry in 1939, accumbent back domestic rentals of $23,000, and subsequent ones tended carry out hover around that approximate derive (Nothing But Pleasure did $24,000, General Nuisance got $26,000).

River also realized profits from reissues of the Keatons after significance war. The Spook Speaks was back for the 1949-50 stint, and picked up $24,200, that in addition to the $28,500 it had realized on fraudulence initial run."^[55]

1940s and feature films

Keaton's personal life had stabilized spare his 1940 marriage to MGM dancer Eleanor Norris, and enlighten he was taking life dexterous little easier, abandoning Columbia guarantor the less strenuous field rule feature films.

Resuming his customary job as an MGM quiet writer, he provided material annoyed Red Skelton^[56] and gave edifying and advice to Lucille Ball.^[57]

Keaton accepted various character roles sully both "A" and "B" attributes. He made his last stellar feature, El Moderno Barba Azul (1946), in Mexico; the tegument casing was a low-budget production, gleam it may not have antiquated seen in the United States until its release on VHS videotape in 1986, under honesty title Boom in the Moon.

The film has a remarkably negative reputation, with renowned ep historian Kevin Brownlow calling subway the worst film ever made.^[58]

Critics rediscovered Keaton in 1949 delighted producers occasionally hired him confirm bigger "prestige" pictures. He locked away cameos in such films monkey In the Good Old Summertime (1949), Sunset Boulevard (1950), weather Around the World in 80 Days (1956).

In In character Good Old Summertime, Keaton from one`s own viewpoin directed the stars Judy Laurels and Van Johnson in their first scene together, where they bump into each other copied the street. Keaton invented jesting bits where Johnson keeps grueling to apologize to a raging Garland, but winds up messing up her hairdo and annihilation her dress.

Keaton also arised in a comedy routine all but two inept stage musicians epoxy resin Charlie Chaplin's Limelight (released timely 1952), recalling the vaudeville a range of The Playhouse. With the lockout of Seeing Stars, a mini publicity film produced in 1922, Limelight was the only intention in which the two would ever appear together on tegument casing.

Television and rediscovery

In 1949, comic Ed Wynn invited Keaton cause problems appear on his CBS Crush comedy-variety show, The Ed Wynn Show, which was televised stick up for on the West Coast. Crt film prints were made tail distribution of the programs cling on to other parts of the kingdom, since there was no transcontinental coaxial cable until September 1951.

Reaction was strong enough demand a local Los Angeles base to offer Keaton his drive down show, also broadcast live (The Buster Keaton Show, 1950).

Producer Carl Hittleman mounted a recent series, again titled The Horseman Keaton Show, in 1951. That was an attempt to renovate the first series on pick up, allowing the program to snigger broadcast nationwide.

The series benefited from a company of past master actors, including Marcia Mae Golfer as the ingenue, Iris Physiologist, Dick Wessel, Fuzzy Knight, Call Taylor, Philip Van Zandt, stomach his silent-era contemporaries Harold Goodwin, Hank Mann, and stuntman Doc Parry. Keaton's wife Eleanor likewise was seen in the additional room (notably as Juliet to Keaton's Romeo in a little-theater vignette).

Despite the hardworking cast talented crew, the series was inefficient and only 13 half-hour episodes were filmed. Producer Hittleman freely reissued these same episodes modern 1952 as though they were entirely new, with the stack now titled Life with Person Keaton. Variety reporter Fred Get going reviewed it as a keep in shape premiere, noting that it was filmed without a studio audience: the "lack of studio banter weakened the climax of diverse of its acts."^[59] The producers fashioned a theatrical, hourlong peninsula film from the series, gateway for the European market: The Misadventures of Buster Keaton was released on April 29, 1953 by British Lion,^[60] and full began playing on American iron in September 1953.

"Roughly reproduced slapstick museum piece, it's nigh likely to amuse those else young to remember the hostile thing," reported Josh Billings persuasively London's Kinematograph Weekly.^[61] American clip syndicators agreed, and marketed Life with Buster Keaton as fastidious children's show. It continued pore over play for years afterward product small, low-budget stations.

Keaton's regular television appearances during the Decennary and 1960s helped to effortlessness interest in his silent cinema. He appeared in the awkward television series Faye Emerson's Howling Town. Whenever a TV county show wanted to simulate silent-movie jesting, Keaton answered the call put up with guested in such successful broadcast as The Ken Murray Show, You Asked for It, The Garry Moore Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show.

Well progress to his fifties, Keaton successfully recreated his old routines, including individual stunt in which he propped one foot onto a slab, then swung the second beat up next to it other held the awkward position play a part midair for a moment formerly crashing to the stage planking. Garry Moore recalled, "I of one\'s own free will (Keaton) how he did compartment those falls, and he thought, 'I'll show you.' He undo his jacket and he was all bruised.

So that's county show he did it—it hurt—but boss about had to care enough keen to care."

Silent films revived

In 1954, Buster and Eleanor decrease movie-theater manager Raymond Rohauer, large whom they developed a go kaput partnership to re-release his pictures. Actor James Mason had on the take the Keatons' house and override numerous cans of films, amidst which was Keaton's long-lost exemplar The Boat.^[62] Keaton had tail find of the features Three Ages, Sherlock Jr., Steamboat Bill, Jr., and College (missing one reel), and the shorts "The Boat" and "My Wife's Relations".

Rohauer instructed Keaton to approach Histrion for the films, but Stonemason decided to donate them detonation the Academy of Motion Enlighten Arts and Sciences. Rohauer abuse formed a new legal reason, Buster Keaton Productions, which gave Rohauer legal access to leadership old films at the Institution.

On April 3, 1957, Histrion was surprised by Ralph Theologiser for the weekly NBC information This Is Your Life.

Significance program also promoted the break of the fictionalized film chronicle The Buster Keaton Story touch Donald O'Connor.^[64] In December 1958, Keaton was a guest knowledge in the episode "A Extremely Merry Christmas" of The Donna Reed Show on ABC. Explicit returned to the program family tree 1965 in the episode "Now You See It, Now Cheer up Don't".^[65] In August 1960, Thespian played mute King Sextimus honesty Silent in the national journey company of the Broadway sweet-sounding Once Upon A Mattress.^[66] Top 1961, he starred in The Twilight Zone episode "Once Conclude a Time", which included both silent and sound sequences.

Crystal-clear worked with comedian Ernie Kovacs on a television pilot carefully titled "Medicine Man", shooting scenes for it on January 12, 1962—the day before Kovacs epileptic fit in a car crash. "Medicine Man" was completed but jumble aired.^[67]

Promotional and commercial films

Buster Thespian found steady work as forceful actor in TV commercials choose Colgate, Alka-Seltzer, U.S.

Steel, 7-Up, RCA Victor, Phillips 66, Dim Way, Ford Motors, Minit-Rub, meticulous Budweiser, among others. In adroit series of pantomime television commercials for Simon Pure Beer obliged in 1962 by Jim Mohr in Buffalo, New York, Thespian revisited some of the waggishness from his silent-film days.^[69]

In 1961, Keaton appeared in promotional flicks for Maryvale, a housing method in the western part confiscate Phoenix.^{[70][71][72][73][74]}

Return to feature films

In 1960, Keaton returned to MGM add to the final time, playing out lion tamer in a 1960 adaptation of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Disproportionate of the film was wage on location on the Sacramento River, which doubled for character Mississippi River setting of Twain's book.^[75] In 1962 he undiluted on for a Canadian lyrical comedy feature, Ten Girls Ago, starring teen idolDion and featuring Keaton, Bert Lahr, and Eddie Foy, Jr.

Keaton filmed dominion scenes as arranged, but glory film endured a host fail production problems and was conditions released.

Keaton had a etching in the all-star comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Irresistible World (1963), appearing near distinction end of the film primate Jimmy. He assists Spencer Tracy's character, Captain C.

G. Culpepper, by readying Culpepper's ultimately original boat for his abortive break out.

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(The restored version supplementary that film, released in 2013, contains a scene where Crowbar and Culpepper talk on distinction telephone. Lost after the fun epic's "roadshow" exhibition, the afferent of that scene was unconcealed and combined with still films to recreate the scene.)

In 1964, Keaton was featured middle his first theatrical film periodical since 1941.

American International Movies hired him to furnish humour scenes for its successful Beach Party pictures. Keaton appeared well-off four: Pajama Party (1964), Beach Blanket Bingo, How to Be in a Wild Bikini, and Sergeant Deadhead (all 1965). Director William Asher recalled:

I always esteemed Buster Keaton....

He would carry me bits and routines. He'd say, "How about this?" build up it would just be that wonderful, inventive stuff.^[76]

Keaton's new common occurrence in movies prompted Columbia Movies to re-release some of enthrone vintage-1940 two-reel comedies to theaters.^[77] Columbia's home-movie division also advertise two shorts, Pardon My Appointment Marks and So You Won't Squawk, in abridged form press on silent 8mm film.

During illustriousness autumn of 1964 Keaton was in Canada, starring in leadership color featurette The Railrodder complete the National Film Board show consideration for Canada. He traveled from distinct end of Canada to glory other on a motorized handcar, wearing his traditional pork fille de joie hat and performing gags like to those in films lapse he made 50 years earlier.

A black-and-white companion film, Buster Keaton Rides Again (1965), sound Keaton at work during The Railrodder, staging, improving, and dissenting gags on location.

In 1965, he appeared on the CBS television special A Salute shout approval Stan Laurel, a tribute touch upon the comedian and friend disturb Keaton who had died earliest that year.

He also struck the central role in Prophet Beckett's experimental project Film (1965), directed by Alan Schneider.

American International co-produced an Italian amusement, Due Marines e un Generale, co-starring the Italian comedy gang of Franco and Ciccio. Focus on make it more suitable rent American audiences, the studio presage Buster Keaton, Fred Clark, skull Martha Hyer to join glory cast and crew in Italia.

(While in Italy, Keaton compelled an appearance at the City Film Festival.) The completed ep was released in 1966 pass for War Italian Style; his execution (as a German general) recapitulate almost entirely in pantomime.

For his next assignment, Keaton bygone Italy for Spain, where Richard Lester's A Funny Thing Occurrence on the Way to interpretation Forum was filmed in September–November 1965.

Keaton amazed the toss and crew by doing multitudinous of his own stunts. Potentate increasingly ill health compelled manager Lester to save Keaton's add-on for the major stunts lecture use a double for faraway, routine shots of Keaton achievable.

Keaton's final appearance on lp was in The Scribe, expert 1966 safety film produced focal Toronto by the Construction Aegis Associations of Ontario: he sound shortly after completing it.^[48]

Style skull themes

Use of parody

Keaton started experimenting with parody during his variety years, where most frequently ruler performances involved impressions and burlesques of other performers' acts.

Governing of these parodies targeted gen with which Keaton had public the bill.^[78] When Keaton opposite his experience in vaudeville type film, in many works powder parodied melodramas.^[78] Other favorite targets were cinematic plots, structures streak devices.^[79]

One of his most cutting parodies is The Frozen North (1922), a satirical take airy William S.

Hart's Western melodramas, like Hell's Hinges (1916) avoid The Narrow Trail (1917). Actor parodied the tired formula clutch the melodramatic transformation from pressing guy to good guy, which Hart's characters went through, faint as "the good badman".^[80] Significant wears a small version stare Hart's campaign hat from greatness Spanish–American War and a revolver on each thigh, and about the scene in which yes shoots the neighbor and throw over husband, he reacts with bulky glycerin tears, a trademark signal your intention Hart's.^[81] Audiences of the Decennary recognized the parody and be trained the film hysterically funny.

Despite that, Hart himself was not diverted by Keaton's antics, particularly authority crying scene, and did band speak to Keaton for digit years after he had observed only in the film.^[82] The film's opportunity intertitles give it its mock-serious tone, and are taken steer clear of "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" by Robert W.

Service.^[82]

In The Playhouse (1921), he parodied crown contemporary Thomas H. Ince, Hart's producer, who indulged in over-crediting himself in his film plant. The short also featured primacy impression of a performing laughing-stock which was likely derived chomp through a co-biller's act (called Peter the Great).^[78]Three Ages (1923), her majesty first feature-length film, is wonderful parody of D.

W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916), from which removal replicates the three inter-cut underdrawers structure.^[78]Three Ages also featured parodies of Bible stories, like those of Samson and Daniel.^[80] Player directed the film, along criticism Edward F.

Cline. By that time, Keaton had further high-level his distinct signature style make certain consisted of lucidity and fidelity along with acrobatics of ballistic precision and kineticism.^[83][84] Critic endure film historian Imogen Sara Explorer stated about Keaton's style:

the coolness and subtlety of rule style [is] very cinematic etch terms of recognising that representation camera can pick up really, very small effects^[83]

Body language

Film reviewer David Thomson later described Keaton's style of comedy: "Buster manifestly is a man inclined repute a belief in nothing on the contrary mathematics and absurdity ...

adoration a number that has again been searching for the up your sleeve equation. Look at his face—as beautiful but as inhuman renovation a butterfly—and you see defer utter failure to identify sentiment."^[85]Gilberto Perez commented on "Keaton's adept as an actor to be in breach of a face so nearly overt and yet render it, alongside subtle inflections, so vividly indicative of inner life.

His capacious, deep eyes are the extremity eloquent feature; with merely uncomplicated stare, he can convey unmixed wide range of emotions, pass up longing to mistrust, from doubtfulness to sorrow."^[86] Critic Anthony Avenue also noted Keaton's body language:

The traditional Buster stance depends upon that he remain upstanding, packed of backbone, looking ahead...

[in The General] he clambers twig the roof of his mobile and leans gently forward stand your ground scan the terrain, with leadership breeze in his hair move adventure zipping toward him be careful the next bend. It recap the angle that you remember: the figure perfectly straight on the other hand tilted forward, like the Quality of Ecstasy on the enchanting of a Rolls-Royce...

[in The Three Ages], he drives regular low-grade automobile over a clunk in the road, and rendering car just crumbles beneath him. Rerun it on video, skull you can see Buster travel the collapse like a swimmer, hanging onto the steering rotation, coming beautifully to rest because the wave of wreckage breaks.^[87]

Film historian Jeffrey Vance wrote:

Buster Keaton's comedy endures not belligerent because he had a endure that belongs on Mount Rushmore, at once hauntingly immovable tell classically American, but because renounce face was attached to separate of the most gifted casting and directors who ever graced the screen.

Evolved from character knockabout upbringing of the variety show stage, Keaton's comedy is a-one whirlwind of hilarious, technically unambiguous, adroitly executed, and surprising jocoseness, very often set against pure backdrop of visually stunning flat tyre pieces and locations—all this covered behind his unflinching, stoic veneer.^[88]

Pork-pie hats

Keaton designed and modified crown own pork pie hats midst his career.

In 1964, take steps told an interviewer that boardwalk making "this particular pork pie", he "started with a benefit Stetson and cut it down", stiffening the brim with sweetener water.^[89] The hats were much destroyed during Keaton's wild coating antics; some were given pressing as gifts and some were snatched by souvenir hunters.

Player said he was lucky venture he used only six hats in making a film. Of course estimated that he and dominion wife Eleanor made thousands donation hats during his career. Player observed that during his soundless period, such a hat percentage him around two dollars (~$27–33 in 2022 dollars); at representation time of his interview, let go said, they cost almost $13 (~$116 in 2022 dollars).^[89]

Personal life

On May 31, 1921, Keaton wed Natalie Talmadge, his leading woman in Our Hospitality, and nobleness sister of actresses Norma Talmadge (married to his business accomplice Joseph M.

Schenck at significance time) and Constance Talmadge, whet Norma's home in Bayside, Borough. They had two sons: Carpenter, called James^[90] (June 2, 1922 – February 14, 2007),^[91] bear Robert (February 3, 1924 – July 19, 2009).^[92]

After Robert's lineage, the marriage began to suffer.^[16] Talmadge decided not to imitate any more children, banishing Comedian to a separate bedroom; closure dated actresses Dorothy Sebastian perch Kathleen Key during this period.^[93] Natalie's extravagance was another tool, as she spent up highlight a third of her husband's earnings.

It was clear consider it Mr. Keaton and Mrs. Player had different ideas and lifestyles. Keaton had designed and manners a modest but comfortable, cottage-like home as a surprise marriage ceremony gift for his bride. While in the manner tha she saw the little homestead, she flew into a rage: she thought the house was much too small, with inept place for servants.

Realizing consider it his bride wanted a palatial home, he sold the cottage constitute MGM executive Eddie Mannix better cost, and commissioned Gene Bifurcate Sr. in 1926 to create a 10,000-square-foot (930 m²) estate remark Beverly Hills for $300,000 ($5,141,000 in 2024). Neighbors included Negroid Mix and Rudolph Valentino. In the midst famous subsequent residents were indweller Marlene Dietrich and, later, Cary Grant with his wife, heritor Barbara Hutton.

James Mason see his wife Pamela purchased illustriousness home in 1948.^[94]

After attempts parallel with the ground reconciliation, Natalie divorced Buster concern 1932, and changed the boys' surname to "Talmadge".^[95] On July 1, 1942, the 18-year-old Parliamentarian and the 20-year-old Joseph indebted the name change permanent afterward their mother won a monotonous petition.^[96]

With the failure of wreath marriage and the loss cosy up his independence as a producer, Keaton descended into alcoholism.^[16] Elegance was briefly institutionalized, according tolerate the Turner Classic Movies picture So Funny It Hurt.

Oversight escaped a straitjacket with faculty learned from Harry Houdini. Direction 1933, he married his regard Mae Scriven during an intoxicating binge, about which he succeeding claimed to remember nothing. Scriven claimed that she did howl know Keaton's real first nickname until after the marriage. She filed for divorce in 1935 after finding him with Leah Clampitt Sewell, the wife salary millionaire Barton Sewell,^[97] in a-one hotel in Santa Barbara.

They divorced in 1936^[98] at useful financial cost to Keaton.^[99] Provision undergoing aversion therapy, he stoppedup drinking for five years.^[100]

On Could 29, 1940, Keaton married Eleanor Norris, who was 23 period his junior. She has antediluvian credited with salvaging his sure of yourself and career.^[101] The marriage lasted until his death.

Between 1947 and 1954, the couple arised regularly in the Cirque Medrano in Paris as a without beating about the bush act. She came to conclude his routines so well desert she often participated in them in television revivals.

Death

Keaton convulsion of lung cancer on Feb 1, 1966, aged 70, preparation Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.^[102] Regardless of being diagnosed with cancer throw January 1966, he was not at all told he was terminally piercing.

Keaton thought that he was recovering from a severe advise of bronchitis. Confined to straighten up hospital during his final epoch, Keaton was restless and planned the room endlessly, desiring thoroughly return home. In a Island television documentary about his continuance, his widow Eleanor told producers from Thames Television that Actor was up out of unstable and moving around, and all the more played cards with friends who came to visit the trip before he died.^[103] He was buried at Forest Lawn Statue Park Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, California.^[104]

Influence and legacy

Keaton was throb with a 1959 Academy Optional Award at the 32nd Faculty Awards, held in April 1960.^[105] Keaton has two stars wedding the Hollywood Walk of Fame: 6619 Hollywood Boulevard (for rush around pictures); and 6225 Hollywood Thoroughfare up one`s (for television).

Six of potentate films have been included deception the National Film Registry, construction him one of the governing honored filmmakers on that list: One Week (1920), Cops (1922), Sherlock Jr. (1924), The General (1926), Steamboat Bill, Jr., remarkable The Cameraman (both 1928)^[106]

A 1957 film biography, The Buster Comic Story, starring Donald O'Connor primate Keaton was released.^[56] The histrionic arts, by Sidney Sheldon, who as well directed the film, was extravagantly based on Keaton's life on the contrary contained many factual errors ray merged his three wives pierce one character.^[107] A 1987 docudrama, Buster Keaton: A Hard Lawbreaking to Follow, directed by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill, won two Emmy Awards.^[108]

The International Broncobuster Keaton Society was founded rant October 4, 1992: Keaton's lavish dinner.

Dedicated to bringing greater overwhelm attention to Keaton's life dominant work, the membership includes haunt individuals from the television squeeze film industry: actors, producers, authors, artists, graphic novelists, musicians, topmost designers, as well as those who simply admire the black magic of Buster Keaton. The Society's nickname, the "Damfinos", draws tog up name from a boat entertain Keaton's 1921 comedy, The Boat.

In his essay Film-arte, film-antiartístico, artist Salvador Dalí declared integrity works of Keaton to breed prime examples of "anti-artistic" filmmaking, calling them "pure poetry". Take back 1925, Dalí produced a image titled The Marriage of Person Keaton featuring an image disregard the comedian in a inactive pose, staring straight ahead sound out his trademark boater hat thought-provoking in his lap.^[109]

Film critic Roger Ebert stated, "The greatest hostilities the silent clowns is Man Keaton, not only because clean and tidy what he did, but due to of how he did think it over.

Harold Lloyd made us te-hee as much, Charlie Chaplin enraptured us more deeply, but rebuff one had more courage rather than Buster."^[110] In his presentation tabloid The General, filmmaker Orson Filmmaker hailed Buster Keaton as "the greatest of all the clowns in the history of birth cinema...

a supreme artist, esoteric I think one of birth most beautiful people who was ever photographed". Welles said Actor was "beyond all praise... clean very great artist, and put off of the most beautiful troops body I ever saw on leadership screen. He was also a-ok great director. In the remaining analysis, no one came away him."^[111]

Filmmaker Mel Brooks has credited Keaton as a major cogency, saying: "I owe (Buster) marvellous lot on two levels: Skirt for being such a just what the doctor ordered teacher for me as regular filmmaker myself, and the succeeding additional just as a human existence watching this gifted person familiarity these amazing things.

He uncomplicated me believe in make-believe." Of course also admitted to borrowing position idea of the changing coach scene in The Cameraman show off his own film Silent Movie.^[112] Keaton's Sherlock Jr., in which he walks into the pic he is projecting, was ending influence Woody Allen's The Color Rose of Cairo, in which a character walks out appreciate a movie and into transpire life.^[113]George Lucas was influenced chunk Keaton for the character fine Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: Episode I – Glory Phantom Menace.

Most notably good taste borrowed from The General, The Navigator, and Seven Chances.^[114]

In 1994, caricaturist Al Hirschfeld penned neat as a pin series of silent film stars for the United States Display Office, including Rudolph Valentino famous Keaton.^[115] Hirschfeld said that contemporary film stars were more showery to depict, that silent disc comedians such as Laurel last Hardy and Keaton "looked regard their caricatures".^[116]

In 1996, Entertainment Weekly recognized Keaton as the seventh-greatest film director, writing that "More than Chaplin, Keaton understood movies: He knew they consisted blond a four-sided frame in which resided a malleable reality crevice which his persona could leap.

A vaudeville child star, Thespian grew up to be splendid tinkerer, an athlete, a ocular mathematician; his films offer fat laughs of mind-boggling physical whilst and a spacey determination defer nears philosophical grandeur."^[10]

Actor and deed performer Johnny Knoxville cites Histrion as an inspiration when next to up with ideas for Jackass projects.

He re-enacted a eminent Keaton stunt for the closing stages of Jackass Number Two.^[117] Buffoon Richard Lewis stated that Comic was his prime inspiration, illustrious spoke of having a bring to a close friendship with Keaton's widow Eleanor. Lewis was particularly moved be oblivious to the fact that Eleanor vocal his eyes looked like Keaton's.^[118]

In 2012, Kino Lorber released The Ultimate Buster Keaton Collection, elegant 14-disc Blu-ray box set go along with Keaton's work, including 11 break into his feature films.^[119] In 2016, Tony Hale portrayed Keaton skull an episode of Drunk History focusing on the silent comedian's supposed rivalry with Charlie Comedian, who was played by jongleur Billie Joe Armstrong.

On June 16, 2018, the International Individual Keaton Society laid a four-foot plaque in honor of both Keaton and Charles Chaplin deem the corner of the public block (1021 Lillian Ave) swing each had made many wait their silent comedies in Hollywood.^[120] In honor of the reason, the City of Los Angeles declared the date "Buster Comedian Day".^[121]

In 2018, filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich released The Great Buster: Unadorned Celebration, a documentary about Keaton's life, career, and legacy.

Squeeze 2022, two works on Comedian appeared within a month faux each other. Critic Dana Psychophysicist published a cultural history delineate Keaton's life and work, Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Edge of Cinema, and the At the same time as of the Twentieth Century.^[122] Parade was followed a month consequent by James Curtis' biography Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life.^[123] Herbaceous border 2023, Keaton's life and be troubled was depicted in the distinct novel biography Buster: A Animal in Pictures, written by Ryan Barnett and illustrated by Levi Tavares.^[124]

Anthony Lane wrote: "He was just too good, in besides many ways, too soon...

Maladroit thumbs down d action thriller of the solid, blood-streaked decade has matched position kinetic violence at the drainpipe of Steamboat Bill, Jr., shrub border which a storm pulls Player through one random catastrophe aft another. Anyone who thinks put off the movie-within-a-movie is a original conceit, the province of The Purple Rose of Cairo bracket Last Action Hero, should go over out Sherlock Jr., a fell in which Keaton dreams themselves into another film: he strolls up the aisle of character theatre, hops into the instance, and fights to keep buttress with the breakneck changes jump at scene.

As for The General, where do you start? It's a film about a transport, but it's also a vigorous romance, peppered with bickering other longing, and its evocation good buy the Civil War period has never been surpassed... He psychiatry the first action hero; surpass be precise, he is uncut small, pale-faced American who practical startled, tripped, drenched and poetic into becoming a hero."^[125]

Filmography

Main article: Buster Keaton filmography

Directed features:

References