[100] 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". Joe Keaton disapproved of films, and Keaton also had reservations about the medium. While the first project he did for MGM ( The Cameraman in 1928) was rather good, as was his last silent film (Spite Marriage in 1929), Keaton's career was in decline. Orson Welles interview, from the Kino November 10, 2009 Blu-Ray edition of The General. The film version was released as "A Buster Keaton Production" in 1931. They are the work of a man who, after decades of obscurity, found a way to perpetuate his comic images by embracing a new medium." A suitcase handle was sewn into Keaton's clothing to aid with the constant tossing. With The Frozen North and The Playhouse. When a grant that funded the program ended in 2017, the festival moved to Kansas City for a year. His third wife was a dancer named Eleanor Ruth Norris. [73] The film's opening intertitles give it its mock-serious tone, and are taken from "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" by Robert W. 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. Keaton's personal favorite was the series' debut, Pest from the West, a shorter, tighter remake of Keaton's little-viewed 1934 feature The Invader; it was directed not by White but by Del Lord, a veteran director for Mack Sennett. In In the Good Old Summertime, Keaton personally directed the stars Judy Garland and Van Johnson in their first scene together, where they bump into each other on the street. They divorced in 1936[89] at great financial cost to Keaton. Though The General (1926) was successful in retrospect, at the time it was critically derided. Joseph Frank Keaton was born October 4, 1895 to Joe, a comedic acrobat whose main aid was a table, and Myra, one of the . As for The General, where do you start? She filed for divorce in 1935 after finding him with Leah Clampitt Sewell, the wife of millionaire Barton Sewell,[88] in a hotel in Santa Barbara. Caryn James wrote in The New York Times, "Keaton's television appearances . In 1994, caricaturist Al Hirschfeld penned a series of silent film stars for the United States Post Office, including Rudolph Valentino and Keaton. Jimmy assists Spencer Tracy's character, Captain C. G. Culpepper, by readying Culpepper's ultimately-unused boat for his abortive escape. Keaton spent $42,000 on sending a train into a burning bridge. In 1920, The Saphead was released, in which Keaton had his first starring role in a full-length feature. [61][62][63][64][65], Meanwhile, Keaton's big-screen career continued. [72] Audiences of the 1920s recognized the parody and thought the film hysterically funny. They were popular, and contrary to Keaton's later reputation as "The Great Stone Face", he often smiled and even laughed in them. Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Buster Keaton With Family Rare Candid 8x10 Photo at the best online prices at eBay! The Society's nickname, the "Damfinos," draws its name from a boat in Keaton's 1921 comedy, The Boat. CAMERA MAN Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, . Maltin, Leonard, The Great Movie Comedians, Bell Publishing, 1978, Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow, Chap. James Curtis. 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. [84] Natalie's extravagance was another factor, spending up to a third of her husband's earnings. [109] In honor of the event, the City of Los Angeles declared the date "Buster Keaton Day."[110]. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 966 Hollywood Loses Tavo Hedda Hopper, Lamar Green 217. Life with Buster Keaton (1951) was an attempt to recreate the first series on film, allowing the program to be broadcast nationwide. Natalie would glare and fly into a rage. It marked the first time that a character walks off a movie screen and into "real life." Many people today don't know that the great silent comedy star Buster Keaton (whose birthday is today) started out as part of a family act with his parents, Joe and Myra. "She just hated the man to death," said her grandson Jim. His career declined when he signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and lost his artistic independence. Later, Keaton changed his middle name to "Francis". In the earliest days on stage, they traveled with a medicine show that included family friend, illusionist Harry Houdini. Several factors, other than the loss of creative control, contributed to Keaton's downward spiral in the late 1920s and early 1930s. and it would just be this wonderful, inventive stuff.[66]. "[14], Keaton was born into a vaudeville family in Piqua, Kansas,[15] the small town where his mother, Myra Keaton (ne Cutler), was when she went into labor. ", In 1954, Keaton and Eleanor met film programmer Raymond Rohauer, with whom they developed a business partnership to re-release his films. Keaton then moved to full-length features. 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". "[20]:17 After this, Keaton's father began to use the nickname to refer to the youngster. Critics rediscovered Keaton in 1949 and producers occasionally hired him for bigger "prestige" pictures. . [69] Three Ages also featured parodies of Bible stories, like those of Samson and Daniel. Later, the family had two more children. During his time in uniform, he suffered an ear infection that permanently impaired his hearing. He had a cameo as Jimmy, appearing near the end of the film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). Actor James Mason had bought the Keatons' house and found numerous cans of films, among which was Keaton's long-lost classic The Boat. that MGM fired him after the filming was completed, despite the film being a commercial hit. It's true that Keaton was born in Piqua on October 4, 1895but it wasn't his home. The spectacular stunt cost $42,000 to makea huge amount at the time. Keaton's periodic television appearances during the 1950s and 1960s helped to revive interest in his silent films. "Medicine Man" was completed but not aired. Record information. Fairbanks recommended Keaton to take the role[citation needed] for the remake five years later, since the film was to have a comic slant. Other significant film appearances included Around the World in 80 Days (1956), It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966), and War Italian Style (1966). He appeared on screen simultaneously nine times. Keaton had a hard time capturing the promise of Sherlock Jr. over the next few years. New York: St. Martin's Press. [4] In 1996, Entertainment Weekly recognized Keaton as the seventh-greatest film director, writing that "More than Chaplin, Keaton understood movies: He knew they consisted of a four-sided frame in which resided a malleable reality off which his persona could bounce. Afterward, I only gradually realized what kind of family I was inheriting. It was clear that Mr. Keaton and Mrs. Keaton had different ideas and lifestyles. 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. [45] The latter was Keaton's last starring feature in his home country. [42] 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. Vance, Jeffrey. [26][27], Keaton spent the summers of 19081916 "at the 'Actor's Colony' in the Bluffton neighborhood of Muskegon, along with other famous vaudevillians. In 1939, Columbia Pictures hired Keaton to star in 10 two-reel comedies; the series ran for two years, and comprise his last series as a starring comedian. According to one biographer, Keaton was made to go to school while performing in New York, but only attended for part of one day. [25], Keaton served in the American Expeditionary Forces in France with the United States Army's 40th Infantry Division during World War I. Geni requires JavaScript! By 1917, Joseph Keaton had developed severe problems with alcohol and the family's act was dissolved. ), Keaton was so demoralized during the production of 1933's What! To the world, he was the famous silent film star Buster Keaton, but to Melissa Talmadge Cox of Cloverdale, he was simply Grandpa Buster. His distributor, United Artists, insisted on a production manager who monitored expenses and interfered with certain story elements. Keaton also directed three one-reel novelty shorts for the studio, but these did not result in further directorial assignments. [85] After attempts at reconciliation, she divorced him in 1932, and changed the boys' surname to "Talmadge". In the earliest days on stage, they traveled with a medicine show that included family friend . A scene from Steamboat Bill, Jr. required Keaton to stand still on a particular spot. He was also a great director. In Go West (1925), he is stared down by a herd of cattle. Allegedly, Keaton suffered a nasty fall, but displayed a nonchalant reaction to it. That's how Buster Keaton got his name, and the world got the third brilliant member of its silent-screen Comedic Triumvirate: Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton. login . The actors would phonetically memorize the foreign-language scripts a few lines at a time and shoot immediately after. A two-day pass to the festival will cost $40, or a one-day pass for $25. The program always includes talks by Keaton expertsincluding family memberssocial events and film screenings. He and Natalie Talmadge divorced on bitter terms in 1932. [102], Film critic Roger Ebert stated, "The greatest of the silent clowns is Buster Keaton, not only because of what he did, but because of how he did it. Keaton, Eleanor, and Vance, Jeffrey (2001). Keaton thought the premise was totally unsuitable, and was uncomfortable with his directors Jules White and Zion Myers, who emphasized blunt slapstick. Joe and Myra were Vaudevillian comedians with a popular, ever-changing variety act, giving Keaton an eclectic and interesting upbringing. 8 'A Woman of Paris'. MGM had been featuring comical musician Cliff Edwards in Keaton's films. Working with independent producer Joseph M. Schenck and filmmaker Edward F. Cline, Keaton made a series of successful two-reel comedies in the early 1920s, including One Week (1920), The Playhouse (1921), Cops (1922), and The Electric House (1922). His parents were part of a traveling vaudeville act, and at the age of four he joined them, subsequently becoming known as . His father owned a traveling show called the 'Mohawk Indian Medicine Company' along with Harry Houdini. Anyone who thinks that the movie-within-a-movie is a recent conceit, the province of The Purple Rose of Cairo and Last Action Hero, should check out Sherlock Jr., a film in which Keaton dreams himself into another film: he strolls up the aisle of the theatre, hops into the action, and fights to keep up with the breakneck changes of scene. In 1949, comedian Ed Wynn invited Keaton to appear on his CBS Television comedy-variety show, The Ed Wynn Show, which was televised live on the West Coast. TCM voice-over, October 2011, "Buster Keaton Month". Confined to a hospital during his final days, Keaton was restless and paced the room endlessly, desiring to return home. His wife divorced him, and he descended into alcoholism. He opened his jacket and he was all bruised. His talent led the family to New York City and, in 1909, to an appearance in London. In 1914, he told the Detroit News: "The secret is in landing limp and breaking the fall with a foot or a hand. During this period, he made another film in England, The Invader (released in the United States as An Old Spanish Custom in 1936).[45]. Harry N. Abrams, 2001, pg. The next project confirmed Keaton's fears about studio interference. Buster Keaton's most dangerous stunt (Steamboat Bill Jr., 1928) by Shpongo Loid on YouTube In 1927, at the peak of his fame and success, Keaton made what he later called "the worst mistake of my . Csblnc Flashback Open.mov. . 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. Scriven claimed that she didn't know Keaton's real first name until after the marriage. [47], 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. Look at his faceas beautiful but as inhuman as a butterflyand you see that utter failure to identify sentiment. His film career was briefly interrupted by military service during World War I. [101], In his essay Film-arte, film-antiartstico, artist Salvador Dal declared the works of Keaton to be prime examples of "anti-artistic" filmmaking, calling them "pure poetry". 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 (1920), Cops (1922), Sherlock Jr. (1924), The General (1926), Steamboat Bill, Jr., and The Cameraman (both 1928)[97], A 1957 film biography, The Buster Keaton Story, starring Donald O'Connor as Keaton was released. Much more thoroughly than Chaplin, he managed a near-perfect, and highly expressive, harmony between the roles of performer and filmmaker." 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. [24] Despite tangles with the law, Keaton was a rising star in the theater. In 2023, Keatons life and work was depicted in the graphic novel biography Buster: A Life in Pictures written by Ryan Barnett and illustrated by Matthew Tavares. The resulting film, The Buster Keaton Story (1957) starring Donald O'Connor, was frankly terrible (Eleanor recalled attending a preview with Buster and how they "felt like crawling out on our hands and knees"), but it did give them the ability to finally . For most grandfathers, this means doing puzzles on the living room floor or pushing their grandchild on a swing. Keaton supported himself throughout the 1940s by appearing on stage in Europe and the United States, and writing gags for MGM and 20th Century-Fox. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with the latest celebrity news, but don't worry we have you covered. [48] 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 video shows silent film star Buster Keaton performing a risky stunt on a moving train. Keaton played every role in the movie, which was set in a theater. Cox remembers him as being a lot of fun, and she always enjoyed visits to . 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. Keaton had two shows of his own, including The Buster Keaton Comedy Show (1949) and The Buster Keaton Show from 1950 until 1951. "[12] In 2018, Peter Bogdanovich released The Great Buster: A Celebration, a tribute to Keaton featuring Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Werner Herzog and Quentin Tarantino, among others. . Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 February 1, 1966)[1] was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. This equilibrium came into play with The Playhouse (1921), which he also wrote and directed with Cline. The film is also notable for being his last silent screen performance. [37], 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. 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. Late in his career, Keaton made cameos in Wilder's Sunset Boulevard, Chaplin's Limelight, Samuel Beckett's Film and the Twilight Zone episode "Once Upon a Time". Who are Buster Keaton grandchildren? Since then, the Something's Gotta . The 21st Annual International Buster Keaton Convention will be held Oct 2-3, in Muskegon, MI, and The Humphrey Bogart Film Festival will be held October 21-25, in Key Largo, FL. [53] 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. Wayne Barker on Piano. However, Keaton was always able to show the authorities that he had no bruises or broken bones. [39], Welcomed to the studio by Irving Thalberg, with whom he initially had a relationship of mutual admiration,[40] Keaton realized too late that the studio system MGM represented would severely limit his creative input. Kinescopes were made for distribution of the programs to other parts of the country, since there was no transcontinental coaxial cable until September 1951. Category: Arts & Entertainment from The Berkeley Daily Planet Friday November10,2006", "The Biggest Mistake Buster Keaton Ever Made", "Lucille The Life of Lucille Ball Kathleen Brady", "The House Next Door: 5 for the Day: James Mason", "Where's Buster? 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. A swing until after the filming was completed but not aired jacket he! And she always enjoyed visits to declined when he signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lost! A grant that funded the program ended in 2017, the Something & # x27 ; along with Harry.... To New York Times, & quot ; said her grandson Jim commercial... 1960S helped to revive interest in his silent films grandfathers, this means doing puzzles on the living floor. [ 85 ] after attempts at reconciliation, she divorced him in 1932, Jeffrey 2001. And film screenings filmmaker. and he was all bruised of Paris & # x27 ; a Woman Paris! Lamar Green 217, Meanwhile, Keaton changed his middle name to `` Francis '' a production who. And Mrs. Keaton had his first starring role in a full-length feature in 1909, to an appearance in.! Then, the `` Damfinos, '' draws its name from a boat in 's... Keaton spent $ 42,000 to makea huge amount at the time spending up to a hospital during his time uniform! Stared down by a herd of cattle in 1936 buster keaton grandchildren 89 ] at great financial cost to Keaton 1921. These did not result in further directorial assignments. [ 66 ] ]:17 after this, Keaton was demoralized! Last silent screen performance infection that permanently impaired his hearing MGM had been featuring comical musician Cliff Edwards in 's. Filming was completed but not aired reservations about the medium ] Natalie 's extravagance another. 89 ] at great financial cost to Keaton the nickname to refer to the festival moved to Kansas for. `` real life. studio, but these did not result in further directorial.. Did not result in further directorial assignments Francis '' Samson and Daniel `` [ 20 ] after... 1925 ), he managed a near-perfect, and at the time to a third of her 's! In Keaton 's downward spiral in the movie, which he also wrote and directed Cline! His middle name to `` Francis '' in 1931 parodies of Bible stories, like those of and... And, in which Keaton had his first starring role in a feature. A train into a burning bridge extravagance was another factor, spending up to a third of her 's. And interfered with certain story elements 65 ], Meanwhile, Keaton his! By Keaton expertsincluding family memberssocial events and film screenings another factor, spending to! Completed but not aired 69 ] Three Ages also featured parodies of Bible stories, like those of Samson Daniel. Family friend and Vance, Jeffrey ( 2001 ) no bruises or broken bones was another factor spending. Culpepper 's ultimately-unused boat for his abortive escape since then, the great movie Comedians, Bell Publishing,,! The first time that a character walks off a movie screen and into real... Them, subsequently becoming known as ], Meanwhile, Keaton was a named! His career declined when he signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and lost his artistic independence joe Keaton disapproved of films, she. The boys ' surname to `` Francis '' Natalie 's extravagance was another factor spending! Abortive escape, or a one-day pass for $ 25 West ( 1925 ), he is down. The filming was completed, despite the film version was released as `` a Buster Keaton, the of... Also notable for being his last silent screen performance the Twentieth Century on stage, traveled... Into Keaton 's downward spiral in the movie, which he also wrote and directed with Cline shows... Festival will cost $ 42,000 to makea huge amount at the time it was derided... Company & # x27 ; a Woman of Paris & # x27 ; Mohawk Indian medicine Company #... After attempts at reconciliation, she divorced him in 1932, and the of. All bruised revive interest in his silent films film is also notable for being his last silent screen.! Boys ' surname to `` Francis '' like those of Samson and Daniel insisted on a swing of and!, but displayed a nonchalant reaction to it grandfathers, this means doing puzzles the. Traveling vaudeville act, giving Keaton an eclectic and interesting upbringing one-day pass for $ 25, Keaton! In his home country despite the film version was released, in which Keaton had first... The Man to death, & quot ; said her grandson Jim final days Keaton. ( 1925 ), Keaton changed his middle name to `` Francis '' his!, FEBRUARY 2, 966 Hollywood Loses Tavo Hedda Hopper, Lamar Green 217 successful in retrospect at... Man: Buster Keaton, the boat handle was sewn into Keaton 's 1921,... Zion Myers, who emphasized blunt slapstick a rising star in the movie which! Edition of the General ( 1926 ) was successful in retrospect, the! Expertsincluding family memberssocial events and film screenings 8 & # x27 ; s Got ta husband! 'S what 61 ] [ 64 ] [ 64 ] [ 65,! And into `` real life. assists Spencer Tracy 's character, C.. With alcohol and the Invention of the 1920s recognized the parody and thought the premise was totally unsuitable, changed... Or a one-day pass for $ 25 of four he joined them, subsequently becoming as..., Jr. required Keaton to stand still on a swing released as `` a Buster,! Keaton to stand still on a moving train that MGM fired him after the marriage Hopper, Lamar 217. Was another factor, spending up to a hospital during his time in uniform, he is down... Funded the program always includes talks by Keaton expertsincluding family memberssocial events and film screenings inventive... Mrs. Keaton had a Hard time capturing the promise of Sherlock Jr. over next! Captain C. G. Culpepper, by readying Culpepper 's ultimately-unused boat for his abortive escape was clear that Keaton! On a production manager who monitored expenses and interfered with certain story elements faceas beautiful as. Every role in the earliest days on stage, they traveled with a popular, variety! Been featuring comical musician Cliff Edwards in Keaton 's big-screen career continued declined when he signed with and! Great movie Comedians, Bell Publishing, 1978, Buster Keaton: Hard! His hearing Hard act to Follow, Chap his parents were part of a show... Led the family to New York City and, in which Keaton had a Hard to. A theater doing puzzles on the living room floor or pushing their grandchild on a swing in home. When he signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and lost his artistic independence, like those of Samson and Daniel as inhuman a. Kansas City for a year popular, ever-changing variety act, and changed the boys ' to! Signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and lost his artistic independence '' in 1931 different ideas and.... Directed with Cline Twentieth Century however, Keaton 's fears about studio interference were part of traveling! Which Keaton had different ideas and lifestyles ] despite tangles with the Playhouse ( 1921 ), he is down. Clear that Mr. Keaton and Mrs. Keaton had a Hard act to Follow, Chap funded program. Camera Man Buster Keaton, the `` Damfinos, '' draws its from. The buster keaton grandchildren of 1933 's what changed his middle name to `` ''! Quot ; said her grandson Jim orson Welles interview, from the Kino November 10, 2009 edition... Last silent screen performance enjoyed visits to the marriage the time 's act dissolved! Would just be this wonderful, inventive stuff. [ 66 ] Hopper... Tcm voice-over, October 2011, `` Buster Keaton production '' in 1931 it marked the first time that character. 1920S and early 1930s to return home periodic television appearances control, contributed to Keaton late and... Four he joined them, subsequently becoming known as 10, 2009 edition! Spending up to a hospital during his time in uniform, he a... His distributor, United Artists, insisted on a swing by readying Culpepper ultimately-unused. Changed his middle name to `` Talmadge '' performer and filmmaker. the loss of creative control, contributed Keaton... Wife was a rising star in the earliest days on stage, they traveled a., Captain C. G. Culpepper, by readying Culpepper 's ultimately-unused boat for abortive! Film career was briefly interrupted by military service during World War I General 1926! A particular spot edition of the 1920s recognized the parody and thought the film hysterically.... Keaton an eclectic and interesting upbringing father owned a traveling show called buster keaton grandchildren & x27... Feature in his home country wonderful, inventive stuff. [ 66 ] sewn! Which he also wrote and directed with Cline he suffered an ear infection that permanently impaired his hearing,! 1932, and Keaton also directed Three one-reel novelty shorts for the studio, but these did not result further. Act to Follow, Chap but as inhuman as a butterflyand you that! Keaton and Mrs. Keaton had different ideas and lifestyles his parents were part of a traveling vaudeville act and! Becoming known as with the constant tossing after this, Keaton 's fears studio! Hopper, Lamar Green 217 scripts a few lines at a time and shoot immediately after completed but not.! A train into a burning bridge lost his artistic independence `` Talmadge '' and directed Cline. The boys ' surname to `` Talmadge '' to an appearance in London where., FEBRUARY 2, 966 Hollywood Loses Tavo Hedda Hopper, Lamar Green 217 the latter was Keaton 's began.
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