According to one biographer, Keaton was made to go to school while performing in New York, but only attended for part of one day. Buster Keaton. 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. Buster Keaton's full name is Joseph Frank Keaton and his nickname is Buster Keaton. It's a knack. He also began using a moving camera, at a time when many of his peers continued to use stationary ones. It soon. None of them were very good. Actor: The General. [45] In another telling, Keaton was fired after MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer "raided" Keaton's dressing room during a wild party with Keaton's "cronies and their girlfriends" and Keaton "angrily ordered Mayer to get out." The program always includes talks by Keaton expertsincluding family memberssocial events and film screenings. Keaton kept trying to persuade his bosses to let him do things his way. [3][4] Critic Roger Ebert 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". From left is Harry Keaton Jr.'s daughter, Lisa Geisler, and Keaton celebration committee chairman Frank Scheide. Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 February 1, 1966)[1] was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. By Kelly Braun. In 1949, Keaton appeared on television for the first time. This knockabout style of comedy led to accusations of child abuse, and occasionally, arrest. Buster William Keaton Sr. from tree Keaton Family Tree. Orson Welles interview, from the Kino November 10, 2009 Blu-Ray edition of The General. But not MGM. [7] The General is viewed as his masterpiece: Orson Welles considered it "the greatest comedy ever madeand perhaps the greatest film ever made". A scene from Steamboat Bill, Jr. required Keaton to stand still on a particular spot. While it's debatable Keaton's family life was the root of his deterioration, one factor that certainly bothered him was his marriage. Buster Keaton as a child with his parents . They had two sons: Joseph, called James[81] (June 2, 1922 February 14, 2007),[82] and Robert (February 3, 1924 July 19, 2009).[83]. He was named "Joseph" to continue a tradition on his father's sidehe was sixth in a line bearing the name Joseph Keatonand "Frank" for his maternal grandfather, who disapproved of the parents' union. Harry N. Abrams, 2001, pg. Despite Renewed Interest, Only a Handful of Buster Keaton's Classic Comedies Are on Tape", "Buster Keaton For Simon Pure Beer Brookston Beer Bulletin", "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960)", "Buster Keaton in Maryvale, Arizona in 1961", "Buster Keaton at Maryvale Shopping City in 1961", "Buster Keaton at the Bowlero in 1961, Maryvale, Arizona", "Buster Keaton at the Lantern Inn in 1961, Maryvale, Arizona", "Buster Keaton Rides Again: Return of 'The Great Stone Face', "Why Buster Keaton is today's most influential actor", "The City of Beverly Hills: Historic Resources Inventory (19851986)", "Interviews: Melissa Talmadge Cox (Buster Keaton's Granddaughter)", "Buster Keaton's Second Wife Sues Him for Divorce", "Buster Keaton, 70, Dies on Coast. Prikryl, Jana (July 9, 2011), "The Genius of Buster". He received the nickname "Buster" while still an infant. In 1994, caricaturist Al Hirschfeld penned a series of silent film stars for the United States Post Office, including Rudolph Valentino and Keaton. "[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. Keatan balanced his work in front and behind the camera very well. Joe and Myra were Vaudevillian comedians with a popular, ever-changing variety act, giving Keaton an eclectic and interesting upbringing. (1933). Rami Malek and Buster Keaton Samir Hussein/WireImage/John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images. 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. He made me believe in make-believe." 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? Noticing that this caused the audience to laugh less, he adopted his famous deadpan expression when performing. 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). Then, the facade of a two-story building toppled forward on top of Keaton. Record information. For most grandfathers, this means doing puzzles on the living room floor or pushing their grandchild on a swing. His marriage to actress Natalie Talmadge, with whom he had two sons, fell apart, and he became plagued with issues related to alcoholism and depression. Comedy director Leo McCarey, recalling the freewheeling days of making slapstick comedies, said, "All of us tried to steal each other's gagmen. 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! "stuntmen don't get you laughs," Keaton had said.[43]. Wayne Barker on Piano. Buster that the judge thought my mother was the bride! The death this week of, children. Yallop, David (1976). His first was a parody of the famous D.W. Griffith film Intolerance (1916), entitled The Three Ages. He was every member of the audience as well as every performer. The General was a Civil War romance, that featured many impressive chase scenes and one very expensive special effects shot. [69] Three Ages (1923), his first feature-length film, is a parody of D. W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916), from which it replicates the three inter-cut shorts structure. Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century. 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. [67] He played the central role in Samuel Beckett's Film (1965), directed by Alan Schneider. "She just hated the man to death," said her grandson Jim. Keaton had a hard time capturing the promise of Sherlock Jr. over the next few years. Joe and Myra were Vaudevillian comedians with a popular, ever-changing variety act, giving Keaton an eclectic and interesting upbringing. The film is also notable for being his last silent screen performance. 29. ", "The Narrative-Machine: Buster Keaton's Cinematic Comedy, Deleuze's Recursion Function and the Operational Aesthetic", "Keaton Chose $40 in Films to $750 on Stage", Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase: A Biography, "My Career at the Rear / Buster Keaton in World War I", "Muskegon: Buster Keaton documentary to focus on early life in Muskegon", "Reviews: The General/Steamboat Bill Jr", "Velocipede used by Buster Keaton in the film Our Hospitality", "Moving Pictures: Buster Keaton's 'General' Pulls In To PFA. During the railroad water-tank scene in Sherlock Jr., 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. When the Educational series lapsed in 1937, Keaton returned to MGM as a gag writer, supplying material for the final three Marx Brothers MGM films: At the Circus (1939), Go West (1940), and The Big Store (1941); these were not as artistically successful as the Marxes' previous MGM features. $49.99. He was born in Piqua, Kansas on 1895-10-04. Allegedly, Keaton suffered a nasty fall, but displayed a nonchalant reaction to it. His mother, sister and brother (and his family) all lived with him. While the movie had an impressive tornado sequence and an interesting topic (a Mississippi riverboat race) which pleased critics, Steamboat Bill Jr. was not a commercial success. Irving was usually on my side, but this time he said, 'Larry likes it. [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. . . Keaton became the new head of the company, which was owned by Joseph Schenck (who later became Keaton's brother in law). His father was Joseph Hallie "Joe" Keaton, a native of Vigo County, Indiana. It's true that Keaton was born in Piqua on October 4, 1895but it wasn't his home. Buster Keaton got his name in true slapstick fashion. Three Kids. Go Outside. Afterward, I only gradually realized what kind of family I was inheriting. Comment. Sgt. They were married in Mexico on January 1, 1932, before his divorce was final; then again legally in 1933. James Curtis. "Introduction." Keaton found his footing with his next film, One Week (1920), which focused on the tribulations of a do-it-yourself house. Keaton thought the premise was totally unsuitable, and was uncomfortable with his directors Jules White and Zion Myers, who emphasized blunt slapstick. Last year, she went to Germany for a Buster Keaton Film Festival. [72] Audiences of the 1920s recognized the parody and thought the film hysterically funny. 3, Thames Television, 1987, Perez Gilberto 'The Material GhostOn Keaton and Chaplin' 1998. He also admitted to borrowing the idea of the changing room scene in The Cameraman for his own film Silent Movie. 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