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. Later, Keaton changed his middle name to "Francis". 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. Joe and Myra were Vaudevillian comedians with a popular, ever-changing variety act, giving Keaton an eclectic and interesting upbringing. Between 1947 and 1954, the couple appeared regularly in the Cirque Medrano in Paris as a double act. Best known for his silent film work, Keaton was ranked as the 21st-greatest male star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute in 1999. Keaton's daring was unquestionable; his famous $42,000 train wreck in The General almost $650,000 in today's dollarsis the most expensive shot in silent film history. Joe Keaton disapproved of films, and Keaton also had reservations about the medium. [73] The film's opening intertitles give it its mock-serious tone, and are taken from "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" by Robert W. The General, set during the American Civil War, combined physical comedy with Keaton's love of trains,[33] including an epic locomotive chase. Kinescopes were made for distribution of the programs to other parts of the country, since there was no transcontinental coaxial cable until September 1951. Born June 2, 1922, first born son of Natalie Talmadge and comedian Buster Keaton, nephew of silent screen actresses Norma and Constance Talmadge, Jim attended Blackfox Military . "[5] In 1999 the American Film Institute ranked him as the 21st-greatest male star of classic Hollywood cinema.[6]. Joseph Frank Keaton IV was born October 4, 1895, in Piqua, Kansas. 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. Irving was usually on my side, but this time he said, 'Larry likes it. Keaton was convinced to star in a short film with Arbuckle, called The Butcher Boy (1917). [29] Keaton later said[where?] His parents, Joe and Myra, were both veteran vaudevillian actors, and Keaton himself first began performing at the age of 3 when . 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. Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd advised him against making the move, cautioning that he would lose his independence. Evolved from the knockabout upbringing of the vaudeville stage, Keaton's comedy is a whirlwind of hilarious, technically precise, adroitly executed, and surprising gags, very often set against a backdrop of visually stunning set pieces and locationsall this masked behind his unflinching, stoic veneer. "[76] Gilberto Perez commented on "Keaton's genius as an actor to keep a face so nearly deadpan and yet render it, by subtle inflections, so vividly expressive of inner life. . Pioneer in Film Industry. He directed three short films in 1938. Born Joseph Keaton (the sixth in a line of Joseph Keatons) in Piqua, Kansas on October 1, 1895, Buster had the delightful fortune of being born in the right place at the right time. He was soon offered a role in a Broadway show, The Passing Show of 1917, for the princely sum of $250 per week. [13] The General has placed highly on the Sight & Sound poll, and Our Hospitality, Sherlock Jr. and The Navigator also received multiple votes. By 1917, Joseph Keaton had developed severe problems with alcohol and the family's act was dissolved. "The Three Keatons," a poor vaudeville family consisting of Joe, his wife Myra and their seven-year-old son Buster, arrive in Fargo, North Dakota on a snowy winter's day in 1904, with dreams of becoming stars. Although forces opposed to child labor tried to keep him off the stage, Keaton soon became an integral part of the show. MGM also forced Keaton to use a stunt double during some of the more dangerous scenes, something he had never done in his heyday, as MGM wanted badly to protect its investment. His first directorial effort, The High Sign, was a short that apparently did not work very well. [69] When Keaton transposed his experience in vaudeville to film, in many works he parodied melodramas. that he was soon Arbuckle's second director and his entire gag department. Yallop, David (1976). [56] In December 1958, Keaton was a guest star in the episode "A Very Merry Christmas" of The Donna Reed Show on ABC. He kept getting it mixed up. Plus two cats, a dog, and a St. Bernard. Buster Keaton, original name Joseph Frank Keaton IV, (born October 4, 1895, Piqua, Kansas, U.S.died February 1, 1966, Woodland Hills, California), American film comedian and director, the "Great Stone Face" of the silent screen, known for his deadpan expression and his imaginative and often elaborate visual comedy. He first appeared on stage in 1899 in Wilmington, Delaware. It was too dramatic for some filmgoers expecting a lightweight comedy, and reviewers questioned Keaton's judgment in making a comedic film about the Civil War, even while noting it had a "few laughs. An error has occured while loading the map. 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. "She just hated the man to death," said her grandson Jim. Ex-husband of Natalie Talmadge and Mae Elizabeth Keaton Actor: The General. Man Humor. Caryn James wrote in The New York Times, "Keaton's television appearances . Keaton also directed three one-reel novelty shorts for the studio, but these did not result in further directorial assignments. Atria: 432 . In 1920, Keaton made his first full-length feature, The Saphead, playing the straight man, Bertie "The Lamb" Van Alstyne. [2] He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression that earned him the nickname "The Great Stone Face". [96] Keaton has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: 6619 Hollywood Boulevard (for motion pictures); and 6225 Hollywood Boulevard (for television). "I went over (Weingarten's) head and appealed to Irving Thalberg to help get me out of the assignment. Buster Keaton and Phyllis Haver in The Balloonatic (1923) - publicity still. He appeared on shows such as Playhouse 90, Route 66, and The Twilight Zone. He appeared on screen simultaneously nine times. He stated that he learned to read and write late, and was taught by his mother. Last year, she went to Germany for a Buster Keaton Film Festival. Go Outside. [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. 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. I just stood there, and everybody is hassling. Keaton's writers included Clyde Bruckman, Joseph Mitchell, and Jean Havez, but the most ingenious gags were generally conceived by Keaton himself. [98] A 1987 documentary, Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow, directed by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill, won two Emmy Awards.[99]. The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. By 1935, this second marriage had ended in divorce. Lewis was particularly moved by the fact that Eleanor said his eyes looked like Keaton's. [19] He was briefly institutionalized, according to the Turner Classic Movies documentary So Funny It Hurt. Behind the camera, Keaton worked with a co-director, Eddie Cline, with whom he collaborated several times. Keaton had never paid much attention to the business side of the film industry, and he paid a hefty price. Keaton is often described as having been ahead of his time; Anthony Lane wrote "He was just too good, in too many ways, too soon No action thriller of the last, blood-streaked decade has matched the kinetic violence at the end of Steamboat Bill, Jr., in which a storm pulls Keaton through one random catastrophe after another. Why did Buster Keaton stop making movies? [68], Keaton started experimenting with parody during his vaudeville years, where most frequently his performances involved impressions and burlesques of other performers' acts. Wayne Barker on Piano. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. in Piqua, Kansas, USA , United States, Died on February 01, 1966 'tendell of Pittsburgh Gas Com- ern District Grand Lodge of.^, 1, Col. 8) KOONEY Shucked By Tragedy HOLLYWOOD deadpan comedian. Keaton also appeared in a comedy routine about two inept stage musicians in Charlie Chaplin's Limelight (released in 1952), recalling the vaudeville of The Playhouse. 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. Keaton, Eleanor, and Vance, Jeffrey (2001). The next project confirmed Keaton's fears about studio interference. Keaton's character emerged unscathed, due to a single open window. Keaton was such a natural in his first film, The Butcher Boy, he was hired on the spot. 8 'A Woman of Paris'. Two years later she changed their sons' last name to Talmadge. 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. He was, in fact, the star and a skilled acrobat. On May 31, 1921, Keaton was married time to Natalie Talmadge. He supported them all. TCM voice-over, October 2011, "Buster Keaton Month". As for The General, where do you start? Keaton had two shows of his own, including The Buster Keaton Comedy Show (1949) and The Buster Keaton Show from 1950 until 1951. He took the camera back to his hotel room where he dismantled and reassembled it by morning. [45] The latter was Keaton's last starring feature in his home country. The series benefited from a company of veteran actors, including Marcia Mae Jones as the ingenue, Iris Adrian, Dick Wessel, Fuzzy Knight, Dub Taylor, Philip Van Zandt, and his silent-era contemporaries Harold Goodwin, Hank Mann, and stuntman Harvey Parry. Critic Dana Stevens published a cultural history of Keaton's life and work, Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century. I started so young that landing right is second nature with me. In 1926, comedian, writer, and director Buster Keaton made a film titled The General, which featured a stunt involving an actual train falling from a burning bridge into a river. Username and password are case sensitive. In 1920, The Saphead was released, in which Keaton had his first starring role in a full-length feature. 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). You are the only one who doesn't.' 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. A century has passed since Buster Keaton entered the plum decade of his career. The images and pieces have presentations and attendees from a #Buster Keaton Convention that is held the first week of October . Keaton was the world's whipping boy and made the world love him for it. Vance, Jeffrey. 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". Keaton then moved to full-length features. On February 14, 2007, James Talmadge (born Joseph Talmadge Keaton) passed away peacefully with his wife of 63 years, the love of his life, Barbara Talmadge, by his side. He was born Joseph Frank Keaton on October 4, 1895, in Piqua, Kansas, the eldest of three children, including a younger brother and sister, born to two vaudevillians, Joseph Hallie Keaton and Myra Cutler. Keaton's contract with MGM was ended in 1933. Unfortunately, his one attempt at a strong dramatic role, the lead in the weak biopic The Buster Keaton Story (1957) proved to be . He made me believe in make-believe." A drastic shift for silent film icon Charlie Chaplin, A Woman of Paris exchanged slapstick comedy for romantic drama and was the first of only . Buster Keaton and Marceline Day in The Cameraman, 1928. When a grant that funded the program ended in 2017, the festival moved to Kansas City for a year. That same year, he was put under contract by Educational Films and returned to making shorts. The Educational two-reelers have far more pantomime than his earlier talkies, and Keaton is in good form throughout. With The Frozen North and The Playhouse. [7] The General is viewed as his masterpiece: Orson Welles considered it "the greatest comedy ever madeand perhaps the greatest film ever made". 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 father was Joseph Hallie "Joe" Keaton, a native of Vigo County, Indiana. He then moved to feature-length films; several of them, such as Sherlock Jr. (1924), The General (1926), Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928), and The Cameraman (1928), remain highly regarded. The death this week of, children. He also began using a moving camera, at a time when many of his peers continued to use stationary ones. Arbuckle also wrote and directed this film. In his presentation for The General, filmmaker Orson Welles hailed Buster Keaton as "the greatest of all the clowns in the history of the cinema a supreme artist, and I think one of the most beautiful people who was ever photographed". In Seven Chances (1925), he faces a rockslide. 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? Two years later, he appeared with Charlie Chaplin for the only time in Limelight. The seemingly indestructible man married actress Natalie Talmadge in 1921, though wedded bliss did not last long. $49.99 Keaton died of lung cancer on February 1, 1966, aged 70, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. But we had no luck with Keaton because he thought up his best gags himself and we couldn't steal him! Whenever a TV show wanted to simulate silent-movie comedy, Keaton answered the call and guested in such successful series as The Ken Murray Show, You Asked for It, and The Garry Moore Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show. This combination of talents proved felicitous when Keaton inevitably aged out of the family act and started making movies. This equilibrium came into play with The Playhouse (1921), which he also wrote and directed with Cline. 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. 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. [49], Keaton accepted various character roles in both "A" and "B" features. In 1965, Keaton appeared in a short film written and shot by French existentialist playwright Samuel Beckett entitled simply Film. 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