He appeared in a total of 14 Arbuckle shorts, running into 1920. He was a motion picture comic actor, writer, producer, and director of the 1910s thru 1960s. Keaton's last commercial film appearance was in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966), which was filmed in Spain in SeptemberNovember 1965. [107], In 2012, Kino Lorber released The Ultimate Buster Keaton Collection, a 14-disc Blu-ray box set of Keaton's work, including 11 of his feature films.[108]. Twenty-five years after the divorce, she would not permit his name to be spoken in her house. In 1950, he played himself in Sunset Boulevard. In 1926, audiences were amazed by the daredevil antics of comedian Buster Keaton in the movie "The General . "[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. Melissa Talmadge Cox is the granddaughter of Buster Keaton and a long time resident of Cloverdale. Who are Buster Keaton grandchildren? Several factors, other than the loss of creative control, contributed to Keaton's downward spiral in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life. (The restored version of that film, released in 2013, contains a scene where Jimmy and Culpeper talk on the telephone. Also, soundstages were then at a premium, and MGM usually reserved them for dramatic productions. It's true that Keaton was born in Piqua on October 4, 1895but it wasn't his home. Marriage: xxxx Ohio, USA: Record information. On May 29, 1940, Keaton married Eleanor Norris, who was 23 years his junior. [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. Keaton then refused to appear at a publicity event, and was fired 48 hours later. $49.99. His career declined when he signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and lost his artistic independence. [106], Comedian Richard Lewis stated that Keaton was his prime inspiration, and spoke of having a close friendship with Keaton's widow Eleanor. 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. [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. He traveled from one end of Canada to the other on a motorized handcar, wearing his traditional pork pie hat and performing gags similar to those in films that he made 50 years before. Two of Keaton's . Imitators of our act don't last long, because they can't stand the treatment. His impassive features gave him the nickname "The Great Stone Face.". In a British television documentary about his career, his widow Eleanor told producers from Thames Television that Keaton was up out of bed and moving around, and even played cards with friends who came to visit the day before he died. This knockabout style of comedy led to accusations of child abuse, and occasionally, arrest. Unfortunately, his one attempt at a strong dramatic role, the lead in the weak biopic The Buster Keaton Story (1957) proved to be . 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. In 1920, The Saphead was released, in which Keaton had his first starring role in a full-length feature. Buster had broken up his family's vaudeville act, "The Three Keatons", at the age of 21, when his father's drinking made their rough-and-tumble act too difficult and dangerous. ), Keaton was so demoralized during the production of 1933's What! Caryn James wrote in The New York Times, "Keaton's television appearances . Several times I'd have been killed if I hadn't been able to land like a cat. [70], One of his most biting parodies is The Frozen North (1922), a satirical take on William S. Hart's Western melodramas, like Hell's Hinges (1916) and The Narrow Trail (1917). United States, 1924. In 1925, Dal produced a collage titled The Marriage of Buster Keaton featuring an image of the comedian in a seated pose, staring straight ahead with his trademark boater hat resting in his lap. I n the shadow of a massive dune known as Pigeon Hill. [54] In a series of silent television commercials for Simon Pure Beer made in 1962 by Jim Mohr in Buffalo, New York, Keaton revisited some of the gags from his silent film days. Beginning in his early twenties, he enjoyed a decade-long stretch as the director, star, stuntman, editor, and all-around mastermind of some of the greatest silent comedies . The most famous was legendary silent film star, Buster Keaton. They had two sons: Joseph, called James[81] (June 2, 1922 February 14, 2007),[82] and Robert (February 3, 1924 July 19, 2009).[83]. 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 . The theatrical feature film The Misadventures of Buster Keaton was fashioned from the series. Keaton was presented with a 1959 Academy Honorary Award at the 32nd Academy Awards, held in April 1960. Husband of Eleanor Ruth Keaton [74][75] Critic and film historian Imogen Sara Smith stated about Keaton's style: "the coolness and subtlety of his style [is] very cinematic in terms of recognising that the camera can pick up very, very small effects".[74]. Production head Irving Thalberg would not permit Keaton to create a script from scratch because the studio had already purchased a stage property, Parlor, Bedroom, and Bath, at the suggestion of Lawrence Weingarten, who was Thalberg's brother-in-law and Keaton's producer. So that's how he did itit hurtbut you had to care enough not to care. Life with Buster Keaton (1951) was an attempt to recreate the first series on film, allowing the program to be broadcast nationwide. Kansas, and was the firstborn of Joseph Keaton and Myra Cutler. Born the same year as the film industry in 1895, Buster Keaton began his career as the child star of a family slapstick act reputed . Reaction was strong enough for a local Los Angeles station to offer Keaton his own show, also broadcast live, in 1950. Three Kids. [61][62][63][64][65], Meanwhile, Keaton's big-screen career continued. Born into a vaudeville family, Keaton's career waned after his inked with MGM and lost his artistic . He was drafted by the United States Army in 1918, and served for over a year with the 40th Infantry in France. 33. From acclaimed cultural and film historian James Curtis--a major biography, the first in more than two decades, of the legendary comedian and filmmaker who elevated physical comedy to the highest of arts and whose ingenious films remain as startling, innovative, modern--and irresistible--today as they . TCM voice-over, October 2011, "Buster Keaton Month". The first was Sherlock Jr., in which a daydreaming projectionist who longs to be a detective becomes part of the movie he is showing. The arrival of the sound era in 1929 did not work in his favor because of his voice. MGM had been featuring comical musician Cliff Edwards in Keaton's films. and it would just be this wonderful, inventive stuff.[66]. 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. [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". 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. He also admitted to borrowing the idea of the changing room scene in The Cameraman for his own film Silent Movie. "[31] The more adventurous ideas called for dangerous stunts, performed by Keaton at great physical risk. Keaton became the new head of the company, which was owned by Joseph Schenck (who later became Keaton's brother in law). With the exception of Seeing Stars, a minor publicity film produced in 1922, Limelight was the only time in which the two would ever appear together on film. Buster Keaton's in laws: Buster Keaton's father in law was Ralph Norris Buster Keaton's mother in law is Lot Norris Buster Keaton's grandmother in law is Harriet Norris Buster Keaton's sister in law is Jane Norris Buster Keaton's father in law was Avert M Scriven Buster Keaton's mother in law was Lucy Scriven Buster Keaton's brother in law was . On February 1, 1966, Keaton died of lung cancer in Woodland Hills, California. Joe Keaton disapproved of films, and Keaton also had reservations about the medium. Buster Keaton. 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. When a grant that funded the program ended in 2017, the festival moved to Kansas City for a year. Joe Keaton owned a traveling show with Harry Houdini called the "Mohawk Indian Medicine Company", which performed on stage and sold patent medicine on the side. 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. 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 . Still, he continued to find new situations in which to put his long-suffering face. 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. Joseph Frank Keatonthe silent film star belovedly known as Busterwas born the same year, 1895, that the Lumire brothers unveiled the first moving pictures to an audience of stunned Parisians. But it's even more pleasurable to get back to the presentwhere brooding, miserable, non-smiling Humphrey Bogart really shines. Orson Welles interview, from the Kino November 10, 2009 Blu-Ray edition of The General. That same year, he was put under contract by Educational Films and returned to making shorts. The program always includes talks by Keaton expertsincluding family memberssocial events and film screenings. At my studio they would have the characters I wanted in 10 minutes. Free shipping for many products! Get 'em for me.' It was clear that Mr. Keaton and Mrs. Keaton had different ideas and lifestyles. In the end, I gave up like a fool and said 'what the hell?' Actor: The General. Keaton had two shows of his own, including The Buster Keaton Comedy Show (1949) and The Buster Keaton Show from 1950 until 1951. During his time in uniform, he suffered an ear infection that permanently impaired his hearing. [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 she saw the little house, she flew into a rage: she thought the house was much too small, with no place for servants. [13] The General has placed highly on the Sight & Sound poll, and Our Hospitality, Sherlock Jr. and The Navigator also received multiple votes. Meanwhile, the eldest scion of "fun's funniest family" traveled on to New York and Ehrich House, where he arrived, according to his datebook, on January 18, 1917. . (Arbuckle was eventually acquitted, with an apology from the jury for the ordeal he underwent.[30]). [84] Natalie's extravagance was another factor, spending up to a third of her husband's earnings. Much of the film was shot on location on the Sacramento River, which doubled for the Mississippi River setting of Twain's book. Childhood & Early Life. Allegedly, Keaton suffered a nasty fall, but displayed a nonchalant reaction to it. Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 February 1, 1966)[1] was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Why did Buster Keaton stop making movies? Free shipping for many products! . login . His father was Joseph Hallie "Joe" Keaton who had a traveling show called the Mohawk Indian Medicine Company, which performed on stage and sold patent medicine on the side. Keaton, Eleanor, and Vance, Jeffrey (2001). Actor James Mason had bought the Keatons' house and found numerous cans of films, among which was Keaton's long-lost classic The Boat. He was named Joseph to continue a tradition on his father's side (he was sixth in a line bearing the name Joseph Keaton)[1] and Frank for his maternal grandfather, who disapproved of his parents' union. He began performing with his parents as a three year old in the act 'The Three Keatons', first . 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. "[77] Critic Anthony Lane also noted Keaton's body language: The traditional Buster stance requires that he remain upstanding, full of backbone, looking ahead [in The General] he clambers onto the roof of his locomotive and leans gently forward to scan the terrain, with the breeze in his hair and adventure zipping toward him around the next bend. Comment. 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. After her step-grandmother Eleanor died in 1998, Cox became the family's Goodwill Ambassador on behalf of her Grandpa Buster. 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. "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. Cox remembers him as being a lot of fun, and she always enjoyed visits to . Harold Lloyd made us laugh as much, Charlie Chaplin moved us more deeply, but no one had more courage than Buster."[103]. 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. Maltin, Leonard, The Great Movie Comedians, Bell Publishing, 1978, Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow, Chap. [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. He made me believe in make-believe." He had cameos in such films as In the Good Old Summertime (1949), Sunset Boulevard (1950), and Around the World in 80 Days (1956). Keatan balanced his work in front and behind the camera very well. [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 Go West (1925), he is stared down by a herd of cattle. ", "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. To Keaton 's downward spiral in the end, I gave up like a fool and said 'what hell... The granddaughter of Buster Keaton in the Movie & quot ; the Great Stone &. The loss of creative control, contributed to Keaton 's big-screen career continued would not his. Keaton his own film silent Movie Saphead was released, in which to put long-suffering! His long-suffering face Los Angeles station to offer Keaton his own show, also broadcast live, which. 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