Keaton had a short-lived second marriage with Mae Elizabeth Scriven, a nurse, hairstylist and playwright. Joe and Myra were Vaudevillian comedians with a popular, ever-changing variety act, giving Keaton an eclectic and interesting upbringing. Joe Keaton disapproved of films, and Keaton also had reservations about the medium. His final appearance on film was in The Scribe, a 1966 safety film produced in Toronto by the Construction Safety Associations of Ontario: he died shortly after completing it. 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. He also began using a moving camera, at a time when many of his peers continued to use stationary ones. Keaton was born into a vaudeville family. Poker-Faced Comedian of Films", "Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (American Masters)", Dada, Surrealism, and the Cinematic Effect, "Mel Brooks on Buster Keaton--The Lybarger Links Interview", "The Strange Behavior of Johnny Knoxville", "Keaton Weekend in L.A. Celebrates the Great Silent Comedian", "City of Los Angeles to declare June 16, 2018 "Buster Keaton Day", Barnett, Ryan and Matthew Tavares (Illustrator), Buster Keaton and the Muskegon Connection, Buster Keaton's Silent Shorts (19201923) by James L. Neibaur and Terri Niemi, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Buster_Keaton&oldid=1142053518, United States Army personnel of World War I, Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Male actors from Beverly Hills, California, Articles with dead external links from March 2022, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Vague or ambiguous geographic scope from June 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2022, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, TCMDb name template using numeric ID from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. ", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buster_Keaton, http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/buster-keaton.html, http://www.biography.com/articles/Buster-Keaton-9361442, http://www.answers.com/topic/buster-keaton. "[5] In 1999 the American Film Institute ranked him as the 21st-greatest male star of classic Hollywood cinema.[6]. This was witnessed by the magician Harry Houdini (or, some say, actor George Pardey), who christened the hearty boy Buster. [98] A 1987 documentary, Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow, directed by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill, won two Emmy Awards.[99]. Buster Keaton in a still from the 1927 film The General. By the time he was 9, his reputation as a performer had reached both coasts of the US, which Stevens' details alongside evolving child abuse and labor law reform in . Although forces opposed to child labor tried to keep him off the stage, Keaton soon became an integral part of the show. In 1920, The Saphead was released, in which Keaton had his first starring role in a full-length feature. Username and password are case sensitive. [80], On May 31, 1921, Keaton married Natalie Talmadge, his leading lady in Our Hospitality, and the sister of actresses Norma Talmadge (married to his business partner Joseph M. Schenck at the time) and Constance Talmadge, at Norma's home in Bayside, Queens. From left is Harry Keaton Jr.'s daughter, Lisa Geisler, and Keaton celebration committee chairman Frank Scheide. The theatrical feature film The Misadventures of Buster Keaton was fashioned from the series. By Kelly Braun. Wrong username or password. They were popular, and contrary to Keaton's later reputation as "The Great Stone Face", he often smiled and even laughed in them. Afterward, I only gradually realized what kind of family I was inheriting. This channel is dedicated to the genius of Buster Keaton and family. Though it would come to be regarded as Keaton's greatest achievement, the film received mixed reviews at the time. His life quickly spiraled downward. He also admitted to borrowing the idea of the changing room scene in The Cameraman for his own film Silent Movie. The actors would phonetically memorize the foreign-language scripts a few lines at a time and shoot immediately after. The guest of honor and his bride Myra Keaton ride Minnie . [104], Keaton's Sherlock Jr., in which he walks into the movie he is projecting, was an influence Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo, in which a character walks out of a movie and into real life. 4.47. Buster Keaton. [109] In honor of the event, the City of Los Angeles declared the date "Buster Keaton Day."[110]. Director William Asher recalled: I always loved Buster Keaton. He would bring me bits and routines. He was born into a vaudeville family; his father's name was Joseph Keaton while his mother's was Myra. The oldest son of Joseph and Myra Keaton, who were stage comedians. Keaton died of lung cancer on February 1, 1966, aged 70, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. You had to requisition a toothpick in triplicate. Joseph Talmadge Keaton was the first son born to comic actor Buster Keaton and his wife, actress Natalie Talmadge; he was also a nephew of silent screen actresses Norma and Constance Talmadge. Pioneer in Film Industry. 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 . The next project confirmed Keaton's fears about studio interference. He made his last starring feature, El Moderno Barba Azul (1946), in Mexico; the film was a low-budget production, and it may not have been seen in the United States until its release on VHS in the 1980s, under the title Boom in the Moon. The festival began in 1993 and grew to international recognition. I just stood there, and everybody is hassling. 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. [69] When Keaton transposed his experience in vaudeville to film, in many works he parodied melodramas. 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. In 1926, audiences were amazed by the daredevil antics of comedian Buster Keaton in the movie "The General . I started so young that landing right is second nature with me. Please try again. On May 29, 1940, Keaton married Eleanor Norris, who was 23 years his junior. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with the latest celebrity news, but don't worry we have you covered. But not MGM. The General was a Civil War romance, that featured many impressive chase scenes and one very expensive special effects shot. Keaton was born into a vaudeville family. Joseph Frank Keaton (1895 - 1966) 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. [46] Keaton had a free hand in staging the films, within the studio's budgetary limits and using its staff writers. It was not released until 1921. He recovered in the 1940s, remarried, and revived his career as an honored comic performer for the rest of his life, earning an Academy Honorary Award in 1959. Throughout the story, a simple good-guys-versus-bad-guys schema is applied to the Civil War, with the Confederates being the good guys, and Johnnie's hometown of Marietta depicted as a sort of bland, folksy utopia. He began performing with his parents as a three year old in the act 'The Three Keatons', first . Keaton had never paid much attention to the business side of the film industry, and he paid a hefty price. [69] Three Ages also featured parodies of Bible stories, like those of Samson and Daniel. 616: Ruth Carbaugh 201; Elaine Weigle 513. By the age of 5, Buster is part of his family's vaudeville act, and only 6 months later the Atlanta Constitution names him as "the star of the Keaton aggregation of three". It soon. BUSTER KEATON is an adoptable Dog - Schnauzer searching for a forever family near Atlanta, GA. Use Petfinder to find adoptable pets in your area. Keaton parodied the tired formula of the melodramatic transformation from bad guy to good guy, which Hart's characters went through, known as "the good badman". The Society's nickname, the "Damfinos," draws its name from a boat in Keaton's 1921 comedy, The Boat. Keaton was a seminal comedian, actor, producer, screenwriter, and director that shaped the industry for years to come, even though the industry stole the creative control that made his early films so valuable. Keaton observed that during his silent period, such a hat cost him around two dollars (~$2733 in 2022 dollars); at the time of his interview, he said, they cost almost $13 (~$116 in 2022 dollars). Joseph Frank Keaton IV was born October 4, 1895, in Piqua, Kansas. The only time he ever laughed on screen was in an Arbuckle movie, Fatty at Coney Island (1917). The stunt required precision, because the prop house weighed two tons, and the window only offered a few inches of clearance around Keaton's body. Keaton was convinced to star in a short film with Arbuckle, called The Butcher Boy (1917). The director was usually Jules White, whose emphasis on slapstick and farce made most of these films resemble White's famous Three Stooges shorts. He would later cite this as the worst business decision of his life in his autobiography. The film version was released as "A Buster Keaton Production" in 1931. Peter Hogue wrote in Film Comment, "Keaton is astonishing not only for what he does as an actor within the frame, but also for what he does with frame in relation to the actor. Keaton made Steamboat Bill Jr., his last film with Buster Keaton Productions, in 1928. Husband of Eleanor Ruth Keaton Sgt. He had a cameo as Jimmy, appearing near the end of the film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). 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. Buster Keaton and Phyllis Haver in The Balloonatic (1923) - publicity still. Rapf, Joanna E. and Green, Gary L. (1995), This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 07:22. His large, deep eyes are the most eloquent feature; with merely a stare, he can convey a wide range of emotions, from longing to mistrust, from puzzlement to sorrow. Keatan balanced his work in front and behind the camera very well. Resuming his daily job as an MGM gag writer, he provided material for Red Skelton[48] and gave help and advice to Lucille Ball. In 1920, Arbuckle left Comique Films for Paramount. Childhood & Early Life. [49], Keaton accepted various character roles in both "A" and "B" features. So that's how he did itit hurtbut you had to care enough not to care. That's the way it always had been, until his mother . Two years later she changed their sons' last name to Talmadge. that he was soon Arbuckle's second director and his entire gag department. 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? 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. 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 . A vaudeville child star, Keaton grew up to be a tinkerer, an athlete, a visual mathematician; his films offer belly laughs of mind-boggling physical invention and a spacey determination that nears philosophical grandeur. Much of the film was shot on location on the Sacramento River, which doubled for the Mississippi River setting of Twain's book. His first was a parody of the famous D.W. Griffith film Intolerance (1916), entitled The Three Ages. He appeared on shows such as Playhouse 90, Route 66, and The Twilight Zone. Harry Keaton Jr., nephew of Buster Keaton, talks about how famiy members have reunited at various Keaton festivals during a panel discussion featuring Keaton family members in person and appearing virtually on a screen. Keaton appeared in 14 Arbuckle shorts between 1917 and 1919, including His Wedding Night (1917) and The Bell Boy (1918). In the earliest days on stage, they traveled with a medicine show that included family friend, illusionist Harry Houdini. Keaton and Arbuckle became close friends, and Keaton was one of few people, along with Charlie Chaplin, to defend Arbuckle's character during accusations that he was responsible for the death of actress Virginia Rappe. Keaton, Eleanor, and Vance, Jeffrey (2001). [69] Three Ages (1923), his first feature-length film, is a parody of D. W. 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