She Doesn't

According to the sheet music below, there was a theme song of sorts for Go West. Who knew?? Look at the writing credits. One of those names should be familiar to Keaton fans.

The Navigator

Buster's The Navigator is 94 years young today. If you don't feel like doing the math, it was released on this date in 1924.

Random Keaton Note #13

Buster was the sixth "first son" to be named Joseph in the Keaton family.

Buster with his father. Yes, his name was Joe.

October 4, 1895

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BUSTER!!

The Boat Trailer

Hey, we have our trailer for The Boat up and running. Wow-- pretty quick since we announced this was "in the works," but don't get used to that! Enjoy...

In The Works: The Boat

Up next in our mock trailer series is The Boat. Buster Keaton's 1921 short comedy.

From Motion Picture News, 1922

We have my favorite Buster leading lady, Sybil Seely, playing Buster's wife; they have two sons (foreshadowing Buster's real life), and one boat. This is one of Buster's patented story lines of man against machine. Well, man is also against kids, weather, water...

FYI: The boat in The Boat is named "Damfino." A very short-lived boat in Buster's feature film, College, is named "Damfino," and legend has it that a boat with the same name appeared on the Michigan shores when Buster was there as a child. The International Buster Keaton Society is named-- what else? The Damfinos.

Random Keaton Note #12

Buster plays Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's son in Oh Doctor!, 1917.

Back Stage Centennial Minus One

Today marks the 99th anniversary of the Comique release Back Stage.

Roscoe Arbuckle (top) with, yes, BK. If you've never seen this, do yourself a favor and watch. Notice Buster taking a bow at the end of the above scene. He could play a woman better than anybody!

Happy Labor Day!

BK and Big Joe Roberts in Convict 13, 1920

Annual Buster Keaton Convention

The 24th Annual Buster Keaton Convention in Michigan is about a month away, October 5th and 6th. Hosted by the BK fan club, The Damifinos, they have an impressive schedule of events planned. Here is the link. Whether you are interested in going or not, the schedule is worth a read!

In case you don't know, Buster and his family spent many summers in Muskegon, MI. It became an off-season retreat for actors by 1903. Buster's father, Joe, helped establish the seasonal community. Here is an interesting link about The Actors' Colony. They also have some good info and pictures on Buster and his family here.

Buster standing with his mother, Myra. Seated in the chair is pop, Joe. Louise and Harry are seated in front of BK. c. 1909

Buster's Mash Notes

I found this amusing piece floating around the internet. According to the stamp, the article dates to 1921. Poor Buster... no fan mail??? Hard to believe today.