Random Keaton Note #10

Buster owned several St. Bernards during his lifetime.

Posting For No Reason...

Just dropping in with a BK photo. Buster, Sybil Seely, and their uncredited child actor in The Boat 1921.

Random Keaton Note #9

The name of the ship in The Navigator (1924) was Buford.

Buster with the Buford's captain, Johnny O'Brien.

The Rough House Centennial Plus One

Today marks the 101st anniversary of original release of The Rough House. Pop over to our Youtube channel and watch our mock trailer for a little mini celebration (link is in the right sidebar). 

Buster and Josephine Stevens

H O T

I don't know about your neck of the woods, but it sure is hot here. And, yes, we're still working on the Elk's Head commercial while slowly melting.

Buster and Marceline Day in The Cameraman 1928

So Why Keaton, Part 6: Buster in Bloom

Here it is: the obvious, the shallow, the cosmetic reason for Keatonholism: his looks! I could write about soulful eyes, a perfectly imperfect nose, complementing mouth, chiseled bones, but in this case, pictures speak louder than words.

I rest my case.

On a not so shallow note, BK's features seemed specifically designed for performing. Large eyes, classic profile... The next time you watch an early Keaton film pay extra attention to his visage (there's a tough assignment). It stands out from everyone else on the screen.

This post concludes my little essay on why I continue to promote Buster Keaton. I could offer more, but for now, I'm sure you get the point. Thanks for reading.

Random Keaton Note #8

In BK's autobiography, Buster stated there is a snake around his neck in this photo. Really? I always thought it was just the bandana. What do you think??

Buster and Kathleen Myers in Go West, 1925

So Why Keaton, Part 5: Buster In Person

No, I never met Buster Keaton. No, I never met anyone who had met Buster Keaton. The "Six Degrees of Separation" theory might not even apply to Buster and myself so maybe I have a lot of nerve writing about Buster as a person. Or maybe I've read so much about him and watched his films so often that I should write about him as a person. Or maybe I just like to think I understand Buster as a person. My opinion is Buster was a hard-working, creative person and, of course, an all-around nice guy. To quote people much more in the know than myself: Actress Bartine Burkett said Buster "kept her in stitches," and she owned an personally inscribed portrait of Buster.

Bartine and Buster in The High Sign 1921

Loyal T. Lucas stated Buster "was one of the grandest men ever put on this earth." 

Actress Viola Dana said of Buster: "He was a darling. He was a doll." 

Viola and Buster c.1920

Actress Anita Paige inscribed a photo of herself with Buster, calling him "our dear Buster."

His wife, Eleanor, wrote: "Buster was the kindest, gentlest man I have ever known. Everyone who knew him loved him."

Eleanor with Buster 1950s

Okay, so we agree Buster was a nice guy. Nice is nice, but there was much more to his pithy character, or maybe it was all wound around his creativity. At some point when researching Buster, you notice the fact that during his entire life he only stopped working due to illness. Granted, money is a necessity in this society, but I feel Buster continually worked as a result of his upbringing and, maybe more importantly, an inner drive. Spending his childhood on the vaudeville circuit must have trained him to work hard and keep going. It was the only way of life he knew. I think the inner drive aspect can be credited to a fact that I haven't seen addressed in any Buster article: quite likely he was gifted. Contemplate some of the traits associated with gifted individuals (from NAGC):

Vivid imagination

Desire to organize people/things through games or complex schemas

Keen and/or unusual sense of humor

Puts idea or things together that are not typical

Interest in experimenting and doing things differently

Thinking is abstract, complex, logical, and insightful

Sound like anyone we know? The trouble with giftedness is it can be a double-edged sword. You "cannot not" create. The word "driven" is often used to describe one who is gifted. I think that sums up Mr. Keaton very well.

Like all of us, Buster's character was defined by a vast amount of components. Heritage, experiences, culture, friends, sibling order-- the list goes on. An in-depth study of the BK personality would be an interesting read indeed. But maybe we need to look no further than his films. When viewing, you pick up on a vibe. His grace, his timimg, his humor. It's unique. You Keaton fans know what I'm getting at. I know the man was not perfect, but it's awfully easy to think so.

BK in Cops 1922

Note: For my simple, relatively unread, little blog, I decided not to use footnotes in this article. If you would like to know where I found the quotes contained in this post, leave a comment or shoot me an email, and I will answer your inquiry.

In The Works: Elk's Head Hotel Commercial

Work has begun on another BK video tribute. We're trying our hand at a commercial for the Elk's Head Hotel which also doubles as a trailer for The Bell Boy. 

As mentioned in a previous post, The Bell Boy celebrated its centennial earlier this year, but a hundred years later, it's still funny. It stars the Comique trio of Roscoe Arbuckle, Al St. John, and Buster Keaton. Alice Lake is along as well as Buster's pop, Joe Keaton. This is the first film we have of Joe and Buster working together. A Country Hero is lost, and in Out West the two do not appear together.

So stay tuned for an important word from our sponsor, The Elk's Head Hotel.

Poll Results 5/16

It should come as no surprise that everyone who voted in the last poll hopes A Country Hero will one day be found. And I imagine if anyone can pull off a miracle, it would be Buster! Let's keep those fingers crossed.

Al, Buster, and Roscoe

NOTE: Blogger has changed some of their gadgets and removed the poll. So this was the last poll (for now anyway).

Bustration

The wait is over! Here is our new video tribute to Buster. Enjoy!!