Keaton captivated audiences with his youthful charm, athletic prowess, and impeccable comic timing, and as a result the Three Keatons were a success for many years.Īt the age of 21, though, due to the elder Joe Keaton’s now actually harmful lapses caused by alcoholism, Buster left his family’s vaudeville act and set out on his own. Such a potentially harmful act would be unlikely to survive today, and even in his time it was marked by controversy, with the authorities often accusing the Keatons of abusing their son. After repeated examinations of the boy, though, it appeared that Buster only had minor scrapes or bruises even after the hardest of falls. It is within vaudeville that Keaton first developed his comic deadpan style that he is now so known for (his oft-used nickname now is “The Great Stone Face”), when he gauged that the audience would laugh more when he showed no expression after his tumbles than when he would react to it. The story goes that this is where Buster first got his name, when the magician Houdini observed him after a fall and, when the boy emerged unhurt he exclaimed “that was a real buster!” An early photo of Buster Keaton The act shocked and humored audiences with Buster’s uncanny athletic ability, when, as part of the act, his father Joe Keaton would throw him across an auditorium, only for Buster to then get up, unharmed. His parents were part of a traveling vaudeville act, and at the age of four he joined them, subsequently becoming known as the Three Keatons. Early Days in Vaudeville – 1895-1917īorn 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. Yet, I will also attempt to delve deeper into the man behind the iconic face, and to really get at the heart of who he was and why his work still inspires so many. For the last several weeks, I have watched and rewatched everything of his that I could find, completely immersing myself in the world of Buster Keaton.Īs we have done many times on our site for other actors and directors, this feature will mainly function as a beginner’s guide for people who wish to be more familiar with Buster Keaton‘s work. Later, I read critical essays and a book about him, and discovered that many people had similar experiences watching his films for the first time. I found and watched most of Keaton’s silent feature films, and afterwards his many shorts. I immediately thought to myself at that moment: who was this small man with these large, soulful eyes? Why do his pensive features combined with a manic energy make his presence so alluring? I knew that I had to discover more. At one point, the camera focuses in on his face, and in a deadpan expression precisely shows a momentary look of confusion.
#BUSTER KEATON SERIES#
In the film’s first extended action sequence, Keaton is chasing after a troupe of Union soldiers who had infiltrated and stolen his train, and in a series of fast-paced, whirring motions, he narrowly escapes one mishap after another. Watching it later, I still remember the exact moment when I was captivated by Buster Keaton‘s unique charm and screen presence.
When I was younger and just starting to get into classic film, I found a copy of The Generalat a local DVD store.
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