These guys didn't realizethey still don't realizethat the best comedies are simple. His wife divorced him, and he descended into alcoholism. that MGM fired him after the filming was completed, despite the film being a commercial hit. Then, the facade of a two-story building toppled forward on top of Keaton. [57] In August 1960, Keaton played mute King Sextimus the Silent in the national touring company of the Broadway musical Once Upon A Mattress. "I went over (Weingarten's) head and appealed to Irving Thalberg to help get me out of the assignment. 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. [69] When Keaton transposed his experience in vaudeville to film, in many works he parodied melodramas. Upon Keaton's return to Hollywood in 1934, he made a screen comeback in two-reel comedies for Educational Pictures. [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. Buster Keaton and Marceline Day in The Cameraman, 1928. She has been credited with salvaging his life and career. Keaton had designed and built a modest but comfortable, cottage-like home as a surprise wedding gift for his bride. "[40], When the studio began making talking films, Keaton was enthused about the new technology and wanted to make his next film, Spite Marriage, with sound. [71] Keaton directed the film, along with Edward F. Cline. While the first project he did for MGM ( The Cameraman in 1928) was rather good, as was his last silent film (Spite Marriage in 1929), Keaton's career was in decline. [38] But, given Schenck's desire to keep things "in the family" and Keaton's having to admit that his independent pictures hadn't done well, Keaton agreed to sign with MGM. [86] On July 1, 1942, the 18-year-old Robert and the 20-year-old Joseph made the name change permanent after their mother won a court petition. 4.47. Buster KEATON from tree Compton-Queen Family Tree_2011-02-01. Buster Keaton was one of three great silent film comedians (along with Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd). 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. However, Keaton was always able to show the authorities that he had no bruises or broken bones. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 966 Hollywood Loses Tavo Hedda Hopper, Lamar Green 217. Genealogy for Joseph Frank Keaton, VI (1895 - 1966) family tree on Geni, with over 240 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. He continued to appear on television until his death. The Educational two-reelers have far more pantomime than his earlier talkies, and Keaton is in good form throughout. He and Natalie Talmadge divorced on bitter terms in 1932. At the end of the day, he asked to borrow one of the cameras to get a feel for how it worked. Buster Keaton is an American actor, known in the world of cinema as "The Great Stone Face" The popularity of the artist at the peak of his career was comparable to the demand of Charlie Chaplin. United States, 1924. Keaton had never paid much attention to the business side of the film industry, and he paid a hefty price. Kinescopes were made for distribution of the programs to other parts of the country, since there was no transcontinental coaxial cable until September 1951. 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. Mini Bio (1) Joseph Frank Keaton was born on October 4, 1895 in Piqua, Kansas, to Joe Keaton and Myra Keaton. Atria: 432 . 253 ratings60 reviews. Born on October 4, 1895, in Piqua, Kansas, as Joseph Francis Keaton. 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 . [72] Audiences of the 1920s recognized the parody and thought the film hysterically funny. in Piqua, Kansas, USA , United States, Died on February 01, 1966 Photograph: Ronald Grant. He appeared in a total of 14 Arbuckle shorts, running into 1920. Keaton was born into a vaudeville family. The break brought new opportunities for Keaton. [87], With the failure of his marriage and the loss of his independence as a filmmaker, Keaton descended into alcoholism. [23], The act ran up against laws banning child performers in vaudeville. [59] In 1961, he starred in The Twilight Zone episode "Once Upon a Time", which included both silent and sound sequences. Keaton's character emerged unscathed, due to a single open window. Joe Keaton disapproved of films, and Keaton also had reservations about the medium. The death this week of, children. Keaton, however, did not own any part of the company. 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. Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life. Born into a performing family, Keaton's father Joe owned a traveling vaudeville show with Username and password are case sensitive. Later, Keaton changed his middle name to "Francis". After Robert's birth, the marriage began to suffer. Their routine had relied on physical prowess and exact timing, and required reliable performers. Yallop, David (1976). 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. He kept getting it mixed up. Born into a vaudeville family, Keaton's career waned after his inked with MGM and lost his artistic . In addition to appearing in numerous commercials (including one for Alka-Seltzer), Keaton made many guest appearances in both comedies and dramas. "She just hated the man to death," said her grandson Jim. Keaton had a hard time capturing the promise of Sherlock Jr. over the next few years. After the company shut its doors in 1937, Keaton was re-signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but only as a gagman. Keaton's contract with MGM was ended in 1933. 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. Son of Joseph Frank Hallie Keaton and Myra Edith Keaton Sarah Porter , Joseph Judson, Isabeau de DAMPIERRE , John de FIENNES, Brangre de CASTILLE , Alfonse Ix de CASTILLE. In the end, I gave up like a fool and said 'what the hell?' Buster Keaton, original name Joseph Frank Keaton IV, (born October 4, 1895, Piqua, Kansas, U.S.died February 1, 1966, Woodland Hills, California), American film comedian and director, the "Great Stone Face" of the silent screen, known for his deadpan expression and his imaginative and often elaborate visual comedy. Rami Malek and Buster Keaton Samir Hussein/WireImage/John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images. Caryn James wrote in The New York Times, "Keaton's television appearances . 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. You are the only one who doesn't.' [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. He was, in fact, the star and a skilled acrobat. that he was soon Arbuckle's second director and his entire gag department. In this film, he broke his neck, but did not discover it until ten years later. [3][4] Critic Roger Ebert wrote of Keaton's "extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929" when he "worked without interruption" as having made him "the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies". Director William Asher recalled: I always loved Buster Keaton. He would bring me bits and routines. In 1965 he appeared on the CBS television special A Salute to Stan Laurel, a tribute to the comedian and friend of Keaton who had died earlier that year. His unit remained intact and was not broken up to provide replacements, as happened to some other late-arriving divisions. Keaton became the new head of the company, which was owned by Joseph Schenck (who later became Keaton's brother in law). The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. In 1934, with his MGM contract now terminated, Keaton filed for bankruptcy. He was born in Piqua, Kansas on 1895-10-04. Neibaur, James L. and Terri Niemi (2013). He received the nickname "Buster" while still an infant. Afterward, I only gradually realized what kind of family I was inheriting. "Medicine Man" was completed but not aired. Keaton spent $42,000 on sending a train into a burning bridge. This combination of talents proved felicitous when Keaton inevitably aged out of the family act and started making movies. Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 February 1, 1966)[1] was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. [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]. Buster Keaton's full name is Joseph Frank Keaton and his nickname is Buster Keaton. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Buster Keaton With Family Rare Candid 8x10 Photo at the best online prices at eBay! 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. A two-day pass to the festival will cost $40, or a one-day pass for $25. Keaton played every role in the movie, which was set in a theater. Spouse: Thelma Ferne WOOD (1905-xxxx) 4454 People 0 Records 0 Sources: Buster William Keaton Sr. found in 22 trees View all. He estimated that he and his wife Eleanor made thousands of hats during his career. For most grandfathers, this means doing puzzles on the living room floor or pushing their grandchild on a swing. "Gee whiz," said George Pardey, an unknown Midwestern actor and a Keaton family friend, adding, "He's a regular buster!" The baby's father said, "I'm going to call him by it." In 2018 filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich released The Great Buster: A Celebration, a documentary about Keaton's life, career, and legacy. Because of Keaton's success, and a notorious scandal involving Arbuckle, Comique Films was renamed Buster Keaton Productions. After returning to the U.S. in 1919, Keaton appeared in several more Arbuckle short films such as A Country Hero (1919). Why did Buster Keaton stop making movies? Her sister, Norma Talmadge, was married to Joseph Schenck, owner of Comique Films the company that Keaton managed. Buster Keaton Remembered. "Introduction." Anyone who thinks that the movie-within-a-movie is a recent conceit, the province of The Purple Rose of Cairo and Last Action Hero, should check out Sherlock Jr., a film in which Keaton dreams himself into another film: he strolls up the aisle of the theatre, hops into the action, and fights to keep up with the breakneck changes of scene. He had a cameo as Jimmy, appearing near the end of the film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). 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 . 29. Keaton retold the anecdote over the years, including in a 1964 interview with the CBC's Telescope. He stated that he learned to read and write late, and was taught by his mother. He directed three short films in 1938. [20]:18, At the age of three, Keaton began performing with his parents in The Three Keatons. ), Keaton was so demoralized during the production of 1933's What! Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century. Csblnc Flashback Open.mov. Lost after the comedy epic's "roadshow" exhibition, the audio of that scene was discovered and combined with still pictures to recreate the scene.). When a grant that funded the program ended in 2017, the festival moved to Kansas City for a year. Keaton then refused to appear at a publicity event, and was fired 48 hours later. Keaton's daring was unquestionable; his famous $42,000 train wreck in The General almost $650,000 in today's dollarsis the most expensive shot in silent film history. Wayne Barker on Piano. [84] Natalie's extravagance was another factor, spending up to a third of her husband's earnings. 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. With The Frozen North and The Playhouse. "[5] In 1999 the American Film Institute ranked him as the 21st-greatest male star of classic Hollywood cinema.[6]. His marriage to actress Natalie Talmadge, with whom he had two sons, fell apart, and he became plagued with issues related to alcoholism and depression. During this period, he made another film in England, The Invader (released in the United States as An Old Spanish Custom in 1936).[45]. . Keaton soon discovered that his brand of comedy, especially his deadpan facial expressions, worked very well on film. On May 31, 1921, Keaton was married time to Natalie Talmadge. Connect to the World Family Tree to find out. By James Curtis. 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. After this failure, Schenck sold his contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), where his son, Nicholas, just happened to be in charge. Myra played the saxophone to one side, while Joe and Keaton performed center stage. The General, set during the American Civil War, combined physical comedy with Keaton's love of trains,[33] including an epic locomotive chase. Employing picturesque locations, the film's storyline reenacted an actual wartime incident. He was every member of the audience as well as every performer. His distributor, United Artists, insisted on a production manager who monitored expenses and interfered with certain story elements. Image via United Artists. Also, soundstages were then at a premium, and MGM usually reserved them for dramatic productions. Though it would come to be regarded as Keaton's greatest achievement, the film received mixed reviews at the time. Rapf, Joanna E. and Green, Gary L. (1995), This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 07:22. 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. Vance, Jeffrey. He'd say, "How about this?" Keaton invented comedy bits where Johnson keeps trying to apologize to a seething Garland, but winds up messing up her hairdo and tearing her dress. In 1965, Keaton starred in the short film The Railrodder for the National Film Board of Canada. The grandchildren delighted in deliberately mentioning Buster's name. He was 70 years old. The innovative special effects he developed for The Playhouse made him an early leader in the field. He returned to the program in 1965 in the episode "Now You See It, Now You Don't". She came to know his routines so well that she often participated in them in television revivals. They are the work of a man who, after decades of obscurity, found a way to perpetuate his comic images by embracing a new medium." Piqua, Kansas's greatest claim to fame is that it's the birthplace of Buster Keaton. His talent led the family to New York City and, in 1909, to an appearance in London. Keaton kept trying to persuade his bosses to let him do things his way. His great period began in 1923 when he appeared in The Three Ages and a year later he made a full length comedy . An error has occured while loading the map. . Actor: The General. 3, Thames Television, 1987, Perez Gilberto 'The Material GhostOn Keaton and Chaplin' 1998. While his films were technically and creatively interesting, they were either critical or box office failures. By Kelly Braun. The next project confirmed Keaton's fears about studio interference. He re-enacted a famous Keaton stunt for the finale of Jackass Number Two. 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 took the camera back to his hotel room where he dismantled and reassembled it by morning. In 1949, comedian Ed Wynn invited Keaton to appear on his CBS Television comedy-variety show, The Ed Wynn Show, which was televised live on the West Coast. In 1920, The Saphead was released, in which Keaton had his first starring role in a full-length feature. In one sequence, Keaton even danced with himself. A great primer about the history of Buster Keaton b. [2] He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression that earned him the nickname "The Great Stone Face". Joe and Myra were Vaudevillian comedians with a popular, ever-changing variety act, giving Keaton an eclectic and interesting upbringing. The festival began in 1993 and grew to international recognition. Keaton then moved to full-length features. Keaton also appeared in a comedy routine about two inept stage musicians in Charlie Chaplin's Limelight (released in 1952), recalling the vaudeville of The Playhouse. Alone in New York City, Buster was walking down the street when he encountered Lou Anger, an old family friend from their days on the road. Buster plays a projectionist who dreams his way onto the screen and into a movie in which he resolves the conflicts of his own life. 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. That's the way it always had been, until his mother . Keaton married for the final time in 1940. [98] A 1987 documentary, Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow, directed by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill, won two Emmy Awards.[99]. He was eventually billed as "The Little Boy Who Can't Be Damaged", and the overall act as "The Roughest Act That Was Ever in the History of the Stage". I started so young that landing right is second nature with me. The Society's nickname, the "Damfinos," draws its name from a boat in Keaton's 1921 comedy, The Boat. Prikryl, Jana (July 9, 2011), "The Genius of Buster". Keaton thought the premise was totally unsuitable, and was uncomfortable with his directors Jules White and Zion Myers, who emphasized blunt slapstick. They were popular, and contrary to Keaton's later reputation as "The Great Stone Face", he often smiled and even laughed in them. The series benefited from a company of veteran actors, including Marcia Mae Jones as the ingenue, Iris Adrian, Dick Wessel, Fuzzy Knight, Dub Taylor, Philip Van Zandt, and his silent-era contemporaries Harold Goodwin, Hank Mann, and stuntman Harvey Parry. His first was a parody of the famous D.W. Griffith film Intolerance (1916), entitled The Three Ages. Keaton is rumored to have gotten the name Buster from Harry Houdini himself. . "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. The "Great Stone Face" died in 1966, aged 70. By the time he was three, Keaton had become part of his parents' act, renamed "The Three Keatons." Today, she regularly travels around the country, attending film festivals and conventions in his honor. Keaton suffered from several personal crises as well. He first appeared on stage in 1899 in Wilmington, Delaware. In In the Good Old Summertime, Keaton personally directed the stars Judy Garland and Van Johnson in their first scene together, where they bump into each other on the street. . He was soon offered a role in a Broadway show, The Passing Show of 1917, for the princely sum of $250 per week. Buster Keaton got his name in true slapstick fashion. He Was Born On The Road. In the first Keaton pictures with sound, he and his fellow actors would shoot each scene three times: once in English, once in Spanish, and once in either French or German. Imitators of our act don't last long, because they can't stand the treatment. The program always includes talks by Keaton expertsincluding family memberssocial events and film screenings. Fairbanks recommended Keaton to take the role[citation needed] for the remake five years later, since the film was to have a comic slant. [32], Aside from Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928), Keaton's most enduring feature-length films include Our Hospitality (1923), The Navigator (1924), Sherlock Jr. (1924), Seven Chances (1925), The Cameraman (1928), and The General (1926). Allegedly, Keaton suffered a nasty fall, but displayed a nonchalant reaction to it. 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 . Harold Lloyd made us laugh as much, Charlie Chaplin moved us more deeply, but no one had more courage than Buster."[103]. Keaton made Steamboat Bill Jr., his last film with Buster Keaton Productions, in 1928. By 1923, Keaton was making full-length features. A Buster Keaton Granddad. 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. The arrival of the sound era in 1929 did not work in his favor because of his voice. 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. Keaton died of lung cancer on February 1, 1966, aged 70, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. From left is Harry Keaton Jr.'s daughter, Lisa Geisler, and Keaton celebration committee chairman Frank Scheide. Keaton grew up on the road, as his parents endlessly . In 1926, audiences were amazed by the daredevil antics of comedian Buster Keaton in the movie "The General . His third wife was a dancer named Eleanor Ruth Norris. The medium revitalized his career. [39], Welcomed to the studio by Irving Thalberg, with whom he initially had a relationship of mutual admiration,[40] Keaton realized too late that the studio system MGM represented would severely limit his creative input. $49.99 Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 - February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. With complete artistic control, he developed his own working methodology and made about two pictures per year. The theatrical feature film The Misadventures of Buster Keaton was fashioned from the series. 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