Buster Keaton

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I saw Buster Keaton's The General on TV when I was a kid, probably in a butchered version; broadcasters in the 1960s were not kind to silent films. But some of Keaton's masterworks reappeared in theaters in the 1970s, in Raymond Rohauer's wonderful prints, and I saw as many as I could. I listed Sherlock Jr. as my favorite film if anyone asked and named my cat Buster (jocularly, Buster Kitten), although he was as clumsy as his namesake was deft. The San Francisco Silent Film Festival showed a lot of Keaton in 1995, including a dozen shorts I had not seen before. My list of films I have seen in theaters since 1982 includes 20 separate Keaton items as of November 2011.

When Keaton was the featured star of the month on Turner Classic Movies in October 2011, I recorded everything they showed: 46 items, about 33 hours of material, including 5 early two-reel shorts Keaton made with Roscoe Arbuckle (1917-1919), all 19 of the Buster Keaton Productions shorts (1920-1923), all 13 of Keaton's silent features (1920-1929), 8 talkies (starting 1929), and a documentary about Keaton's MGM years. In November 2011, I resolved to watch all this material (plus three later films) in chronological order and to reread my half-dozen books on Keaton, while recording my impressions for this page. It's a work in progress; to date I've written 5 reviews.


Online references:

My Keaton books:


Click on a heading below to sort the list accordingly. Click on a review date to show the review. Click here to show all the reviews.


Title Year Director Stars Time Silent Short Reviewed Comments
My Wife's Relations 1922 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 30 silent short
Neighbors 1921 Cline, Edward F.
Keaton, Buster
Buster Keaton 18 silent short
High Sign, The 1921 Cline, Edward F.
Keaton, Buster
Buster Keaton 21 silent short
Limelight 1952 Chaplin, Charles Charles Chaplin
Claire Bloom
137
Good Night, Nurse 1918 Arbuckle, Roscoe Roscoe Arbuckle
Buster Keaton
19 silent short 11/10/11
Hard Luck 1921 Cline, Edward F.
Keaton, Buster
Buster Keaton 22 silent short
College 1927 Horne, James W. Buster Keaton 65 silent
Play House, The 1921 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 22 silent short
Boat, The 1921 Cline, Edward F.
Keaton, Buster
Buster Keaton 26 silent short
Cameraman, The 1928 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton 76 silent
Blacksmith, The 1922 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 21 silent short
Bell Boy, The 1918 Arbuckle, Roscoe Roscoe Arbuckle
Buster Keaton
Al St. John
20 silent short 11/07/11
Battling Butler 1926 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 61 silent
Our Hospitality 1923 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton
Natalie Talmadge
73 silent
Coney Island 1917 Arbuckle, Roscoe Roscoe Arbuckle
Buster Keaton
Al St. John
26 silent short 11/06/11
Parlor, Bedroom and Bath 1931 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton
Charlotte Greenwood
Reginald Denny
73
Convict 13 1920 Cline, Edward F.
Keaton, Buster
Buster Keaton 20 silent short
Scarecrow, The 1920 Cline, Edward F.
Keaton, Buster
Buster Keaton 19 silent short
Cops 1922 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton
Virginia Fox
19 silent short
Go West 1925 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 69 silent
Day Dreams 1922 Cline, Edward F.
Keaton, Buster
Buster Keaton 18 silent short
Haunted House, The 1921 Cline, Edward F.
Keaton, Buster
Buster Keaton 21 silent short
Doughboys 1930 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton 80
Li'l Abner 1940 Rogell, Albert S. Jeff York
Martha O'Drisoll
78
Electric House, The 1922 Cline, Edward F.
Keaton, Buster
Buster Keaton 19 silent short
Love Nest, The 1923 Cline, Edward F.
Keaton, Buster
Buster Keaton
Virginia Fox
20 silent short
Free and Easy 1930 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton 93
Navigator, The 1924 Crisp, Donald
Keaton, Buster
Buster Keaton
Kathryn McGuire
60 silent
Frozen North, The 1922 Cline, Edward F.
Keaton, Buster
Buster Keaton 17 silent short
One Week 1920 Cline, Edward F.
Keaton, Buster
Buster Keaton 25 silent short
Garage, The 1920 Arbuckle, Roscoe Roscoe Arbuckle
Buster Keaton
25 silent short 12/27/11
Paleface, The 1922 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 21 silent short
General, The 1927 Keaton, Buster
Bruckman, Clyde
Buster Keaton
Marion Mack
75 silent
Passionate Plumber, The 1932 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton
Jimmy Durante
74
Goat, The 1921 Keaton, Buster
St. Clair, Malcolm
Buster Keaton 27 silent short
Saphead, The 1920 Blaché, Herbert Buster Keaton 77 silent
Seven Chances 1925 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 56 silent
Back Stage 1919 Arbuckle, Roscoe Roscoe Arbuckle
Buster Keaton
17 silent short 11/11/11
Three Ages, The 1923 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton
Wallace Beery
63 silent
Sherlock Jr. 1924 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton
Kathryn McGuire
44 silent
What - No Beer? 1933 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton
Jimmy Durante
65
Steamboat Bill Jr. 1928 Reisner, Charles F. Buster Keaton 69 silent
Sunset Boulevard 1950 Wilder, Billy William Holden
Gloria Swanson
110
Speak Easily 1932 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton
Jimmy Durante
Ruth Selwyn
81
Spite Marriage 1929 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton 76 silent
So Funny it Hurt 2004 Brownlow, Kevin
Bird, Christopher
Buster Keaton 38 documentary; color
Sidewalks of New York, The 1931 White, Jules Buster Keaton
Anita Page
74
She Went to the Races 1945 Goldbeck, Willis James Craig
Ava Gardner
Buster Keaton
86
Balloonatic, The 1923 Cline, Edward F.
Keaton, Buster
Buster Keaton 27 silent short
Back Stage 1919 Arbuckle, Roscoe Roscoe Arbuckle
Buster Keaton
17 silent short 11/11/11
Bell Boy, The 1918 Arbuckle, Roscoe Roscoe Arbuckle
Buster Keaton
Al St. John
20 silent short 11/07/11
Coney Island 1917 Arbuckle, Roscoe Roscoe Arbuckle
Buster Keaton
Al St. John
26 silent short 11/06/11
Garage, The 1920 Arbuckle, Roscoe Roscoe Arbuckle
Buster Keaton
25 silent short 12/27/11
Good Night, Nurse 1918 Arbuckle, Roscoe Roscoe Arbuckle
Buster Keaton
19 silent short 11/10/11
So Funny it Hurt 2004 Bird, Christopher Buster Keaton 38 documentary; color
Saphead, The 1920 Blaché, Herbert Buster Keaton 77 silent
So Funny it Hurt 2004 Brownlow, Kevin Buster Keaton 38 documentary; color
General, The 1927 Bruckman, Clyde Buster Keaton
Marion Mack
75 silent
Limelight 1952 Chaplin, Charles Charles Chaplin
Claire Bloom
137
Balloonatic, The 1923 Cline, Edward F. Buster Keaton 27 silent short
Boat, The 1921 Cline, Edward F. Buster Keaton 26 silent short
Convict 13 1920 Cline, Edward F. Buster Keaton 20 silent short
Day Dreams 1922 Cline, Edward F. Buster Keaton 18 silent short
Electric House, The 1922 Cline, Edward F. Buster Keaton 19 silent short
Frozen North, The 1922 Cline, Edward F. Buster Keaton 17 silent short
Hard Luck 1921 Cline, Edward F. Buster Keaton 22 silent short
Haunted House, The 1921 Cline, Edward F. Buster Keaton 21 silent short
High Sign, The 1921 Cline, Edward F. Buster Keaton 21 silent short
Love Nest, The 1923 Cline, Edward F. Buster Keaton
Virginia Fox
20 silent short
Neighbors 1921 Cline, Edward F. Buster Keaton 18 silent short
One Week 1920 Cline, Edward F. Buster Keaton 25 silent short
Scarecrow, The 1920 Cline, Edward F. Buster Keaton 19 silent short
Navigator, The 1924 Crisp, Donald Buster Keaton
Kathryn McGuire
60 silent
She Went to the Races 1945 Goldbeck, Willis James Craig
Ava Gardner
Buster Keaton
86
College 1927 Horne, James W. Buster Keaton 65 silent
Balloonatic, The 1923 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 27 silent short
Battling Butler 1926 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 61 silent
Blacksmith, The 1922 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 21 silent short
Boat, The 1921 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 26 silent short
Convict 13 1920 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 20 silent short
Cops 1922 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton
Virginia Fox
19 silent short
Day Dreams 1922 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 18 silent short
Electric House, The 1922 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 19 silent short
Frozen North, The 1922 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 17 silent short
General, The 1927 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton
Marion Mack
75 silent
Go West 1925 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 69 silent
Goat, The 1921 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 27 silent short
Hard Luck 1921 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 22 silent short
Haunted House, The 1921 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 21 silent short
High Sign, The 1921 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 21 silent short
Love Nest, The 1923 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton
Virginia Fox
20 silent short
My Wife's Relations 1922 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 30 silent short
Navigator, The 1924 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton
Kathryn McGuire
60 silent
Neighbors 1921 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 18 silent short
One Week 1920 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 25 silent short
Our Hospitality 1923 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton
Natalie Talmadge
73 silent
Paleface, The 1922 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 21 silent short
Play House, The 1921 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 22 silent short
Scarecrow, The 1920 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 19 silent short
Seven Chances 1925 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton 56 silent
Sherlock Jr. 1924 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton
Kathryn McGuire
44 silent
Three Ages, The 1923 Keaton, Buster Buster Keaton
Wallace Beery
63 silent
Steamboat Bill Jr. 1928 Reisner, Charles F. Buster Keaton 69 silent
Li'l Abner 1940 Rogell, Albert S. Jeff York
Martha O'Drisoll
78
Cameraman, The 1928 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton 76 silent
Doughboys 1930 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton 80
Free and Easy 1930 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton 93
Parlor, Bedroom and Bath 1931 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton
Charlotte Greenwood
Reginald Denny
73
Passionate Plumber, The 1932 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton
Jimmy Durante
74
Speak Easily 1932 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton
Jimmy Durante
Ruth Selwyn
81
Spite Marriage 1929 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton 76 silent
What - No Beer? 1933 Sedgwick, Edward Buster Keaton
Jimmy Durante
65
Goat, The 1921 St. Clair, Malcolm Buster Keaton 27 silent short
Sidewalks of New York, The 1931 White, Jules Buster Keaton
Anita Page
74
Sunset Boulevard 1950 Wilder, Billy William Holden
Gloria Swanson
110