Buster Keaton
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:
- Keaton's Wikipedia biography
- Keaton's Wikipedia filmography
-
Life magazine issue of 9/05/1949 at Google Books.
[James Agee's essay Comedy's Greatest Era starts on page 70, Keaton section starts on page 82.]
My Keaton books:
-
Agee, James:
Agee on Film.
Beacon, Boston, 1958.
[Essay Comedy's Greatest Era, originally published in Life magazine on 9/05/1949; see online version above.] - Benayoun, Robert: The Look of Buster Keaton. St. Martin's, New York, 1981.
-
Brownlow, Kevin:
The Parade's Gone By....
Ballantine, New York, 1968.
[Chapter 43 (pp. 543 ff.): Buster Keaton.] - Dardis, Tom: Keaton: The Man Who Wouldn't Lie Down. Scribner's, New York, 1979.
- Kerr, Walter: The Silent Clowns. Knopf, New York, 1975.
-
McGregor, Dan:
Buster: The Early Years.
Eclipse, New York, 1982.
[Buster Keaton Film Festival pamphlet.] - Robinson, David: Buster Keaton. Indiana, Bloomington, 1969.
-
Sarris, Andrew:
The American Cinema.
Dutton, New York, 1968.
[Keaton: pp. 61-63.]
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 |
