No man can be a genius in slapshoes and a flat hat


(A repost, originally published here on October 4, 2005. The documentary referenced here, Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow, is available in several parts on YouTube, with part 1 at this link.)
Today is Buster Keaton’s birthday. Those are his words in the title of this blog entry, denying the “genius” title given to him by people who discovered his work long after it was made.
When most people think of silent film comedians these days, they think of Chaplin’s Little Tramp and maybe Harold Lloyd, hanging from the face of a clock. Buster Keaton’s comedy was far more inventive and, despite the slapstick, it was more subtle.
One of the keys to Keaton’s character was the fact that no matter what unpleasantness befell him, he always found some resourceful way around it. Jumping through a window or over a ledge would always result in Buster’s getting away from a chase or into the arms of his leading lady, and through it all keeping the legendary “stone face” expression.
My introduction to Keaton was when the local PBS station ran the series Buster Keaton: A Hard Act To Follow, and my view of silent film, especially silent film comedy, changed forever. Since then, I’ve seen (and collected) several of his films, and during last year’s Silent Summer Festival I saw The Navigator on the big screen with accompaniment by a live organist.
Wikipedia has an excellent biography of Buster here, and you can also spend a lot of time surfing the International Buster Keaton Society’s site.
Finally, a piece of Keaton history/folklore: he was supposedly buried with a rosary in one pocket and a deck of cards in the other, just so he’d be prepared for wherever he wound up in the afterlife.
Happy Birthday, Buster!

jtl