This post is a republication from my previous blog, Blogie & Bacall, first published June 16, 2018.
Buster Keaton is one of the greatest comedians, directors, and actors of all time. His legacy lives on, and he continues to garner new generations of fans, even over fifty years after his death. This is the story of one such fan's Buster Keaton journey.
Until joining the film community on Twitter, I had never heard the name Buster Keaton. That is now entirely unimaginable to me. When trying to think of something to write about Buster, it occurred to me that his life story has been told before, as have the analyses of why he is so remarkable and what makes him so important to film. Part of what makes Buster so incredible is the personal way he affects us, far beyond his own life, and that is where I found my inspiration for this piece. This is my story of falling in love with the work of Buster Keaton.
“Charlie's tramp was a bum with a bum's philosophy... lovable as he was, he would steal if he got the chance. My little fellow was a workingman, and honest.” -Buster Keaton, on his famous stoic character
Love at First Watch?
My Buster Keaton story starts where most good journeys begin- a Half Price Books. There was a box set called "The Golden Age of Comedy" that had twenty-seven Chaplin films, three Laurel & Hardy pictures, and three Buster Keaton films, all for $10. Naturally, being a film collector and deal hunter, I bought it without a second thought. As with most people, I knew Charlie Chaplin, and I had at least heard of Laurel & Hardy in pop culture. At this point, my only knowledge of Buster Keaton was what I had seen since joining Twitter.
Fast forward a couple days, and I am looking for a movie to watch. I have been on a quest to watch every movie on the tenth anniversary edition of the American Film Institute's 100 Greatest American Films list, and I noticed that the 18th film on this list was called The General. I grabbed my box set and was ecstatic to see that I had the film on DVD. I popped it in, and the film began.
I found it entertaining, but one of the greatest movies of all time? It was the first silent film I had ever watched and I knew nothing about Buster Keaton (which becomes important), and I just didn't get it at first, even though I really enjoyed it. That turned out to be the best thing to happen to me. Determined to at least understand the common consensus behind its greatness, I turned to Roger Ebert's essay on The General. I was struck by one particular line: "it is important to note that he never used a double and did all of his own stunts, even very dangerous ones, with a calm acrobatic grace."
Wait, what? He did all his own stunts? I immediately thought back through the film I had just watched. Crawling all around that train, knocking the railroad tie off the track with that perfect throw- that was all him. That's when I realized: Buster Keaton was a genius, and The General was a manifestation of that genius. All the "great films" that I had been accustomed to up until this were the Casablancas and Citizen Kanes of this world, where you have these frequently intricate story lines, with memorable dialogue and unforgettable characters. Buster Keaton made a movie that, for my money, is just as good as any of these without needing a complicated story or dialogue. That's when I really fell in love with Buster Keaton. I needed to watch more of his work, and soon.
A Whirlwind Romance
Sherlock Jr. was the next Keaton work I watched. I eagerly watched all of his stunts in this film, and was consistently blown away. Everything he does is methodical, he knows exactly what he's doing when he does it. It continues to leave me speechless just how much of a genius Buster was. That's really when I became hooked. From there, I watched several more of his shorts, and it is genuinely thrilling to me that I still have so many left to watch. As I am certain many who have watched Buster can relate to, I fell hard for Buster and his films. All of his pictures are his genius on display. The stunts he does, the way in which he acts, all of it is just impeccable. He is funny and touching, relatable and escapist all at the same time. It is truly wonderful.
Again, as weird as it seems, the best thing to happen to me was that I didn't "get" The General right away. I knew there was something about him, and I was determined to find out what it was. That led me to learn so much about Buster that I might not have had I understood the magic of the movie right away, and now, Buster is a very big part of my life. In fact, I have come to really love silent films and that is all because of Buster. The second silent film I ever watched, just days after The General, was Charlie Chaplin's City Lights, now one of my favorite movies.
While I may not have understood the significance of The General right away, it gave me the beginnings of a love for silent film that started from the first shot of Buster on that train that I have continued to foster to this day. Watching The General instilled in me a love of silent comedy, too, that encouraged me to watch as much of TCM's birthday tribute to Harold Lloyd as I could. Harold is now another one of my favorites, and someone who never fails to make me smile, just like Buster. That love for silent comedy encouraged me to spread out to silent dramas, such as F.W. Murnau's Sunrise, which I could not recommend more wholeheartedly. I loved classic movies, but Buster gave me that love of silent films that I could not ever thank him enough for were he here today.
What Buster Means to Me, and to Society
Buster Keaton as an actor and director shows us the beauty of the human condition. He earned the nickname "the Great Stone Face" for his cool-in-the-face-of-calamity demeanor. Buster goes through some rather preposterous things that would make even the most patient of us crack in his films- but he never looks more than mildly perturbed at the events unfolding around him. That is what Buster teaches me, and all those who watch him. Things may not always work out perfectly, but in the face of adversity, just straighten your pork pie hat and keep pushing forward. No matter how dire the circumstances seem for Buster during the picture, it always ends happily. That is something to learn from Buster- no matter how bad it seems, it will always get better. It is certainly funny to watch Buster, but behind the comedy, he has a humanity unlike anything I have ever seen in the movies.
In his personal life, Buster faced a lot of demons, including a disastrous deal with MGM after the advent of talkies and a several year bout with alcoholism. Despite everything he went through, Buster never gave up. He kept fighting, and beyond that, he was fearless. Even being the genius he was, and knowing exactly what he was doing when he did stunts, there is still a certain level of courage required in letting a house fall on you. One of my favorite stories about Buster is that when shooting the famous house scene from Steamboat Bill, Jr., the camera crew was certain that this stunt would be the end of Buster. As such, they left the set while Buster performed the stunt. He lived, clearly, and created one of the most memorable scenes on film. We could all use a little of Buster Keaton's fearlessness. In his movies and in his own life, Buster Keaton provides an example of living a full, good life. Never let a challenge, whether it be a stolen steam engine or counterfeiters pretending to be ghosts, stop you. Straighten your hat, keep your cool, and keep going. In the end, it will all turn out well, like it is supposed to.
Post-script
I wrote this post over a year ago, and my love for and knowledge of Buster's filmography and life has only grown. Since The General, I have watched somewhere around fifty silent films and shorts. I had the opportunity to see The General in a small, one-screen theater. I will tell you there is no feeling like being a theater full of people of all ages in the year 2019 laughing together at a film that is nearly a century old. In that way, Buster is alive today. In every laugh, every time someone is watching one of Buster's films, or their eyes light up watching him for the first time, Buster is here. As long as he is still making people laugh and bringing joy into a rough world, Buster Keaton is here.
Thank you, Buster.
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