Forgotten Genius: Buster Keaton

So I was idly flipping over TCM's offerings last night (I know, how many people start conversations like that?), when I noticed two silent offerings were on, both featuring Buster Keaton: Sherlock, Jr. and Steamboat Bill, Jr. I'd only seen one Buster Keaton movie before this, The General, which Keaton spends most of suspended or otherwise imperiled by a train. I was amused, but I didn't think it really held up. Curious, I decided to watch both features. Boy, am I happy I did.

If you're not familiar with Keaton, he was a very famous silent film star through the late 1920's. He was known for acting with an almost deadpan face, and for his incredible physicality as an actor; during this era you had to be, out of necessity. It's not like those dialogue cards were doing you any favors. Charlie Chaplin gets most of the credit in this era, mostly because he did have the Little Tramp, but also because he made a smooth transition into the sound era. Keaton, due to contract difficulties, did not. What I learned, thanks to "Uncle" Robert Osbourne of TCM, was that almost all of the incredibly dangerous-looking stunts I watched in those two films, and his others were just that dangerous: he did them for real. If you're not familiar with some Keaton gags, he falls down a lot, runs himself into walls and flips, etc. But in Sherlock, Jr., he allows a water-pipe to throw him at least 15 feet down to a set of railroad tracks, and in Steamboat Will, Jr., he precariously positioned himself to allow a full-weight house wall to fall around him. I'd never seen an actor that willing to run toward falling scenery! I found out from imdb.com, aka Mecca, that the fall from the pipe accidentally fractured his neck, and the falling house would have killed him if it landed just wrong. A portion of the "stunt" crew refused to be a part. And these movies, though the story lines are dated, the gags are still funny and timeless--a lot of this due to Keaton's appeal as a performer.

And this is something that upset me. Who, besides geeks like me, have heard of him? His movies are holding up, considering they were made at least eighty years ago, and the man practically invented movie stunts, quite a few of them at his own physical expense. He is forgotten mainly because of his long transition into sound movies. You can catch him in speaking roles (notably, a cameo in a classic favorite of mine, Sunset Blvd., and a role in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum). Alas, his time had pasted by then.

So pay tribute to this performer, director and all-around daredevil by Neflixing one of the movies above. You'll discover a forgotten jewel in the annals of Hollywood history, who deserves a much bigger role in the mainstream consciousness.

Thanks to www.imdb.com for information that contributed to this post.