Buster Keaton
Birthday: Born in 1895-10-03 in Piqua, Kansas, USA
Deathday: 1966-02-01
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname The Great Stone Face. He was recognized as the seventh-greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Keaton the 21st-greatest male star of all time.
TV Credits
Burke's Law
Character: Mortimer Lovely
Burke's Law is an American detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II....
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Character: Self
The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show starred many notable comedians and entertainers of the era, including Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Donald O'Connor, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante, Ray Bolger, Gordon MacRae, Ben Blue, Robert Paige, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Broadway dancer Wayne Lamb and Spike Jones and His City Slickers....
Route 66
Character:
Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America in a Chevrolet Corvette sports car. The show ran weekly on Fridays on CBS from October 7, 1960 to March 20, 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for the first two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod was shown traveling on his own. Tod met Lincoln Case, played by Glenn Corbett, late in the third season, and traveled with h...
The Ed Sullivan Show
Character: Self
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time....
The Twilight Zone
Character: Woodrow Mulligan
A series of unrelated stories containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and/or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist....
The Hollywood Palace
Character: Self - Sketch Actor
The Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly on ABC from January 4, 1964 to February 7, 1970. Originally titled The Saturday Night Hollywood Palace, it began as a mid-season replacement for The Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show which had lasted only three months. It was staged in Hollywood at the former Hollywood Playhouse on Vine Street, which was renamed The Hollywood Palace during the show's duration and is today known as Avalon Hollywoo...
This Is Your Life
Character: Self
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience, including special guest appearances by colleagues, friends and family. Edwards revived the show in 1971-72, while Joseph Campanella hosted a version in 1983. Edwards returned for some specials in the late 1980s, before his death in 2005. T...
The Donna Reed Show
Character:
Revolves around typical family problems, such as firing a clumsy housekeeper, throwing a retirement bash for a colleague, and finding quality time away from the children....
Funny Business
Character: (archive footage)
Funny Business is a documentary style television series about the craft of comedy consisting of six 50-minute episodes. The first episode aired in the UK 22 November 1992. The show was also shown in Germany and released on video. It was directed by David Hinton. The writers were Rowan Atkinson, Robin Driscoll, and David Hinton. It was produced by Tiger Television Productions. The show featured appearances by many comedians, including Rowan Atkinson who made an appearance both as the presenter/n...
Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow
Character: Self (archive footage)
A series about the life, career and works of the movie comedy genius....
What's My Line?
Character: Self - Mystery Guest
Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions....
Screen Director's Playhouse
Character: Kelsey Dutton
Presented by Eastman Kodak, this show was a series of original scripts directed by acclaimed directors and featuring well-known performers. The stories ranged from musicals to comedies and dramas....
Playhouse 90
Character: Harrison
Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of the mid-1950s were usually hour-long shows, the title highlighted the network's intention to present something unusual, a weekly series of hour-and-a-half dramas rather than 60-minute plays. Playhouse 90 began as a pitch by Frank Stanton—the formidable, forward-thinki...
Movie Credits
The General
Character: Johnnie Gray
During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnny Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle....
Sherlock Jr.
Character: Projectionist / Sherlock, Jr.
A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meagre skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch....
The Baby Cyclone
Character: Stunt Double (uncredited)
A woman thinks a small dog is an angel pet in this silent comedy....
Sunset Boulevard
Character: Buster Keaton
A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity....
Forward, March!
Character:
Spanish-language version of Doughboys....
Our Hospitality
Character: William McKay
A young man falls for a young woman on his trip home; unbeknownst to him, her family has vowed to kill every member of his family....
Estrellados
Character: Canuto Cuadratin
A matinée idol and a bumbling manager fight for the love of a would-be starlet. Estrellados is the Spanish version of Free and Easy (1930) with Hispanic/Spanish-speaking actors....
Around the World in Eighty Days
Character: Train Conductor
Based on the famous book by Jules Verne the movie follows Phileas Fogg on his journey around the world. Which has to be completed within 80 days, a very short period for those days....
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Character: Jimmy the Crook
A group of strangers come across a man dying after a car crash who proceeds to tell them about the $350,000 he buried in California. What follows is the madcap adventures of those strangers as each attempts to claim the prize for himself....
Li'l Abner
Character: Lonesome Polecat
Li'l Abner becomes convinced that he is going to die within twenty-four hours, so agrees to marry two different girls: Daisy Mae (who has chased him for years) and Wendy Wilecat (who rescued him from an angry mob). It is all settled at the Sadie Hawkins Day race....
The Cameraman
Character: Buster
A photographer takes up newsreel shooting to impress a secretary....
Li'l Abner
Character:
Li'l Abner becomes convinced that he is going to die within twenty-four hours, so agrees to marry two different girls: Daisy Mae (who has chased him for years) and Wendy Wilecat (who rescued him from an angry mob). It is all settled at the Sadie Hawkins Day race....
One Week
Character: The Groom
Newlyweds receive a build-it-yourself house as a wedding gift—and the house can, supposedly, be built in "one week". A rejected suitor secretly re-numbers packing crates, and the husband struggles to assemble the house according to this new 'arrangement' of its parts....
Hollywood on Parade No. A-6
Character: Self
A promotional film featuring movie stars at play. Includes Buster Keaton in a Napoleonic admiral suit in his "land yacht", a custom-built bus he occasionally lived in during the period....
The Hollywood Revue of 1929
Character: Self / Princess Raja
An all-star revue featuring MGM contract players....
The Navigator
Character: Rollo Treadway
The wealthy and impulsive Rollo Treadway decides to propose to his beautiful socialite neighbor, Betsy O'Brien. Although Betsy turns Rollo down, he still opts to go on the cruise that he intended as their honeymoon. When circumstances find both Rollo and Betsy on the wrong ship, they end up having adventures on the high seas....
The Railrodder
Character: The Man
After literally swimming across the Atlantic Ocean, an Englishman takes a country trip across Canada on a railcar....
Go West
Character: Friendless
With little luck at keeping a job in the city a New Yorker tries work in the country and eventually finds his way leading a herd of cattle to the West Coast....
In the Good Old Summertime
Character: Hickey
Two co-workers in a music shop dislike one another during business hours but unwittingly carry on an anonymous romance through the mail....
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini
Character: Bwana
When he's stationed in Tahiti, a sailor hires a witch doctor to keep an eye on his girlfriend....
Seven Chances
Character: James 'Jimmie' Shannon
Struggling stockbroker Jimmie Shannon learns that, if he gets married by 7 p.m. on his 27th birthday -- which is today -- he'll inherit $7 million from an eccentric relative....
Steamboat Bill, Jr.
Character: William 'Willie' Canfield Jr.
The just-out-of-college, effete son of a no-nonsense steamboat captain comes to visit his father whom he's not seen since he was a child....
The Paleface
Character: Little Chief Paleface
A butterfly collector unwittingly wanders into an Indian encampment while chasing a butterfly, but the tribe has resolved to kill the first white man who enters their encampment because white oil tycoons are trying to force them from their land....
Three Ages
Character: The Boy
The rituals of courtship, romantic rivalry, and love play out three times as a man vies with a villain for the girl. In the Stone Age, the rivalry is set off by dinosaurs, a turtle used as a ouija board, and a round of golf with stones. In ancient Rome, the men display their brawn through a chariot race, using dogs instead of horses. In contemporary times, the man finds himself overcome by modernity, including a very fragile car....
Navigators
Character:
December 1919. The American government deports 249 anarchists and radicals on the “Soviet Ark”. Five years later, this same ship becomes the decor of Buster Keaton’s slapstick comedy “The Navigator”....
The Hollywood Clowns
Character: (archive footage)
Glenn Ford narrates this hilarious look back at the greatest comedians in movie history....
College
Character: Ronald, The Boy
A bookish college student dismissive of athletics is compelled to try out sports to win the affection of the girl he loves....
Limelight
Character: Calvero's Partner
A fading music hall comedian tries to help a despondent ballet dancer learn to walk and to again feel confident about life....
Free and Easy
Character: Elmer
Gopher City Kansas hosts a beauty contest. The winner, Elvira Plunkett, and her mother go to Hollywood. The Chamber of Commerce also provides Elvira with an agent, Gopher City's own Elmer J. Butz. Elmer likes Elvira and the shy Elvira likes him, but Mrs. Plunkett, a formidable woman, has little use for hapless Elmer. On the train west, they meet movie star Larry Mitchell, who takes a shine to Elvira and helps her meet MGM directors once they get to Tinsel Town. Elmer, meanwhile, wants to help El...
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Character: Lion Tamer
From chicken thief to cabin boy, riverboat pilot to circus performer, Huck Finn outsmarts everyone on his way down the muddy Mississippi....
The Blacksmith
Character: Blacksmith's Assistant
Buster clowns around in a blacksmith's shop until he and the smithy get in a fight which sends the smithy to jail. Buster helps several customers with horses, then destroys a Rolls Royce while fixing the car parked next to it....
Speak Easily
Character: Professor Post
A professor gets mixed up with chorus girls in a Broadway musical....
Forever and a Day
Character: Wilkins
In World War II, American Gates Trimble Pomfret is in London during the Blitz to sell the ancestral family house. The current tenant, Leslie Trimble, tries to dissuade him from selling by telling him the 140-year history of the place and the connections between the Trimble and Pomfret families....
Back Stage
Character: Stagehand
Roscoe and Buster give a bullying Strongman the what-for, but after the performance troupe quits it's up to Fatty and Buster to keep the show going....
Convict 13
Character: Golfer Turned Prisoner, Guard
A young golfer is mugged by an escaped convict and finds himself in a prison where he foils a jailbreak....
The Balloonatic
Character: The Young Man
Buster and Phyllis endure a number of outdoor adventures trying to prove to each other their survival skills. The balloon, which lands Buster in the wilderness, later proves useful as their canoe is about go over a waterfall....
Film
Character: The Man
A man attempts to evade observation by an all-seeing eye....
The Bell Boy
Character: Bellboy
At the Elk's Head Hotel bellhops torment the lobby, each other and guests. The elevator is powered by a stubborn horse. A sham robbery turns into a real one. And there is a chase on a runaway trolley....
Cops
Character: The Young Man
Buster Keaton gets involved in a series of misunderstandings involving a horse and cart. Eventually he infuriates every cop in the city when he accidentally interrupts a police parade....
Coney Island
Character: Rival / Cop with Moustache
Arbuckle escapes the watch of his domineering wife and heads for Coney Island. Keaton arrives that same day with his attractive, and rather easy, girlfriend, who is immediately stolen from him by St. John....
Good Night, Nurse!
Character: Dr. Hampton
Roscoe's wife, tired of his endless drunkenness, reads of an operation that cures alcoholism and has him admitted to No Hope Sanitarium to get the surgery. Roscoe, wanting out, eventually disguises himself as a nurse to effect his escape....
Day Dreams
Character: The Young Man
In order to impress the father of a girl he is keen on, a young man goes to the city in search of work. In his letters home he writes of his various jobs which her imagination expands into much nobler ones than those that he is actually attempting....
Hard Luck
Character: Suicidal Boy
A down on his luck young man makes several attempts at committing suicide but fails them too. He then finds himself becoming more confident through a series of petty adventures, to such an extent that this becomes his undoing....
His Wedding Night
Character: Delivery boy
Al and Roscoe, employees at a gas station, are rivals for Alice. When Buster delivers a wedding gown for Alice and begins modeling it, he is mistaken for Alice and is kidnapped by Al....
My Wife's Relations
Character: The Husband
Buster and a woman are mistakenly married and her initially unfriendly family begins to treat him nicely when they come to believe he has a large inheritance awaiting him....
The High Sign
Character: Our Hero
Buster is thrown off a train near an amusement park. There he gets a job in a shooting gallery run by the Blinking Buzzards mob. Ordered to kill a businessman, he winds up protecting the man and his daughter by outfitting their home with trick devices....
Life in Hollywood No. 1
Character: Self
Part of a 7-part series exploring all aspects of Hollywood....
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Character: Erronius
A wily slave must unite a virgin courtesan and his young smitten master to earn his freedom....
The Boat
Character: The Boat Builder
A boat builder and his family attempt to set sail in his handmade boat, 'The Damfino'....
Jail Bait
Character:
Buster agrees to pose as a murderer to throw off the police while his room mate, a reporter, searches for the real killer....
Out West
Character: Sheriff, Saloon Owner
The story involves Arbuckle coming to the western town of Mad Dog Gulch after being thrown off a train and chased by Indians. He teams up with gambler/saloon owner Bill Bullhum, in trying to keep the evil Wild Bill Hickup away from Salvation Army girl, Salvation Sue. Fatty and Buster have a series of adventures trying to beat St. John, until they discover his one weakness: his ticklishness....
Spite Marriage
Character: Elmer
An unimpressive but well-intentioned man is given the chance to marry a popular actress, of whom he has been a hopeless fan. But what he doesn't realize is that he is being used to make the actress' old flame jealous....
The Hayseed
Character: Manager, General Store
Buster manages the store while Roscoe delivers the mail, taking time out for hide-and-seek with Molly. The constable, also interested in Molly, steals $300 while being observed by Buster....
The Rough House
Character: Gardener / Delivery Boy / Cop
Living under the same roof with his newly-wed wife and his mother-in-law, a careless Mr Rough sets the nuptial bedroom on fire, as the residence's cook tries to woo the maid who only has eyes for the charming delivery boy. As one thing leads to another, Mr Rough ends up preparing dinner for a pair of duplicitous guests, when, clearly, he should be staying out of the kitchen. Does Mrs Rough know the visitors' true intentions? But, above all, how will this disastrous dinner party at the Rough hous...
The Scarecrow
Character: Farmhand
Two farmhands compete for the love of the farmer's daughter....
The Haunted House
Character: Bank Clerk
A bank teller who becomes involved with a hold-up, counterfeiters and a theatrical troupe posing as spooks in a haunted house....
Neighbors
Character: The Boy
The Romeo and Juliet story played out in a tenement neighborhood with Buster and Virginia's families hating each other over the fence separating their buildings....
The Goat
Character: The Goat
A series of adventures begins when Buster is mistaken for Dead Shot Dan, the evil bad guy....
The Play House
Character: Orchestra / Minstrels / Dancers / Audience / Stagehand
After waking from the dream of a theater peopled entirely by numerous Buster Keatons, a lowly stage hand causes havoc everywhere he works....
The Frozen North
Character: The Bad Man
This satirical parody of William S. Hart's melodramatic films finds Buster in the frozen north, "last stop on the subway." He uses a wanted poster as his partner in robbing a gambling house. When he thinks he spies his wife making love to another man he shoots them both only to learn it isn't his cabin after all....
The Electric House
Character: Buster
Botany major Buster mistakenly graduates in electrical engineering and is hired to wire a new home....
The Love Nest
Character: Buster Keaton
In an attempt to forget his lost sweetheart, Buster takes a long trip at the sea when he's caught by pirates....
The Gold Ghost
Character: Wally
Dumped by his girlfriend, Buster drives west and winds up in a ghost town called Vulture City, where he appoints himself sheriff....
Battling Butler
Character: Alfred Butler
A meek millionaire masquerades as a boxing star to win a girl's heart....
Love Nest on Wheels
Character: Elmer
Buster, the eldest son in a family of hillbillies who manage a hotel, attempts to raise money to save the hotel from foreclosure....
Grand Slam Opera
Character: Elmer Butts
Elmer Butts is a contestant in a radio amateur hour show hoping to win the first price -- by dancing and juggling!...
Allez Oop
Character: Elmer
When Buster's girlfriend falls for a trapeze artist, Buster tries to beat him at his own game....
Blue Blazes
Character: Elmer
Buster becomes a fireman, but unfortunately not a particularly good one. He has a chance to prove himself, however, when three women are trapped in a burning building....
Mixed Magic
Character: Elmer 'Happy' Butterworth
When Buster Keaton goes to work as an assistant to a carnival magician, the results turn out to be less than magical....
Hollywood Cavalcade
Character: Buster Keaton
Starting in 1913 movie director Connors discovers singer Molly Adair. As she becomes a star she marries an actor, so Connors fires them. She asks for him as director of her next film. Many silent stars shown making the transition to sound....
The Saphead
Character: Bertie Van Alstyne
Nick Van Alstyne owns the Henrietta silver mine and is very rich and his son Bertie is naive and spoiled. His daughter Rose is married to shady investor Mark. Mark wrecks Bertie's wedding plans by making him take the blame for Mark's illegitimate daughter, and also nearly ruins the family business by selling off some stock at too low a price....
The Butcher Boy
Character: Buster
Customers and clerks frolic in a general store. Roscoe walks out of the freezer wearing a fur coat, then does some clever cleaver tossing. In Buster's film debut he buys a pail of molasses....
The Cook
Character: The Waiter (uncredited)
In an attempt at greater efficiency, the chef and waiter of a fancy oceanside restaurant wreak havoc in the establishment. Adding to the complications is the arrival of a robber....
Oh, Doctor!
Character: Junior Holepoke
Roscoe is a doctor who falls in love with a pretty woman whose boyfriend, in turn, falls in love with Roscoe's wife's jewelry....
The Garage
Character: Mechanic / Fireman
Roscoe and Buster operate a combination garage and fire station. In the first half they destroy a car left for them to clean. In the second half they go off on a false alarm and return to find their own building on fire....
Moonshine
Character: Revenue Agent
A feud between the Owens and the Gillettes ends when the last remaining Gillette is killed, but new trouble erupts for the mountain folk with the arrival of a U.S. revenue agent and his assistant....
The Stolen Jools
Character: Policeman
Famous actress Norma Shearer's jewels are stolen… (Star-packed promotional short film intended to raise funds for the National Variety Artists Tuberculosis Sanatorium.)...
Parlor, Bedroom and Bath
Character: Reginald Irving
Jeffrey Haywood wants to marry to Virginia Embrey. However, Virginia refused to marry unless her older sister, the hard-to-please Angelica gets married first. Angelica, in turn, finds every man she knows too dull and predictable, and for this reason prefers to stay single. Jeff then tries to make Angelica interested in the mild-mannered and timid Reggie Irving passing him off as a notorious playboy to intrigue her. He asks his friend Polly to teach Reggie "how to treat a woman right", but he tur...
Sidewalks of New York
Character: Harmon
A dim-witted slumlord tries to reform a gang of urban boys (and impress an attractive young woman) by transforming their rough neighborhood into a more decent place....
The Invader
Character: Leander Proudfoot
A bumbling yachtsman sails to the South of Spain with a fiery seductress, only to become the pawn in her dangerous game of love....
Hayseed Romance
Character: Elmer Dolittle
Elmer answers an ad for a handyman job and starts working for an older woman and her niece. He gets the impression that his employer wants to marry him, even as he finds himself falling in love with her niece....
The Chemist
Character: Elmer Triple
Buster plays Elmer "Happy" Triple, a scientist who is expected to develop the next big thing. That big thing ends up to be a powder when combined with water, produces major blasts that make no sound, which catches the eyes of three robbers who want Elmer's secret powder....
One Run Elmer
Character: Elmer
Elmer owns a gas station out in the California desert. Soon he has a business rival in Jim, who opens up another station, and is also trying to steal Elmer's girlfriend. She plays both rivals against the other and, because she is a baseball fan, both Elmer and Jim try to show each other up in the big local baseball game....
Ditto
Character: The Forgotten Man
Buster, an ice delivery man, falls for one of his customers, not knowing she has a twin sister living next door....
Palooka from Paducah
Character: Jim Diltz
A hillbilly family, hard-hit by the end of Prohibition, decide to set the biggest brother up as a professional wrestler....
Pest from the West
Character: Sir
A millionaire vacationing in Mexico falls for a local girl and sets out to win her....
The Spook Speaks
Character: Buster
A magician hires Buster as a housekeeper while he's away....
Tars and Stripes
Character: Apprentice Seaman Elmer Doolittle
Naval recruit Elmer is seemingly unable to discharge any of his duties without making life miserable for his irascible commanding officer, who winds up getting doused with paint, splattered with muck, and repeatedly tossed into the water due to Elmer's ineptitude. To make matters worse, Elmer takes a shine to the CO's girlfriend, which prompts her jealous boyfriend into several wrathful chases after Elmer. He eventually has Elmer locked in the brig -- but his girlfriend is in there too, so she c...
The Timid Young Man
Character: Milton
Milton, a disappointed romantic, has sworn off women. He gives a lift to a female hitchhiker, whom he happily discovers is also a hurt soul and has sworn off men. Their trip together runs into interference from an aggressive driver who later reappears after the two have set up camp. He starts putting the moves on the woman, but when Milton's ex-girlfriend shows up, she gets into a fight with the interloper and gives Milton and his new pal the chance to slip away....
Nothing But Pleasure
Character: Clarence Plunkett
To save money, Buster and his wife decide to drive to Detroit to buy a new car, then drive it home....
Three on a Limb
Character: Elmer Brown
Scoutmaster Elmer Brown loses his heart to the pretty carhop who works in a drive-in diner. Complicating his romantic longings is her policeman fiancé. When he tries to eliminate Elmer by giving him traffic tickets for every conceivable violation, the girl takes pity on the martyred Elmer and they drive off together. She informs him that she is also fending off another suitor, Oscar; and to make matters worse, her father is backing the cop while her mother promotes Oscar. Eventually all three me...
The Passionate Plumber
Character: Elmer E. Tuttle
Paris plumber Elmer Tuttle is enlisted by socialite Patricia Alden to help make her lover Tony Lagorce jealous. With the help of his friend Julius J. McCracken and through the high society contacts he has made through Patricia, Elmer hopes to find financing for his latest invention, a pistol with a range-finding light. Comic complications ensue when Elmer's effort to interest a military leader is misconstrued as an assassination attempt....
The Taming of the Snood
Character: Buster Keaton
A jewel thief uses Buster as an unsuspecting dupe....
Pardon My Berth Marks
Character: Elmer - Newspaper Copyboy
Buster, a reporter, takes a train trip and winds up innocently involved with a gangster's wife....
What! No Beer?
Character: Elmer J. Butts
When Prohibition ends, a barber tries to get in the liquor business only to come up against mobsters....
Mooching Through Georgia
Character: Homer Cobb
Man relates how he outwitted the Yankee army during the Civil War....
The Misadventures of Buster Keaton
Character: Buster
Feature film fashioned from parts of Keaton's short-lived TV series "The Buster Keaton Show."...
His Ex Marks the Spot
Character: Buster - the husband
Buster's home life is disrupted when his ex-wife and her boyfriend move in....
God's Country
Character: Old Tarp / Mr. Boone
Lee Preston, aka Leland Bruce, kills a man in self defense but flees to the redwood country when the law makes it a murder charge. There he meets Lynn O'Malley, the niece of Sandy McTavish who runs the trading post. Lee learns the reason why this is good trapping country is because the timber barons across the lake are ruthlessly cutting the trees and driving the animals across the river. The trappers appeal to him to take a petition to the Governor which would prohibit the timber people from co...
So You Won't Squawk
Character: Eddie
Mobster Louie the Wolf sends an unsuspecting handyman (Keaton) to gather up the collection money owed him, hoping the sap will get rubbed out by Slugger McGraw, a rival gangster. Keaton, however, innocently escapes all the perils that whiz about him without his even knowing it, much to the consternation of McGraw's hoods. When he finally does wake up to Louie's plot, Keaton provokes various policemen to chase him and leads them back to the hoodlum's hideout....
That's the Spirit
Character: L.M.
A vaudeville performer returns from the dead to help his wife and daughter, who are being dominated by a greedy banker....
Boom in the Moon
Character:
An American soldier (Keaton) during World War II escapes from an airplane crash over the Pacific Ocean. He arrives on a beach believing he has landed in Japan, but he is actually in Mexico. He wanders into a fishing village and is arrested under the mistaken belief that he is a wanted serial killer. Keaton and another prisoner are put in the custody of an scientist who is planning to launch a manned rocket into outer space. The two prisoners, along with the scientist’s assistant, are blasted int...
San Diego I Love You
Character: Bus Driver
A harried daughter tries to keep her wacky family together while trying to sell her eccentric father's latest invention, a collapsible life raft....
The Villain Still Pursued Her
Character: William Dalton
Victorian melodrama is sent up in this spoof of the old production "The Drunkard; or, The Fallen Saved." Dastardly villain Silas Cribbs schemes to get his lusty clutches on the virtuous heroine by driving her naïve husband to alcoholic ruin. Luckily, a temperance lecturer is on hand to set things straight, as is Buster Keaton as William Dalton, the drunkard's friend....
General Nuisance
Character: Peter Hedley Lamar Jr.
A millionaire falls for an army nurse, who tells him she likes men in uniform. So he enlists at Camp Cluster. She still has no time for him, so he figures out how to get into the hospital and under her care....
She's Oil Mine
Character: Buster Waters, plumber
Buster fights a duel over a girl....
That Night with You
Character: Sam - Short Order Cook
In this musical comedy, a young singer becomes so desperate to appear on Broadway that she goes to a prominent producer and tells him that she is the daughter who resulted from his day-long marriage to a young woman he knew years ago. The producer is delighted and soon puts his daughter up on stage. The trouble begins when the girl's "mother" suddenly pays a call. For her own reasons, the woman decides to play along with the girl's ruse. Fortunately, by the story's end, the truth is revealed, al...
The Lovable Cheat
Character: Goulard
Posing as a wealthy Parisian, Mercadet fleeces friends and casual acquaintances alike. He is forced into this life of crime to keep up appearances, so that his daughter Julie can land herself a rich husband....
Pajama Party
Character: Chief Rotten Eagle
A Martian teenager sent to prepare for an invasion falls in love with an Earth girl....
The Triumph of Lester Snapwell
Character: Lester Snapwell
A low budget industrial film shot for the Eastman Kodak company. The mildly funny film that shows all the troubles of a man named Lester Snapwell (Keaton), who, in the late 1860's, tries to photograph his sweetheart, Clementine, and her mother. However, he has too much trouble with the bulky camera. Then he is accidentally killed and father time transports him forward in time. In each successive period he struggles with the photographic technology of the day. Then he arrives in the 1960's where ...
Sergeant Deadhead
Character: Airman Blinken
An astronaut goes into space with a chimpanzee. When they return to Earth after their orbit, it is discovered that the chimp has the brains of the astronaut, and the astronaut has the brains of the chimp. Complications ensue....
You're My Everything
Character: Butler
In 1924, stage-struck Boston blueblood Hannah Adams picks up musical star Tim O'Connor and takes him home for dinner. One thing leads to another, and when Tim's show rolls on to Chicago a new Mrs. O'Connor comes along as incompetent chorus girl. Hollywood beckons, and we follow the star careers of the O'Connor family in silents and talkies....
L'Incantevole nemica
Character: L'apprenti boulanger dans la pièce de théâtre
The owner of a cheese factory fears communists and mistakes a meek youth who works for him for one of them. He invites him to his house to win his confidence and the youth falls in love with his daughter....
The Scribe
Character: Journalist
Comedy short produced by the Construction Safety Association of Ontario, Canada. It demonstrates the dos and don'ts of construction site safety. The film is the last professionally filmed footage of film legend Buster Keaton, shot months before his death from lung cancer on February 1, 1966. He recreates several routines from his youth, as well as some new material for the film. Most notable was his recreation of a gag from his 1918 film The Bell Boy in which he mops the floor using only the tip...
A Reckless Romeo
Character: Blind Organ Grinder
Roscoe flirts with a girl in the park. Later he takes his wife and mother-in-law to the movies only to see his flirtation showing on the screen....
The Image Book
Character: (archive footage)
In Le Livre d’Image, Jean-Luc Godard recycles existing images (films, documentaries, paintings, television archives, etc.), quotes excerpts from books, uses fragments of music. The driving force is poetic rhyme, the association or opposition of ideas, the aesthetic spark through editing, the keystone. The author performs the work of a sculptor. The hand, for this, is essential. He praises it at the start. “There are the five fingers. The five senses. The five parts of the world (…). The true con...
The Iron Mule
Character: Indian (uncredited)
A train known as the Iron Mule is loaded with passengers, and starts off on its trip. Along the way, the train faces numerous obstacles and delays. The engineer is prepared for most of them, but the real challenges come when the train is ambushed by Indians....
Doughboys
Character: Elmer J. Stuyvesant, Jr.
Elmer, rich society loafer, falls for Mary, but she'll have nothing to do with him until (mistakenly thinking that he's hiring a new chauffeur) he accidentally volunteers for the army. Luckily, Mary's signed up to entertain the troops. Unluckily, Elmer's sergeant likes Mary, too. And worst of all, they're all about to ship out for France....
When Comedy Was King
Character: edited from 'Cops' (archive footage)
A compilation featuring comedic stars of the silent era including Fatty Arbuckle, Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Charley Chase, and Laurel and Hardy....
Buster Keaton Rides Again
Character: Self
In the fall of 1964, just over a year before his death, Buster Keaton traveled to Canada to make The Railrodder, a short subject that now enjoys a small cult following. Documenting this mobile production in fascinating and unexpected detail, Buster Keaton Rides Again offers a rare glimpse of the comedy legend’s temperament, philosophies, hobbies, marriage (his third), and the occasionally combative creative process behind the scenes. An intimate look at one of cinema’s most enduring legends....
Life with Buster Keaton
Character:
Buster's shenanigans running a sporting goods store and his antics in a local theatre group....
A Duel to the Death
Character: The First Fisherman
On the the bank of a peaceful river, two fishermen are... fishing! An idyllic scene indeed. At least until their lines get intertwined. At one of their two ends, a single fish! But whose end? Which of the two contenders is the legal owner of the aquatic vertebrate? To resolve the dispute, the two men decide to fight a pistol duel....
4 Clowns
Character: (archive footage)
Robert Youngson once again compiles scenes from the golden age of comedy's silent film era. Laurel and Hardy are shown battling a gum machine, and Hardy is a debaucherous Romeo whose amorous plans are thwarted by Rex, the Wonder Horse. Charley Chase is hampered by hiccups and a female professor, and he fleeces a drunken Oliver Hardy with a mannequin in a nightclub. The third part finds bachelor Buster Keaton desperately trying to get married by 7:00 PM in order to collect a $7-million-dollar inh...
Crazy Days
Character: Various (archive footage) (uncredited)
Narrator Hughie Green tells "jokes" over clips of old silent films. Including greats such as Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, the Keystone Cops and more....
Seeing Stars
Character: Self
First National gala celebrity banquet with stars....
The Slappiest Days of Our Lives
Character: (archive footage)
Laurel is a Scottish reporter suspected of being a spy by police detective James Finlayson. Although trailed by the latter, Stan, who is reporting on the movie world, manages to be hired by Mack Sennett. He makes his debut in Nevada, in the middle of gold diggers. After managing to clear his name he becomes, with Oliver Hardy, a big comedy star....
The King of the Champs-Élysées
Character: Buster Garner / Jim le Balafré
In Paris, a stage-struck would-be actor is mistaken for an escaped convict....
Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend
Character: Self (archive footage)
Her story is well-known — the lonely child who yearned for affection and approval which she finally seemed to find as Hollywood's greatest love goddess. But even though she scaled heights few could even dream of, she was one of the loneliest of stars....
The Home Owner
Character: The Home Owner
A 25 minute sales film featuring Buster Keaton as a prospective home owner in Maryvale, a suburb of Phoenix. A Realtor takes Buster on a tour of some model tract homes and extols their virtues while Buster is constantly pursuing a sexy-looking blonde. After buying a home, Buster proceeds to wreak havoc in the community. He falls into another resident's pool with a shopping cart full of purchases from S. S. Kresge's, knocks over an unassuming waiter with a bowling ball at the local lanes and trie...
The Devil to Pay
Character: Diablos
A short silent (with narration), parodying science fiction films. The USA misfires a rocket which crash lands on Tartarus (or Hades), where Buster Keaton, as Diabolus, is enraged and seeks revenge....
Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
Character: Self
Winners of the Lucky Stars National Dance Contest - one woman from each state of the United States - are welcomed to Palm Springs. Palm Springs being the desert playground for the movie stars, the women are introduced to the cavalcade of stars vacationing in Palm Springs at the time....
Buster Keaton: The Genius Destroyed by Hollywood
Character: Self
In 1926, Buster Keaton was at the peak of his glory and wealth. By 1933, he had reached rock bottom. How, in the space of a few years, did this uncontested genius of silent films, go from the status of being a widely-worshipped star to an alcoholic and solitary fallen idol? With a spotlight on the 7 years during which his life changed, using extracts of Keaton’s films as magnifying mirrors, the documentary recounts the dramatic life of this creative genius and the Hollywood studios....
Hollywood Hobbies
Character: Self (uncredited)
In this short film, two starstruck movie fans hire a tour guide and see a plethora of Hollywood stars....
La Fiesta de Santa Barbara
Character: Self
La Fiesta de Santa Barbara is a 1935 American comedy short film directed by Louis Lewyn. It was nominated for an Academy Award at the 9th Academy Awards in 1936 for Best Short Subject (Color). It features a young, pre-stardom 13-year-old Judy Garland singing "La Cucaracha" with her two sisters (billed as "The Garland Sisters"). In the film, Hollywood stars participate in a Mexican-themed revue and festival in Santa Barbara. Andy Devine, the "World's Greatest Matador," engages in a bullfight with...
Paradise for Buster
Character: Buster
Buster leaves his job after learning that he inherited a farm from an old relative....
Going Hollywood: The '30s
Character: (archive footage)
Robert Preston hosts this documentary that shows what people of the 1930s were watching as they were battling the Depression as well as eventually getting ready for another World War....
Edge of Outside
Character: Buster (archive footage)
An hour-long documentary designed to celebrate the spirit of the independent filmmaker from D.W. Griffith to Quentin Tarantino. Interview footage and film clips are blended together to form a chronological approach to the subject matter....
Beach Blanket Bingo
Character:
In the fourth of the highly successful Frankie and Annette beach party movies, a motorcycle gang led by Eric Von Zipper kidnaps singing star Sugar Kane managed by Bullets, who hires sky-diving surfers Steve and Bonnie from Big Drop for a publicity stunt. With the usual gang of kids and a mermaid named Lorelei....
The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers
Character: Self
A TV movie with intertwining music numbers and sketches....
Dance Crazy in Hollywood
Character: Self - Actor (archive footage)
American dancer and choreographer Hermes Pan recalls his life and work as he relives the glorious history of the Hollywood musical....
Tide of Empire
Character: Drunk Cowboy Thrown Out of Saloon (uncredited)
California's gold discovery in 1848 draws a "tide of empire" to the area, which becomes ripe for bandits....
No Time at All
Character: Harrison
An airliner flying nonstop at night from Miami to New York fails to check in, then disappears from radar. We see how its disappearance affects people on the ground....
That's Entertainment!
Character: (archive footage) (uncredited)
Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history....
So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM
Character: Self (archive footage)
A Turner Classic Movies (TCM) documentary about Keaton's discontented relationship with MGM and the events that eventually led to his career downfall....
Stunts: A Taste for Risk
Character: Various Roles (archive footage)
The amazing story of stunts, men and women who risk their lives every day on set to get the perfect action scene....
Buster Keaton: From Silents to Shorts
Character: (archive footage)
A documentary short included as an extra with "The Buster Keaton Collection"....
We're switching to Hollywood
Character: Self
A German reporter visits Hollywood and is escorted through the MGM Studio by a German nobleman, who is working there as an extra. They meet and speak to several actors, primarily Buster Keaton, John Gilbert, Joan Crawford and Heinrich George. Then they meet Adolphe Menjou, who rehearses a long scene in German. A final scene shows stars arriving at a film premiere, including Jean Harlow, Norma Shearer and Wallace Beery....
The Silent Partner
Character: Kelsey Dutton
When a great film director accepts an Academy Award, he reflects on a comedian he worked with in the early film days, owing his success to him, not realizing that man is now destitute, watching the show on TV from a barstool. Part of the Screen Directors Playhouse series, sponsored by Kodak, and in association with Screen Directors Guild....
Bad 25
Character: Ronald, The Boy (archive footage)
Spike Lee pays tribute to Michael Jackson's Bad on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the epochal album, offering behind-the-scenes footage of Jackson recording the album and interviews with confidants, musicians, choreographers, and such music-world superstars as Kanye West, Sheryl Crow, Cee Lo Green and Mariah Carey....
New Moon
Character: Prisoner - 'LuLu'
A revolutionary leader romances a French aristocrat in Louisiana....
Looking for Charlie: Or, the Day the Clown Died
Character: Self (archive footage)
A documentary which explores the lives and tragic deaths of Marceline Orbes and Francis "Slivers" Oakley, the suicidal clowns who inspired Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton....
That's Entertainment! III
Character: (archive footage)
Some of MGM'S musical stars review the studios history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of 1929 to Brigadoon, from the first musical talkies to Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain....
Character Studies
Character: Self (uncredited)
Carter DeHaven announces that he will perform a series of "impressions." For each we see him applying makeup and changing the combing of his hair or putting on a wig. When he tilts his head down during each supposed makeover, up pops the actual celebrity (Keaton, Lloyd, Arbuckle, Valentino, Fairbanks, Coogan) he appears to have been making himself up as....
Lifetime of Comedy
Character: (archive footage)
Compilation of comedy sketches from the comedy kings Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Danny Kaye & Bing Crosby....
That's Entertainment, Part II
Character: (archive footage)
Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time including comedy and drama as well as classic musical numbers....
The Round-Up
Character: Indian (uncredited)
A lovesick sheriff protects his town, embroiled in a feud between a crafty bandit leader and the family of the prospector he stole from....
She Went to the Races
Character: Bellboy (uncredited)
A group of scientists develop a system to pick winners at the racetrack. Comedy....
Take It or Leave It
Character: (archive footage) (uncredited)
A young husband becomes a game-show participant in the hopes of winning the cash to pay his pregnant wife's doctor....
Buster Keaton The Shorts Collection 1917-1923
Character:
Includes all 32 of Keaton's extant silent shorts (thirteen of which were produced under the tutelage of comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle) These 2K restorations onto Blu-Ray promise to be the definitive representation of Keaton's early career....
The Awakening
Character: The Man
"The Awakening" is a 1954 short drama film of Douglas Fairbanks Presents anthology series based on Nikolai Gogol's short story "The Overcoat"....
Simon Pure Beer
Character: Self
...
Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The lives of Stan Laurel (1890-1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892-1957), on the screen and behind the curtain. The joy and the sadness, the success and the failure. The story of one of the best comic duos of all time: a lesson on how to make people laugh....
The Great Buster: A Celebration
Character: Self (archive footage)
A celebration of the life and career of one of America's most influential and celebrated filmmakers and comedians—Buster Keaton—whose singular style and fertile output during the silent era created his legacy as a true cinematic visionary....
Barney's Wall
Character: Self (archive footage)
What makes a rebel? This 78 minute documentary probes the psyche of bad-boy publisher and free speech warrior Barney Rosset, whose mid-century legal and cultural battles smashed sexual and political taboos in the United States — unleashing the counter-culture of the 1960s and introducing millions of young intellectuals to the most radical currents in literature, film, theater and politics. In his late eighties, coming to terms with his life, Barney Rosset began to obsessively sculpt an autobiog...
Notfilm
Character: Self (archive footage)
NOTFILM is a feature-length experimental essay on FILM -- its author Samuel Beckett, its star Buster Keaton, its production and its philosophical implications -- utilizing additional outtakes, never before heard audio recordings of the production meetings, and other rare archival elements....
The Big Parade of Comedy
Character: Buster in 'The Cameraman' (archive footage)
Film clips highlight the funniest scenes and brightest comic stars in MGM's history....
And the Oscar Goes To...
Character: Self (archive footage)
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement....
It's Showtime
Character: Self (archive footage)
A collection of film clips profiling animal actors....
The Sound of Laughter
Character: Elmer Butts
A compilation of film clips of comedies from 1930's....
War Italian Style
Character: Gen. von Kassler
It's May 1943, and two Italian American soldiers, Joe and Frank, are searching the North African desert for a Nazi general called Von Kassler. Von Kassler's aide captures them, and arranges for them to escape with fake war plans. But, things don't go exactly as planned for either side....
Langlois-Keaton à Paris
Character: Self
Furtive traces of a visit, a certain February 22, 1962: Buster Keaton....
Chaplin/Keaton: Duel of Legends
Character: (archive footage)
Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton were two incredibly talented artists who enjoyed enormous worldwide success at a very young age. The two giants of the golden age of silent cinema were perceived to be constantly competing with each other for the crown of the king of laughter....
Time Travelers: Uncovering Old LA in Keaton Comedies
Character: Self (archive footage)
Time Travelers, a new documentary by Daniel Raim featuring interviews with John Bengtson and film historian Marc Wanamaker, reveals newly discovered connections between Buster Keaton’s MGM debut and the earliest films of his career....
Casanova wider Willen
Character: Reggie Irving
Jeffrey wants to marry Virginia, who refuses to marry unless her older sister, the hard-to-please Angelica, gets married first....
30 Years of Fun
Character: (archive footage)
Three decades of fun packed into one convenient package with this compilation of classic black-and-white comedy clips featuring Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Laurel and Hardy....
Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume One
Character: Various
A collection of five silent comedy shorts co-starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Buster Keaton, and produced by their own Comique Film Company: THE BELL BOY (1918), THE BUTCHER BOY (1917), OUT WEST (1918), MOONSHINE (1918), and THE HAYSEED (1919). Volume One of a two-volume DVD series from Kino Video. Musical score by the Alloy Orchestra....
Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume Two
Character: Various
A collection of five silent comedy shorts co-starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Buster Keaton, and produced by their own Comique Film Company: BACK STAGE (1919), GOOD NIGHT, NURSE! (1918), CONEY ISLAND (1918), THE ROUGH HOUSE (1918), and THE GARAGE (1920). Volume Two of a two-volume DVD series from Kino Video. Musical score by the Alloy Orchestra....
The Adventures of Mr. Pastry
Character: Professor
Interested in becoming a serious actor, Mr. Pastry (Richard Hearne) seeks out the services of a down-and-out Professor (Buster Keaton) to help him become the dramatic thespian he hopes to be....
There's No Business Like No Business
Character: Self
On behalf of the Arvin Corporation, Buster Keaton demonstrates the importance of using Maremont auto parts for potential repairs while running a petrol station....
Jackie Chan: My Story
Character: (archive footage)
Jackie Chan is one of the world's biggest action stars, famed for his wacky sense of humor, remarkable martial arts techniques, and willingness to perform incredible stunts without the use of doubles -- or a net. This video takes a personal look at Chan as he works on screen projects in Hollywood and Beijing and candidly discusses his life and work....
Hodgepodge
Character: Self (archive footage)
Andrew Richter shares odd stories of celebrity encounters from his years working in New York hotels....
The Three Stooges Follies
Character: Clarence Plunkett (archive footage)
Released to theaters in 1974, this collection of vintage Columbia short subjects included: "Yes, We Have No Bonanza" with The Three Stooges; "Violent Is the Word for Curly" with The Three Stooges; "You Nazty Spy!" with The Three Stooges (replaced by "Men in Black" for the nontheatrical reissue); "Nothing But Pleasure" with Buster Keaton; "Strife of the Party" with Vera Vague; Chapter 1 of the 1943 "Batman" serial with Lewis Wilson and Douglas Croft; and "America Sings with Kate Smith."...
Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr. with R.E.M.'s Monster and New Adventures in Hi-Fi: A Silents Synced Film
Character: Projectionist / Sherlock, Jr.
Silents Synced pairs classic silent movies with epic rock music. Created by an independent cinema owner for independent cinemas! The feature mixes R.E.M.'s "Monster" (1994) and "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" (1996) with Buster Keaton's "Sherlock Jr." (1924)....
Busta Keaton in COPS
Character: The Young Man (archive footage from 'Cops')
Supa Commandos of Film History with VJ Emmie...