Monkey See, Monkey Do

Dear Hangover 2:

You're about 80 years too late.

Buster Keaton gets a monkey as a sidekick in The Cameraman (1928), and together they make their way through a gang war in Chinatown.

It's kind of hard to top a gang war.

I'm just sayin'.

Happy Houdini Day!

Happy 137th Birthday to Harry Houdini, Buster Keaton's god father.

While it may be merely a myth that Houdini christened Keaton with the nickname "Buster" after witnessing the infant take a tumble down the stairs, it is well documented that Houdini was, in fact, his god father, and clearly taught him a thing or two, as evidenced in this clip from Sherlock, Jr. (at about 5:03):

Thank you, Harry Houdini. Happy Birthday.

Happy 114th, Buster!

Buster Keaton was born this day 114 years ago. To celebrate, aside from watching some of his films today, I decided to try to make a porkpie hat, based on the instructions in Buster Keaton Remembered, and this great video tutorial showing just how easy it is.

I'm actually not quite finished with them yet, but I wanted to say Happy Birthday to Keaton on the 4th. I will post updates on my porkpie hat project tomorrow.

Just In Case

I was just thinking about this xkcd comic


and I just want to say:

If the dead start walking the earth, I call dibs on Buster Keaton.

end of an era

So I'm taking a Flash course and the semester's winding down. Naturally, my latest project incorporated Buster Keaton into it. I made an interactive map of the United States, with map pins stuck in it. When a pin is clicked, it takes you to a picture or video clip with information on how Buster Keaton is associated with the place (like, Cottage Grove, Oregon goes to a clip of The General and information on the movie).

In doing this, I included Wrigley Field of L.A. As I understand it, this is where at least one (but possibly all) of the charity baseball games Buster played in took place. The best documented game featured Leading Men vs. Comedians, pitting the likes of Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn, and Peter Lorre against Buster Keaton, Jack Benny, Fred Allen, etc. Hilarity would ensue, with pranks, gags, and even Boris Karloff, dressed as Frankenstein, scoring a home run (after scaring Keaton--the catcher--from the home plate), even though Frankenstein was not on either team.

What I wouldn't give to be able to sit in on those gag-filled charity baseball games.

Anyway, back to topic: I noticed when researching Wrigley Field of L.A. that it was closed in 1965 and demolished in 1966. It is sad but somehow fitting that the baseball diamond died the same year, and possibly close to the same time, as Keaton.

That's all I wanted to say: a quick memorial for a sublime duo.

Oh, and the comedians won the game I mention, 5-3.

Love, Locomotives and Laughs... with live music!

April is off to a good start! I went on the 4th to see "The General" with live music accompaniment by the National Symphony Orchestra and acclaimed organist Dennis James. The concert hall that the event was held in was rather large and I am happy to report that most seats were taken. And that there were a great deal of youngsters there.

Sadly, I could only afford the cheap seats, in a tiered level all the way in the back. (I opted for seating further back but straight on over closer but on the sides). My sister went with me. I was disappointed with how small the screen was; it was like watching the film on a small television screen across a very large room. Also, the lights were merely dimmed so that the orchestra players could read their music, which I understand, but sadly made the contrast too low to see most of the "night" scenes.

Having said that, it was a great experience. It was my first time seeing a silent film with live music accompaniment, and I've been wanting to watch Buster Keaton with live music for ages.

The live music accompaniment was great, but the live audience was even better. I have watched Buster's movies so many times, but often alone or with my sister (or, very rarely, with the occasional soul I've tricked, bribed, shamed or guilted into giving Keaton's movies a chance).

I got the impression that many people in the audience hadn't seen the film before, or had seen it so long ago that it was new to them again. It was magical to hear other people enjoy Keaton's work, especially since it's so hard to find outside of that setting. It's like a drug, really. I'm jonesing for another dose of Keaton with a live crowd (and even better, live music, as well).

We were encouraged to cheer the hero and hiss at the bad guy.

A few people attempted hissing, but it never really caught on.

Applauding Keaton, however, was enthusiastically embraced. Some scenes with memorable rounds of applause included the cannon firing "straight", Keaton clearing off the last piece of wood from the tracks with the one that got him caught up on the cow chaser, the reclaiming of The General, the switched rail line that leads the enemy's engines onto the raised drop-off after appearing like it was about to run into The General, the infamous train crash, and Johnnie Gray getting his Lieutenant uniform.

A few, me included, clapped for the bad guys once, sort of. It's the scene after Johnnie Gray has bent the rail with a chain and the Northern Army has spent several scenes struggling to fix the rail, with the engineer watching from behind. The scene I love is when, after quite a bit of bumbling by a dozen soldiers, the engineer walks up and fixes their problem in 30 seconds flat.

Big laughs came from the recruitment scene, the cannon scene, all the abuse poor Annabelle Lee endures, and--oh, well countless scenes. All of the sight gags went over well, and I was glad to hear so many of the subtle humor in the film being caught and appreciated.

As we were leaving, I heard dozens of comments of praise for the film. And I heard one woman talking about how handsome Buster Keaton was. And I smiled. For all the sheer brilliance of the film, Buster Keaton himself will never go unnoticed.

Certainly not while I'm around.

1000 Times, Yes

*Blip*

What was that sound? Oh, that was Holly Hunter, who is now on my radar.
....


Holly Hunter was the guest on Craig Ferguson's show tonight (well, technically, this morning).

At one point during the interview, she mentioned that she was watching a lot of Charlie Chaplin lately. Ferguson didn't seem to know what to say to that and kind of laughed and made an uncommitted joke.

Hunter then said something like, "Forget Chaplin. Let's talk about Keaton. Buster Keaton." Ferguson obviously isn't terribly familiar or fond of the silent era, because he was still at a bit of a loss for words. I think he asked what she wanted to talk about relating to Buster Keaton.

Hunter asked (paraphrasing), "Well, is he better than Chaplin?"

Ferguson didn't have much of a response. He said he hasn't really given it much thought, but didn't Keaton's career die sometime in the 1920's? Holly Hunter told him he should look them up again. He then moved the conversation on by saying he watches Marx Brothers with his kid.

I would like to take this moment to answer Hunter's question, on behalf of Craig Ferguson:

Yes.

The Fall and a Birthday Wish

To steal Craig Ferguson's line, it's a great day for America. Why? Because Buster Keaton was born on this day in Piqua, Kansas in 1895.

I, for one, intend to celebrate with a marathon of Buster's movies, a couple games of cards, and possibly a Buster-related purchase on eBay (what better day to treat myself to a birthday wish, since I can't treat Buster to one?).

For anyone interested in watching a new or different sort of a movie in celebration and commemoration of Buster Keaton, I recommend viewing Tarsem's The Fall, starring Lee Pace and newcomer Catinca Untaru.

The Fall is a beautifully filmed and acted story about Roy (Pace), a stuntman from the silent era who has become paralyzed from the waist down due to a stunt gone wrong. His heartbreak over the loss of his love compounded with his new handicap has led him into a spiral of suicidal depression. Enter Alexandria (Untaru), a young girl wandering the hospital with a broken arm. Roy captures her attention with a fantastical story that is an allegory for his own life. As Alexandria urges the story forward, however, it becomes uniquely theirs. In her innocence, however, Alexandria doesn't realize that Roy is using her interest in him and their story for ulterior motives.

It is a well-acted, charming little movie with stunning visuals. The film is a nice tribute to the silent era of film making, and I would recommend viewing it on that alone. I recommend it here, in particular, because Buster Keaton also makes a cameo of sorts.

I've got to get to celebrating, so that's all for today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BUSTER KEATON!

Wall-E (the character)

Some notes on Wall-E the character and his relation to Buster Keaton:

Curiosity
Wall-E's fascination with the objects surrounding him is reminiscent of Buster Keaton's fascination with the motion picture camera. It also brings to mind all of the little contraptions Keaton made, his constant curiosity and desire to see what he can make.

Tenacity
Both Wall-E and the Keaton character have incredible tenacity when courting the affection of the one they fancy, as well as overcoming unexpected obstacles. Wall-E's devotion and goal-oriented behavior regarding Eve parallels Keaton's determination to win over almost every one of his love interests, particularly in the Keaton films The General and The Cameraman.

Romantic Innocence
As with Wall-E, the Keaton character tends to be experiencing first love. With such situations, the smallest things are celebrated on a grand scale, such as holding hands or a chaste first kiss. Consider Wall-E's thrilling as Eve kisses him in space, literally floating away in a spiral of wonder. The Cameraman has a scene where the love interest gives Keaton's character a peck on the cheek after their date, and Keaton reacts much the same way, floating away in wonder.

Wall-E (the movie)

Quick follow-up:

I've seen Wall-E twice now. It didn't disappoint. While there are no obvious Keaton references, the movie still manages to connect to Buster Keaton in fascinating ways.

One thing Wall-E accomplishes is being a movie infused with the kind of treatment and spirit Buster Keaton hoped for with movies when sound was first introduced. Going back to a Keaton statement I've quoted before, "Don't give me puns. Don't give me jokes. No wisecracks....There can be two or three people in a room working at jobs--well, they work at them without talking. That's the way I want it. So you get those stretches in your picture of six, seven, eight, nine minutes where there isn't a word of dialogue. In those, we did our old routines. Then, when it was natural to talk, you talked. You didn't avoid it. But you laid out your material that way, and in many places it didn't call for dialogue...."

That is to say, Wall-E is a movie where dialog is present, but not necessary. It utilizes to maximum benefit the charm, story-telling, pathos and humor that comes through telling a story visually. In the end, the movie feels like those comfortable silences with someone you love where you simply are together, enjoying each other's company. I very much enjoyed Wall-E's company.