The Fall of Buster Keaton: His Films for MGM, Educational Pictures, and Columbia

by James L. Neibaur

Born into a family of vaudevillians, Buster Keaton made his first film appearance in 1917 at the age of 21. By the early 1920s, he had established himself as one of the geniuses of silent cinema with such films as Sherlock, Jr. and The Navigator and his 1925 work, The General, placed at number 18 in the American Film Institute's poll of the 100 greatest features, the highest ranked silent film on the survey. But with the advent of sound in the late 1920s, silent stars like Keaton began to fall out of favor and the great comedian's career began to decline.

In The Fall of Buster Keaton, James Neibaur assesses Keaton's work during the talking picture era, especially those made at MGM, Educational, and Columbia studios. While giving some attention to the early part of Keaton's career, Neibaur focuses on Keaton's contract work with the three studios, as well as his subsequent work as a gagman, supporting player, and television pitchman. The book also recounts the resurgence of interest in Keaton's silent work, which resulted in a lifetime achievement Oscar and worldwide recognition before his death in 1966. This fascinating account of an artist's struggle and triumph during the more challenging period of his career will be of interest to anyone wanting to learn about one of film's most influential performers.

Genres: Biography

242 pages, Paperback

First published July 16, 2010

Reviews

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great! It's a really well-written account of all of Buster Keaton's post-silent movies. Love it!

[Glen Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buster Keaton was a remarkable silent film comedian whose career hit the skids with the coming of sound. He lost creative control of his projects, battled with alcoholism and saw his marriage dissolve.
After the heights of the 1920s; the 1930s through to the 50s saw his talent wasted on lesser films that didn't utilize his visual style or unique ideas.
Nowadays, he's actually remembered for his great Silent work like "The General" and "The Cameraman" (a personal favorite) but his 30+ year sound career is generally dismissed.
For anyone interested in Keaton's work during this period, Neibaur's book is an essential read.
Keaton kept acting and creating and left behind a solid body of work. This book does exceptionally well to assess those film projects and discuss them intelligently and within a sensible critical perspective. It's an enjoyable read even if you haven't seen the films discussed and includes sections on Keaton's TV work, his advertisements and training films. Right up to the 60s and the high profile cameos and support roles that saw him through to his final days in 1966. It certainly made me want to seek those films out, even if they aren't his best.
Sadly the book is missing the one thing that I need - a comprehensive filmography. A big list of all the works discussed including unfinished projects. Shame that the author didn't include this.
Nevertheless, an excellent read for film buffs. Now to hunt down some of those rare films.

One additional point: Buster Keaton acted as a gag man at MGM and elsewhere to help sustain him when film work wasn't forthcoming. I would have loved more detail about this aspect of his career. What gags were his and on what films? Who performed them? Maybe this information is lost to time and we'll never know but it would be great to discover even a handful of them to see how others performed them and if Keaton's stamp was still on them.