The great BUSTER KEATON was born in 1895 to an Irish American father named Joe Keaton, a Vaudeville performer and snake-oil salesman from Indiana. Buster Keaton started as a child performer and eventually moved to Hollywood where, along with Charlie Chaplin, he became the biggest comedy star of the Silent Era.
This week there are two new DVD releases of Keaton’s work that any aficionado of classic physical comedy will want to check out. One is a remastered Blu-ray disk of STEAMBOAT BILL JR., one of Buster’s best full-length features. Another is a new disc entitled LOST KEATON comprised of numerous short films by Keaton that were recently rediscovered.
If you are already a Keaton fan, you know how significant these new presentations of Keaton’s work are; if you have not yet discovered the brilliance of Buster Keaton, do yourself a favor and get up to speed. You can start with these new discs or check out THE GENERAL, Keaton’s masterpiece, a film that Orson Welles once called “the greatest American movie ever made.”
For more on Buster Keaton, please visit the IAW&A website, go to the Hall of Fame page and click on the name of Buster Keaton.