Buster Keaton Remembered [Hardcover]

Eleanor Keaton (Author), Jeffrey Vance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001

A unique illustrated survey of Keaton's life and films, recalled by his wife of 26 years, Eleanor Keaton, and film historian Jeffrey Vance. Keaton's career was fascinating and dramatic, spanning the history of twentieth-century American comedy, both in vaudeville and in cinema.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a final tribute to the comedic genius of silent film icon Buster Keaton (1895-1966), his third wife, Eleanor, began Buster Keaton Remembered. Completed by film historian Jeffrey Vance (coauthor of Wife of the Life of the Party), it features an afterword by Kevin Brownlow (Mary Pickford Rediscovered). Illustrated with 235 black-and-white photographs, this gracious, unsentimental work reveals the public and private lives of a man who began his career in vaudeville, catapulted to silent-screen fame with elaborately choreographed stunts and ended his illustrious career as a star for the emerging MGM movie studio.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

As it did with 1999's Mary Pickford Rediscovered (LJ 9/15/99), the publisher raids the archives of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present a lavish photographic tribute, in this case to silent film comedian Buster Keaton (1895-1966). Comprising formal and behind-the-scenes stills, staged publicity shots, and previously unpublished personal photos, this book is the most comprehensive pictorial retrospective on Keaton to date. In contrast to the Pickford book, however, the quality of the text and illustrations is not entirely balanced. Whereas in the former publication, Kevin Brownlow provided a thorough retrospective from both historical and critical standpoints, here he contributes only the afterword. As a result, the book doesn't delve into Keaton's technical prowess as an innovator of films whose complex sight gags, integrated narratives, and overall visual style transcended slapstick comedy so much as it celebrates his achievements as a performer. But while the biographical material and film synopses are less scintillating than the photographs, they do not detract from this gorgeous testament to a legend and to the often overlooked achievements of film curators and preservationists. Recommended for large public and academic libraries. Jayne Plymale, Univ. of Georgia, Athens
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; 1st edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810942275
• ISBN-13: 978-0810942271
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #724,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slick and Glossy Tribute to The Human Mop, April 9, 2001

By 

Cheated (California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buster Keaton Remembered (Hardcover)

Weighing in at a hefty 4 pounds (I accidentally dropped it more than once, followed by expletives), this extraordinary analysis of Buster's life and career is one of the best books written about the man with the blank pan.

With an emphasis on the 225 photos selected for the book, the first chapter explains that of the 1000's of photos brought forth for potential publication, some of the rare images that were selected were recently discovered lying forgotten for more than 40 years in an MGM warehouse in New Jersey, and then carefully restored. For instance, one of these never-before-seen shots is of Buster between takes on the set of "Speak Easily" playing cards with Jimmy Durante and another of an intense Buster and Jimmy taking orders from director Ed Sedgwick.

Moving on, we get an intimate essay by his widow, Eleanor, on life with Buster during their 28 years together.

The next chapter is a compressed early bio, starting at his birth and meandering through his vaudeville years, which ended in 1917. Following that, it continues with a chapter on Buster's filmmaking learning curve under the tutorial of Fatty Arbuckle.

The majority of its content is a summary of each film from his successful years of 1920 to 1933. The text includes the synopsis and some background information during each film's development. Never-before-heard-of revelations send you running to the VCR, like Eleanor telling us that in a shot from "The Navigator", you can see the look of panic on Buster's face when he thinks he's suffocating in his deep-sea diving suit as a result of a flexible rope ladder hanging off the side of the ship. Also revealed is a backward flip out the door of the second story of his house in "One Week" that landed Buster with a swelled back and arms.

There are also chapters of his post-stardom film work (the Educationals) and later TV career (both of which deserved more space in the book).

The quality of the photos is remarkable. For instance, one from Eleanor's collection of Buster at age 16 standing on a giant rock, grinning from ear-to-ear, shows up much clearer in this book than in a previously published account. Another previously published photo of Buster smiling, on the beach during the filming of "Coney Island", is also fine-tuned in this collective.

At the end, we are treated to instructions and photos on "How to Make a Porkpie Hat", a process whereby Buster scrunches a burly-man's Stetson fedora into a dainty 1890's ladies hat.

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Love Letter from Eleanor to Buster, March 26, 2001

By 

Patricia (Nyack, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buster Keaton Remembered (Hardcover)

I, too, have every book written in English about Buster. I've been a fan for 25 years, and worked in Marketing in the 80's for the 16mm distributor of all Buster's films, even chatting a few times with Raymond Rohauer. I've met Buster's grandson and grandaughter, and attended many events in Los Angeles surrounding Buster's 100th birthday. Got all his classic films on tape. And visited his grave at Forest Lawn. So imagine how surprised I was to read so many new personal anecdotes, as well as fresh details about his working methods that shed new light on his creative genius. Not to mention the photos -- dozens I'd never seen before, beautifully reproduced -- including those elusive shots of Buster smiling! Eleanor even demystifies just how Buster made his own porkpie hats. This is truly a love letter from Eleanor to Buster, a tribute by the person who knew him best. Now I've got just as much respect for the woman who brought him lasting happiness as I do for the artist himself.

This is a very satisfying book, and an absolute must-have for any Keaton fan.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Great Keaton Books, June 18, 2001

By 

Scott T. Rivers (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Buster Keaton Remembered (Hardcover)

Just when you thought you had read everything about the Great Stone Face, along comes this remarkable book. "Buster Keaton Remembered" is a revelation - featuring a treasure trove of never-before-seen photographs and a thoughtful text by Jeffrey Vance and Eleanor Keaton (who, sadly, died before the book's publication). The closing comments by film historian Kevin Brownlow are a nice touch. In all, an affectionate and fitting tribute to a serio-comic genius.