My Wonderful World Of Slapstick (Da Capo Paperback) [Paperback]

Buster Keaton (Author), Charles Samuels (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Charles Samuels, a New York newspaperman, wrote biographies of Jody Garland, Lizzie Borden, and Evelyn Nesbit. He worked with Buster Keaton on My Wonderful World of Slapstick (also available from Da Capo Press). Donald Bogle is the author of Brown Sugar: Eighty Years of America's Black Female Superstars (also available from De Capo Press), Blacks in American Film & Television: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, and Toms, Coon, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks: An Interpretive Histroy of Blacks in American Films. He has been called "the dean of black film history."

Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; Reprint edition (August 22, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306801787
• ISBN-13: 978-0306801785
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #713,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 71 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Blame 21st Century Reviewers for Not Understanding What They Read September 22, 2005

By Martin Monreal

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Despite the review voted most helpful until now (which gives this book only 3 stars), I decided to see by myself. To my surprise I found a book very different from the one portrayed by Shawn T. Marengo.

First of all, the book is not called Autobiography or My Life, but My Wonderful World of Slapstick. Oddly enough, that is its subject. So, if you are expecting to uncover deep and dark secrets, you got the wrong book. Buy a biography instead.

But you got the wrong person too. Mediocre people think that artists are guys who are lucky enough to have a sudden inspiration right at the moment when they have a pencil in their hands and a white sheet of paper in front of them, or some millions in a friend's bank account to make a movie. These people can't understand that the way Keaton made his pictures was the only way possible for him; badly put: the way he saw life. In this book we get exactly what we are promised: a world full of anecdotes, accidents, shows and practical jokes.

On page NUMBER 3 he warns those readers who like sniffing the rotten meat under the carpet: "I've had few dull moments and not too many sad and defeated ones. In saying this I am by no means overlooking the rough and rocky years I've lived through. But I was not brought up thinking life would be easy. I always expected to work hard for my money and to get nothing I did not earn. And the bad years, it seems to me, were so few that only a dyed-in-the-wool grouch who enjoys feeling sorry for himself would complain."

If after reading this your first thought is: he's lying, then probably you are the kind of person who delights in other people's misfortunes but, most important, one who sees misfortunes where they're not. After all, every life is unique and if you are going to compare Keaton with, let's say Chaplin, who had always control over his films but, after the 20's were gone, made one worst than the other... Then I don't know how and who is to judge if a life is a failure or not.

There are other things in Shawn Marengo's review. He says the book is full of mistakes. But they are all about movie titles, and they were all corrected in the later edition so... big deal. Then he puts in evidence his lack of understanding by asking how could Keaton have forgotten the name of his first short-film. Answer: probably because once he did something he didn't bother to see it again, like so many artists. The Reviewer upstairs then asks, "Why would molasses be sold in a butcher shop?". A: because it's only a movie. And then he confuses an anecdote Keaton tells about something that happens "off-camera", with a similar anecdote that is in one of the films, and he says there's something "screwy" in the writing of this book. I think there's something screwy in your reading.

This reviewer also complains of not hearing "nothing about the probable horror of his serving in France during World War 1". But Keaton spent in France only the last seven months of the war. His group was the last to arrive, and they saw (as he says right there) "little but rain and mud." No wonder he doesn't talk about the "probable horrors"... And he does talk about his losing his hearing and how he almost gets shot by an American guard for not having heard him say, "Who goes there?" Isn't tat enough horror for you?

And then there is the silly idea that publishers know better than writers what they book should be like. "If the book were written 20 years later, the publisher would have demanded a more in-depth study of his life, and if Keaton refused, they probably would not have released it", he says. Nonsense. Publishers are as good an artist as a movie producer, and we know that Buster made his best films when least bothered by them. I don't see why this case would be any different.

And last: if you already know the facts of his life for what you have read in other books or on the internet or anywhere else: Why do you keep asking to read the same thing again? Why should Keaton elaborate extensively on the failures of his second marriage, for example? You don't own Keaton: you owe him. Take the book for what it is, and if you are going to criticize it (which is perfectly all right), do it for what the author wrote, not for what TV Guide readers would like to see in it.

This is a fun book to read, and it's perfectly in line with the rest of Buster Keaton's art. Read it as you would watch the "talkie" he never directed.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rare Glimpse into A Creative Genius' Mind November 21, 2002

By Mark Newstetter

Format:Paperback

Reading the words of Buster Keaton gives great insight into how he was able to create his unique form of comedy.

His first hand telling of his fascinating life story may be a bit romanticized and a bit simplified, but then so were his films.

I came away with a clearer picture of what the world of silent film making was like, and how even a genius like Keaton could be dragged down by things beyond his grasp, including his own insecurities.

Keaton reveals himself to be a rather humble man. He makes clear that he never saw his work as anything more than the job of making people laugh. But he was a skilled acrobat and a great mime.

What is really missing from this book can only be found in the films themselves.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Well Written May 28, 2007

By Samantha Glasser VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Many people rave about Buster Keaton's work in the silent era and very few are fans of his work during the talkies. For those people, this book is an excellent read because the bulk of the material is about the gags in his silent films, various pranks played on other people of the profession, and his start on the stage. Unfortunately, this book does not delve into all of Buster's life and sometimes only gives a short overview of specific events, some good and some bad. Fans of The General will be disappointed that the only information given about the film is that it was one of Buster's personal favorites. Thankfully, though, some films get extra special attention like The Navigator, Seven Chances, Steamboat Bill Jr., and The Cameraman.

The book has an added feature. Keaton writes very well (although some credit should be given to co-write Andy Samuels). None of the dialogue is too highbrow to read, but it is intelligent stuff. Our author has certainly given his life some thought.

He could have spent more time talking about his later life, but Keaton takes the route of Mickey Rooney and simply explains that the reason he made so many bad films later in life was because of his desperate need for money. Thankfully, he is optimistic, and leaves the reader uplifted instead of brought down. This book is highly recommended.