Keaton: The Man Who Wouldn't Lie Down (Hardcover)

~ Tom Dardis (Author)
Key Phrases: gag men, land yacht, New York, Joe Schenck, The General (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A biography of silent film actor Buster Keaton which examines his career as a tragi/comedian alongside contemporaries who included Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Harry Langdon, and features investigation of his personality off-screen. First published in 1989. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 340 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (February 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684161508
• ISBN-13: 978-0684161501
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,583,697 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mixed up, September 28, 2007

By	Gail Glaser "gglaser9" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Keaton: The Man Who Wouldn't Lie Down (Limelight) (Paperback)

This book has many things to recommend it, but many more not to. The oddest thing is when Dardis describes Keaton's second wife (twice he says she was a very attractive brunette - actually she was rather witchy-looking) and he goes on to say that she dumped him when she'd had enough of his drinking. Not true. She was a golddigging conniver who Keaton actually got rid of himself. He stopped drinking once he had.

Many other factual mistakes, but worse than those are his take on Buster. He seems not to respect him much. Why write this bio? He talks little of the artistry of the man.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother to read this book., June 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Keaton: The Man Who Wouldn't Lie Down (Limelight) (Paperback)

Don't bother to read this book. It overlooks Buster's artistry, and is strangely obsessed with the finances of each film. A much better book on Keaton is the one by Rudi Blesh, which is unfortunately unavailable now.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Many Factual Errors, August 3, 2007

By	Ragtime Bill (Broken Arrow, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keaton: The Man Who Wouldn't Lie Down (Limelight) (Paperback)

I have read and own many books on Buster Keaton. This is the worst I have seen. Many "facts" are in error (such as who starred in The Buster Keaton Story, etc.) and that casts suspicion on everything else. Since I already knew a great deal about Keaton, this book offended me in what it got wrong. Make sure this is not the ONLY reference you read of The Great Stone Face, it's pretty much junk.