Hello. It is day 19 of Summer Under the Stars already. I did not even acknowledge they day we passed the halfway point. I’m going to be honest: I have been slacking these past few days, sometimes because the subject was Errol Flynn, sometimes because of life stuff. But I want to get better and spend these last two weeks giving the stars all my attention – gods know they need it. So let’s look at some films of one of Old Hollywood’s most iconic and most influential.
The Blacksmith (1922)
One of the last Keaton shorts I haven’t seen. It’s pretty self-explanatory, really, Buster goes through misadventures as a blacksmith’s assistant. There are gags and goofs and it’s really a classic Keaton.
What else is there to say? My return to writing more substantial posts for Summer Under the Stars is not exactly up to a good start…
College (1927)
Mary Haines is the most popular girl in college and boys fall head over heels for her! She could have anyone she wants, including the buff jocks girls swoon over. Why should she choose Buster who is kind of a nerd? Well, he’s going to win her by proving himself in various sports.
There are three major problems I have with College:
- Blackface – yikes!
- Some sport scenes kind of drag
- Buster is way too ripped to be convincing as a nerd who never works out
Other than that, College is pretty funny and Buster gets a chance to present a multitude of gags.
Spite Marriage (1929)
Spite Marriage is Buster’s last silent film. And it fittingly tells a classic silent comedy story: a down-on-his luck dork tries to win over a girl.
Dorothy Sebastian plays an actress Buster, a laundry worker, is obsessed with. He gets „lucky” because she decides to marry him to spite (heh) her ex-boyfriend…
Spite Marriage is… fine. I enjoyed watching everybody and there were a few funny gags. But it also feels kind of like a montage of scenes that were supposed to be their own things. Final act is basically The Navigator. And the beginning scene in the theatre goes on forever.
Oh, blackface makes an appearance again.
It is definitely not one of his strongest films but it works for what it is if you’re just looking for some light entertainment.
Limelight (1952)
My favourite film I have seen thanks to Summer Under the Stars 2019 so far. I can’t even begin to describe how emotional Limelight made me feel. This is a story of coming to terms with the passing of time and one’s own mortality and feeling like all is lost. It’s honestly kind of fitting in with Leonard DiCaprio’s character in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood which I just saw. Though Chaplin probably was actually closer to a character whose career is basically over and trying to discover it means their life is also over.
The problem with Limelight is that it’s a Charlie Chaplin film. And he gives what might now be one of my favourite male performances of all time. But we’re not here today to talk about Chaplin, we’re here to talk about Keaton. And he appears for one scene in the film. But he gets to do a comedy number with Chaplin, a number that feels like a throwback to silent cinema. And it’s funny but also feels bittersweet watching those two who were one the kings of Hollywood and now the times have changed.
Summer Under the Stars connection: the lead female role, Theresa, is played by Claire Bloom who was married to Rod Steiger who was the star of August 15th.
The Twilight Zone S3E13, „Once Upon a Time”
Speaking of going back in time to Keaton’s era of greatness. I watched a Twilight Zone episode starring Buster. It’s a throwback to silent cinema, it begins with scenes with no sound, with inter titles and piano music. Buster is annoyed at how loud the world has become and wants to escape to a place of peace and quiet with the help of a weird machine. Too bad he’s teleported to the 60s where the world is even louder.
I think it’s a nice episode and a nice tribute, old man Keaton gets to do some gags and goofs like in the old days.
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
Next film I watched also included just a Buster cameo so I am not going to go in depth here. I just want to say that It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is very fun and funny and the copy I saw was incredibly beautiful – sharp with amazing colours.
Spencer Tracy is the true star of the film and even Mickey Rooney did not annoy me.
Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)
Well, if It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World was not a big role for Buster, I don’t even know what to say about Beach Blanket Bingo.
That was a RIDE.
Not a lot of Buster, and he plays a character that can be best described as „an old goof” but you can see him dancing to rockabilly with a bikini-wearing girl for a moment.
Yeah, I don’t know if I should respect that, or just feel sorry for him.
Film (1965)
Luckily, we end with something Buster can be proud of. Film was made by Samuel Beckett (yes!) and it’s a short in which Buster is paranoid and tries to avoid the „all-seeing eye”.
He manages to actually act wonderfully, even though we see him from behind so he doesn’t really get the chance to use his famous face until the very end.
It is a very interesting short with some exciting filmmaking choices – I’m happy Buster Keaton in the 60s took chances, like here or, to be honest, in Beach Blanket Bingo as well.
I love Buster Keaton and I’m so happy I got to spend the day with him. I still didn’t write in-depth about each film but I did watch A LOT today. Tomorrow, I’ll try to focus on quality over quantity.
Swingin' at the Seance 