Buster keaton cut to the chase book pdf

The star system had become institutionalised by the 1920s, with keaton one of the great silent comedians, alongside charlie chaplin and harold lloyd. Score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. His elaborate slapstick made audiences scream with. Im beginning to think that buster keaton was the greatest all time stuntperson. A novel nina wilde and eddie chase book 12 by andy mcdermott 4. Cut to the chase by marion meade follows one of the greatest comedic actors from his meager beginnings in vaudeville, his friendship and pairing with roscoe fatty arbuckle, through the hight of his early career in the 1920s and 1930s, his failed marriages, damaged reputation and unwillingness to stay sober, to his third act. Cline began working for mack sennetts keystone studios in 1914 and supported charlie chaplin in some of the shorts he made at the studio. I originally posted the top photo last year as a photo of cc and buster keaton but now that a clearer version of the photo has come to light below, it seems this may not be chaplin after all. Entitled home made, it was an educational film about the ease of building a prefabricated house in seven days. She has also written biographies of woody allen, buster keaton, eleanor of aquitaine, madame blavatsky, and victoria woodhull, as well as two novels about medieval france. As technical director, he was responsible for set design, construction, props management, and location scouting. Cut to the chase a biography by marion meade available from rakuten kobo. Warning readers from the outset that she is focusing on his life rather than his films, meade retells keaton s story in somewhat more detail than previous biographers.

The film is notable both as keaton s only mexican production and as the last time keaton. He is best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression that earned him the nickname the great stone face. In the 1980s kevin brownlow found the film that inspired one week. Buster keaton, who produced and directed the film, plays johnnie gray, the engineer of the general, whose. The film stars buster keaton who codirected it with clyde bruckman. Buster keaton, who produced and directed the film, plays johnnie gray, the engineer of. Keaton is easily acknowledged as one of the greatest filmmakers in early cinema and beyond. Marion meade spent 4 years researching this book and interviewed more than 200 people. Joseph frank buster keaton, one of the most distinguished filmmakers in cinematic history, was a brilliant comedian whose films seem untouched by time.

Born charles joseph parrott in baltimore, maryland, chase. Joseph frank keaton october 4, 1895 february 1, 1966, known professionally as buster keaton, was an american actor, comedian, film director, producer, screenwriter, and stunt performer. The modernday bluebeard is a 1946 mexican comedy science fiction film directed by jaime salvador and starring buster keaton. Buster keaton, baseball player society for american. Buster keaton is mostly known for two things, his stunt work during the silent film era and the fact he almost never smiled or smirked in any of his movies or comedy shorts, earning him the nickname the great stone face. Just look at this reel of some of his greatest stuntsmost performed during his peak artistic period between.

Its a well researched book and i learned a lot about the silent film legend. Keatons 1960 memoir is called my wonderful world of slapstick ebook. Which is arguably better than his earlier nickname of the human mop. One such aficionadoathlete was a comedy legend of the silent cinema, buster keaton. Joseph frank keaton october 4, 1895 february 1, 1966, known professionally as buster. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Cut to the chase, was published by harper collins publishers in 1995. Based on four years of research and more than 200 interviews with notables such as billy wilder, leni riefenstahl, gene kelly, douglas fairbanks, jr. A level film studies focus film factsheet buster keaton. Buster made his name as a child of vaudeville, thrown around the stage by his father in a cartoon pantomime of very real abuse. As one author put it, fred gabourie had the most interesting job in the world.

Buster keaton, in black and white this is a fairly straightforward account of the highs and lows of keaton s family and professional life. Marion meade keaton conceived, wrote, acted in and even edited most of his films, a true comedic genius if ever there was one. Cut to the chase recorded the journey of keaton from a kansas medicine show to vaudeville headliner to cinematic pioneer. Joe keatons grandiosity impressed myra, who was too young and naive to see that his stories were complete invention. A biography and millions of other books are available for instant access. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Ui collection guides marion meade buster keaton research. In 2018, the film was selected for preservation in the united states national film registry by the library of congress as being culturally, historically, or. Buster keatons masterpiece and one of the greatest silent movies of all time was filmed in the. At one time he claimed credit for having come up with the idea for the sennett bathing beauties. When buster keaton began making his own shorts, after having worked with roscoe fatty arbuckle for years, he hired cline as his codirector.

Though hes now in danger of being completely forgotten overshadowed by two of his contemporaries, charlie chaplin and buster keaton charley chase once held court as one of the most popular silent screen comedians in american movies. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read buster keaton. Buster keaton in a chase scene from his feature seven chances 1925. The general is a civil war tale, the fictionalized account of an attempted hijacking of a confederate train called the. Penguin books commissioned a jacket from the well known illustrator seth. He did bonewearying manual labor, setting up, tearing down, shoving on to the next stop. Released to coincide with the centenary of keaton s birth, this comprehensive biography fills gaps in the silentfilm comedians life history while dispelling a few rumors. The story was adapted from the memoir the great locomotive chase by william pittenger. Cut to the chase is a startling and moving account of the troubled life of a. A literary hedda hopper dishes dirt on the director and evokes pity rather than disgust. Meade researched the book for four years, interviewing some 200 people who had known or worked with keaton, gathered published and unpublished photographs, and worked with keaton collector jack dragga to compile a definitive filmography.

This said, i feel like some of the magic of his onscreen persona is missing here. It was inspired by the great locomotive chase, a true story of an event that occurred during the american civil war. The navigator is a 1924 comedy directed by and starring buster keaton. Metro finds films book rapidly moving picture world us november 27 1920, pg.

The general 1927 75 minutes directed by clyde bruckman, buster keaton written by buster keaton and charlie smith based on william pittengers 1863 novel, the great locomotive chase producers by buster keaton, joseph m. The general is a 1926 american silent comedy film released by united artists. Cut to the chase, biographer marion meade seamlessly lays out the life and works of this comedy genius who lacked any formal education. He worked primarily for buster keaton, figuring out how to make keaton s innovative stunts work. His elaborate slapstick made audiences scream with laughter. A biography 1st da capo press ed by meade, marion isbn. Marion meade joseph frank buster keaton, one of the most distinguished filmmakers in cinematic history, was a brilliant comedian whose films seem untouched by time. Schenck set up buster keaton productions in 1919 and gave keaton complete creative freedom in writing, directing and acting. Silent film star buster keaton 18951966 developed his trademark deadpan expression and acrobatic artistry, according to the author, as a result of the abuse he received from his father, joe. Schenck cinematography by bert haines, devereaux jennings film editing by buster keaton and sherman kell. The general is a civil war tale, the fictionalized account of an attempted hijacking of a confederate train called the general by union spies in 1862. Keaton puts up a for sale sign, leaving the directions with it, and the two walk away, hand in hand. Buster keaton 18951966 was a brilliant comedian and filmmaker who.