Hollywood stuntmen don’t get a lot of respect these days. Most of their work is now done by nerdy guys drinking Mountain Dew in front of a computer screen at f/x houses. But there was a time when daredevils routinely put their lives on the line just so we might feel a few goosebumps. Legends like Yakima Canutt, Dar Robinson, and Terry Leonard. But before any of those guys fell from a 4o-story building or lit themselves on fire, there was one man who pushed the envelope on risking his neck on celluloid: silent-movie star Buster Keaton.
Keaton’s often overshadowed by his contemporary Charlie Chaplin (no slouch himself at abusing his body for a laugh) and his legacy has always been a little bit tarnished by the string of junky, beach-blanket-bingo-type movies he did in his later years. But in his heyday, Keaton was The Guy. All you need to do is check out the new Blu-ray of his 1928 classic Steamboat Bill, Jr., which came out this week. In the film, Keaton pulls off one of his most famous gags — standing in front of a house that collapses right on top of him. The only reason he survives is a well-placed window that manages to just miss him. It’s one of the most thrilling scenes you’ll ever see, especially when you think about how easily it could have all gone wrong and killed him. Actually, if you look at it closely enough you can see the building facade scrapes his arm. Talk about a close shave!
Take a look after the jump:
And then there’s this one:
And this:
Yeah, I remember watching that Make Them Laugh thing on PBS and being surprised how much I enjoyed Buster Keaton’s clips. My personal favorite is the “train” one.
Yes he’s excellent but I think Jackie Chan deserves a mention. And Michael Crawford did some incredible things as Frank Spencer In Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em
Both Jackie Chan and Michael Crawford have credited Buster Keaton as being the one of the primary influences on their careers.
In his silent films, Keaton did all his own stuntwork, with only one exception: For a pole-vaulting shot in “College,” he hired Olympic pole vaulter Lee Barnes to do the stunt. Other than that, Keaton did everything, from the extraordinary waterfall ending of “Our Hospitality” to the train shot in “Sherlock Jr.” in which he actually broke his neck when the force of water from a waterspout slammed him neck first onto a railroad track, but then in the same shot, he got up and finished the scene. Plus no one could ever do a simple fall the way he did.
Incredible phsyical talent. As if that weren’t enough to ensure his legacy, he’s also considered one of the top movie directors of all time. Oh, and he’s funny, too. Really belly laugh, thought-provoking funny.
–Patricia Eliot Tobias
President
The International Buster Keaton Society
http://www.busterkeaton.com
Buster Keaton was a genius. And I love his comedies because they do what comedies are meant to do, make you laugh out loud. Harold Lloyd is a bit of a forgotten genius of this period. And this article is about Keaton the stuntman so he wins it hands down.
Some of Harold Lloyd’s stunts were great but they weren’t as dangerous as Keaton’s.
The British comedy team The Goodies were great fans of the silent era stars as this clip from their superb episode Movies shows.
Keaton was pure genius, although I also have a soft spot for the “funnier” harold Llyod. But the greates stuntman (stuntman actor) has to be Keaton’s unofficial apprentice Jacki Chan. He took Keaton’s amazing work and added something fresh in both his wonderful comedice Wu Shu ballets and also the hard as nails ass kicking. Without Keaton who knows if we’d ever had gotten some of the amazingly scary and brilliant Chan works. Much of Project A is a worthy salute to Buster Keaton.
Actually Chan’s work is full of Homages to Keaton and the crazy “living cartoons” of the silent era.
Donald O’Connor’s “Make Em Laugh” in Singin’ in the Rain is also an homage to Keaton’s work. I grew up watching a VHS tape of Singin’ in the Rain, and when I saw Steamboat Bill, Jr. for the first time at a classic film festival this year I immediately thought of that scene. His work is incredible to watch – and no CGI needed!
Back in the 80s, when cable TV was in its infancy, we got the Minneapolis channel KMSP in central South Dakota. I remember watching a weekly show that showed Harold Lloyd movies (I still remember the theme song…mostly) which started my admiration for Harold Lloyd. He and Buster Keaton were amazing stuntmen and funny, too.
How great to see the brilliant Buster Keaton mentioned on EW. I’ve always preferred him to Chaplin. The second video is one of the funniest ever put on film- timeless comedy…the dog, still makes me laugh out loud. And the stunts are just jaw-droppingly beautiful. Pure genius.
You can’t go wrong with either Keaton or Chan. Both are as good as it gets.
I loved seeing these clips. And yeh, Jackie Chan is his “child” and does a great job with stunt work….although I believe reading that his body is broken, and doesn’t do stunt work like he used to.
“the general” is one of the greatest films ever.
Steamboat Bill, Jr. is my favorite Buster Keaton film. He really was amazing!!
I like Buster Keaton best, but Harold Lloyd deserves some recognition, too. Didn’t he do his famous clock scene with only 8 fingers?
Indeed, he lost the thumb and index finger of his right hand when a prop bomb exploded in 1919 – before he did his most famous stunts. Pretty amazing. (Keaton is the best, though Lloyd comes a pretty close second.)
Keaton was better than Chaplin, and most of the greatest comedians of the 20th Century agree.
Take a look at how the stunts and split-second timing of many gags in “The General” preceeded similar scenes in the “Indiana Jones” movies by 70 years.
And, the way he steps in and out of a movie theatre screen and into the projected scene in “Sherlock Jr.” was also devised decades before Woody Allen’s similiar gimmick in “The Purple Rose of Cairo.”
For anyone who loves film comedy and the geniuses who originally created it, if you aren’t familiar with Keaton, shame on you. Seek him out!
I agree with you. It is no nice of EW to mention Keaton.
CGI will never take the place of a really good stuntman!
Keaton is one of my favorites along with Lloyd and Chaplin. All funny and terrific stuntmen. I love them despite the fact that I am 23. Watch Keaton’s Steamboat Bill Jr. and The General, along with Llyod’s Safety Last and Chaplin’s City Lights and The Kid. Gems to watch.