Buster Keaton, OUR HOSPITALITY (1923, 73 Min)
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August 31, 2010 (XXI:1) Buster Keaton, OUR HOSPITALITY (1923, 73 min) Directed by John G. Blystone and Buster Keaton Story, scenario and titles by Jean C. Havez, Clyde Bruckman & Joseph A. Mitchell Produced by Joseph M. Schenck legendary producers. He produced all of Keaton’s great films Cinematography by Gordon Jennings and Elgin Lessley (through Steamboat Bill, Jr). Some others of his 90 films were As You Like It (1936), Under Two Flags (1936), Hallelujah, I'm a Bum Joe Roberts...Joseph Canfield (1933), Rain (1932), Indiscreet (1931), Camille (1927), The Ralph Bushman...Canfield's Son Duchess of Buffalo (1926), Go West (1925), The Frozen North Craig Ward...Canfield's Son (1922), My Wife's Relations (1922), The Paleface (1922), She Monte Collins...The Parson Loves and Lies (1920), Convict 13 (1920), The Probation Wife Joe Keaton...The Engineer (1919), Her Only Way (1918), Coney Island (1917), His Wedding Kitty Bradbury...Aunt Mary Night (1917), and Panthea (1917). He won an honorary Academy Natalie Talmadge...The Girl - Canfield's Daughter Award in 1953. Buster Keaton Jr....Willie McKay - 1 Year Old Buster Keaton...Willie McKay - 21 Years Old CLYDE BRUCKMAN (20 September 1894, San Bernardino, California— 4 January 1955, Hollywood, suicide) wrote the BUSTER KEATON (Joseph Frank screenplays for about 60 lightweight films, the last Keaton VI, 4 October 1895, Piqua, of which was Goof on the Roof 1953. He directed 21 Kansas—1 February 1966, Los films, the last of them Man on the Flying Trapeze Angeles, lung cancer) wrote about 30 1935. Some of the others were Horses' Collars 1935, films, directed nearly 50, and acted in The Fatal Glass of Beer 1933, Everything's Rosie more than 140 films and television 1931, Leave 'Em Laughing 1928, Should Tall Men series, often playing himself. His first Marry? 1927, Love 'Em and Feed 'Em 1927, film role was in The Butcher Boy Cowboys Cry for It 1925. “Clyde Bruckman was one 1917; his last A Funny Thing of the best gag men in the business. When Keaton Happened on the Way to the Forum credited him for co-direction of one of his pictures, 1966. The year before, he acted in he was signed up by Harold Lloyd. In fact, he had no Samuel Beckett’s Film. Some of his directorial experience at all, and the responsibility of other appearances were in The his new job unnerved him. On top of this, marital Railrodder 1965, How to Stuff a Wild troubles led him to drink. In 1955, Bruckman Bikini 1965, Beach Blanket Bingo borrowed a gun from Keaton. After a meal in a 1965, Pajama Party 1964, It's a Mad Hollywood restaurant, which he was unable to pay Mad Mad Mad World 1963, for, he went to the rest room and shot himself.” “Twilight Zone” 1961, Limelight Kevin Brownlow, The Parade’s Gone By. 1952, Sunset Blvd. 1950, Pardon My Berth Marks 1940, Palooka from NATALIE TALMADGE (29 April 1899, Brooklyn—19 Paducah 1935, What! No Beer? 1933, June 1969, Santa Monica), Buster Keaton’s wife The Cameraman 1928, Steamboat Bill, Jr. 1928, College 1927, The from 1921-1932, sister of Norma Talmadge, appeared in only six General 1927 Battling Butler 1926, Seven Chances 1925, The films and was credited in only three of them: Our Hospitality Navigator 1924, Sherlock, Jr. 1924, Paleface 1922, Cops 1922, One (1923), Yes or No (1920) and The Isle of Conquest (1919). The Week 1920. He won an honorary Academy Award in 1960. other three, all bit parts) were The Haunted House (1921), A Country Hero (1917) and Intolerance (1916). JOSEPH M. SCHENCK (25 December 1878, Rybinsk, Russia—22 October 1961, Beverly Hills, a stroke) was one of Hollywood’s Keaton—OUR HOSPITALITY—2 ELGIN LESSLEY was cinematographer on 50 films (he was and for broadcast on the American Movie Classics and the Turner uncredited on nearly half of them). He worked on 30 films with Classic Movies cable channels. Keaton, among them The Cameraman (1928), Go West (1925), The Navigator (1924), and Sherlock, Jr. (1924). “Film actor and director Jackie Chan JOHN G. BLYSTONE (2 extends Keaton’s influence into the realm December 1892, Rice Lake, of Hong Kong action cinema: he Wisconsin—6 August 1938, acknowledges his debt to Keaton for Beverly Hills, California) is many of his most dangerous stunts in credited as director on 108 almost every interview he gives. The films, the last of which was roots of his affinity with Keaton originate Block-Heads 1938. Some of in Chan’s early childhood training in the others are Magnificent Peking opera, the most popular and well- Brute 1936, Little Miss known Chinese theater form.... Although Nobody 1936, My Lips Chan employs fast cutting in his fight Betray 1933, Shanghai sequences, shooting them in small Madness 1933, She Wanted a segments, he studiously avoids cutting Millionaire 1932, Charlie when he performs his most dangerous , Chan's Chance 1932, Keaton-inspired stunts, retaining Keaton’s Tol'able David 1930, The Sky practice of using long shots and long Hawk 1929, Captain Lash takes to prove that he actually performs 1929, Mother Knows Best 1928, Pajamas 1927, Ankles Preferred his stunts. Moreover, Chan further emphasizes his physical 1927, Wings of the Storm 1926, Dick Turpin 1925, Teeth 1924, Our virtuosity as a performer by frequently including up to three takes Hospitality 1923, The Pirates 1922, The Jockey 1921, Don't Tickle of the same stunt in rapid succession and including outtakes of his 1920, Chase Me 1920, Choo Choo Love 1918, Her Bareback failed attempts at his stunts during the final credits of most of his Career 1917, Automaniacs 1917, Balloonatics 1917, Shaved in films.” —Robert Knopf, The Theater and Cinema of Buster Keaton, Mexico 1915, Rough But Romantic 1915, and Their Last Haul 1915. Princeton, 1999 GORDON JENNINGS (1896 Salt Lake City, Utah—11 January 1953, “He could tell his story by lifting an eyebrow. He could tell it by not Hollywood, California) is credited as cinematographer on only two lifting an eyebrow.” —Clyde Bruckman. films, Our Hospitality 1923 and The Blot 1921. But he is credited for special effects and special photographic effects on 169 films, the “What a raw deal they gave poor Buster,” said Louise Brooks. last of which was Forever Female 1954. Some of the others were “When his wife divorced him, Joe Schenck made sure that he didn’t The War of the Worlds 1953, Houdini 1953, Stalag 17 1953, Shane own his own films, so he could never resell them. They weren’t his 1953, Botany Bay 1953, Come Back, Little Sheba 1952, Son of own property. Like Lloyd’s or Chaplin’s. He didn’t have a cent. He Paleface 1952, A Place in the Sun 1951, lived in a magnificent house, on the same Peking Express 1951, When Worlds Collide scale as a millionaire. But a millionaire’s 1951, The Heiress 1949, My Friend Irma 1949, income comes in every year for ever. Poor The Great Gatsby 1949, The Paleface 1948, Buster lived in a mansion with eight or Saigon 1948, The Perils of Pauline 1947, nine servants on three thousand dollars a O.S.S. 1946, The Virginian 1946, The Lost week. Schenck was making money out of Weekend 1945, Going My Way 1944, For actors, out of films, out of stories. What Whom the Bell Tolls 1943, Wake Island 1942, did it matter to him or Sam Goldwyn if This Gun for Hire 1942, Union Pacific 1939, they lost two thousand to four thousand The General Died at Dawn 1936, Death Takes dollars a week in the big bridge games? Or a Holiday 1934, The Scarlet Empress 1934,and went to the Clover Club and lost twenty Alice in Wonderland 1933. thousand? They forced the actors, like Buster to take part because the moment PHILIP CARLI, pianist for tonight’s screening, began accompanying you haven’t any dough you’re through. You aren’t brave any more. silent films at the age of 13, with a solo piano performance for Lon No actor could compete financially with a producer. Poor little Chaney’s 1923 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame at his Buster with his three thousand dollars a week, trying to live like a junior high school in California. He has toured extensively as a film millionaire. It was impossible. So they broke him.” —Louise accompanist throughout North America and Europe, performing at Brooks, in Kevin Brownlow’s The Parade’s Gone By. such venues as Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery in Washington, DC, the In 1928, Keaton made the worst mistake of his life: he signed a Cinémathèque Québecoise in Montreal, the National Film Theatre contract with MGM “despite the urgent warnings of Chaplin and in London, and the Berlin International Film Festival. He is the staff Lloyd and his own misgivings.” The salary was good—$3000 a accompanist for the George Eastman House in Rochester, New week—but MGM squelched the improvisatory methods he’d used York, and performs annually at several film festivals in the United on all his great films. They assigned 22 writers to The Cameraman. States as well as at Le Giornate del Cinema Muto in Italy. He has He had marital troubles, began drinking heavily, and suffered more recorded piano accompaniments to over fifty films for video release and more under studio control. MGM fired him in 1933. The next by the Library of Congress, a number of film and video companies, decade was grim: booze, illness, failure. His first marriage broke up Keaton—OUR HOSPITALITY—3 and he married a nurse who helped him dry out.