{"product_id":"buster-keaton-isbn-9780385354219","title":"Buster Keaton","description":"\u003cb\u003e**One of Literary Hub’s Five “Most Critically Acclaimed” Biographies of 2022**\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom acclaimed cultural and film historian James Curtis—a major biography, the first in more than two decades, of the legendary comedian and filmmaker who elevated physical comedy to the highest of arts and whose ingenious films remain as startling, innovative, modern—and irresistible—today as they were when they beguiled audiences almost a century ago.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"It is brilliant—I was totally absorbed, couldn't stop reading it and was very sorry when it ended.\"—Kevin Brownlow\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIt was James Agee who christened Buster Keaton “The Great Stone Face.” Keaton’s face, Agee wrote, \"ranked almost with Lincoln’s as an early American archetype; it was haunting, handsome, almost beautiful, yet it was also irreducibly funny. Keaton was the only major comedian who kept sentiment almost entirely out of his work and . . . he brought pure physical comedy to its greatest heights.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMel Brooks: “A lot of my daring came from Keaton.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMartin Scorsese, influenced by Keaton’s pictures in the making of \u003ci\u003eRaging Bull:\u003c\/i\u003e “The only person who had the right attitude about boxing in the movies for me,” Scorsese said, “was Buster Keaton.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eKeaton’s deadpan stare in a porkpie hat was as recognizable as Charlie Chaplin’s tramp and Harold Lloyd’s straw boater and spectacles, and, with W. C. Fields, the four were each considered a comedy king--but Keaton was, and still is, considered to be the greatest of them all.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHis iconic look and acrobatic brilliance obscured the fact that behind the camera Keaton was one of our most gifted filmmakers. Through nineteen short comedies and twelve magnificent features, he distinguished himself with such seminal works as \u003ci\u003eSherlock Jr.\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Navigator\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSteamboat Bill, Jr.\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Cameraman\u003c\/i\u003e, and his masterpiece, \u003ci\u003eThe General\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eNow James Curtis, admired biographer of Preston Sturges (“definitive”—\u003ci\u003eVariety\u003c\/i\u003e), W. C. Fields (“by far the fullest, fairest and most touching account we have yet had. Or are likely to have”—Richard Schickel, front page of \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e), and Spencer Tracy (“monumental; definitive”—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e), gives us the richest, most comprehensive life to date of the legendary actor, stunt artist, screenwriter, director—\u003ci\u003emaster.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e Best Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Others can, and will, continue to write about Buster Keaton and offer their own interpretations... but I can't imagine anyone else tackling his life. This volume can lay claim to being definitive.\"\u003cb\u003e—Leonard Maltin\u003c\/b\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Comprehensive ... Curtis, who has also written mighty biographies of Preston Sturges, James Whale, W.C. Fields, and Spencer Tracy, does a delightful job of capturing the old, weird America in which the Keatons plied their trade ... Keaton was as much a technical innovator as he was a comic, and Curtis's book goes into painstaking detail about how these effects were achieved ... As definitive an account of the sad-faced comedian as one could hope for.\"\u003cb\u003e—David Kamp, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review      \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"A landmark biography ... Keaton's career in the limelight (he started performing at age 3) and his innovations in motion pictures should keep readers riveted.\"\u003cb\u003e—Bethanne Patrick, \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An immense year-by-year, sometimes week-by-week, account of Keaton as an artist and a man. Every detail of his life and work is here.”\u003cb\u003e—Adam Gopnik, \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Belongs in any film fan’s library for providing a close look at the silent era and all of Keaton’s efforts, whether big or small, triumph or failure.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eAssociated Press\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Authoritative... [Keaton] emerges from the pages of Curtis’s [book] not just as the first indie auteur but as the direct forerunner of Indiana Jones and Jason Bourne: the first action hero.”\u003cb\u003e—Tom Shone, \u003ci\u003eAvenue\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of \u003cb\u003eLiterary Hub’s\u003c\/b\u003e most anticipated books of 2022 ... “A definitive biography that delves into the mystery behind the man who made America laugh in the early years of film.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"It is brilliant—I was totally absorbed, couldn't stop reading it and was very sorry when it ended.\"\u003cb\u003e—Kevin Brownlow\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“At long last, Buster Keaton gets the biography he deserves. James Curtis has given us a monumental book, one of the best Hollywood biographies ever written. Curtis has authored the definitive biographies of W.C. Fields, Preston Sturges, and Spencer Tracy, but this might well be his masterpiece.”–\u003cb\u003eDavid Weddle, author \u003ci\u003eIf They Move, Kill ‘Em: The life and Times of Sam Peckinpah,\u003c\/i\u003e writer-executive producer, \u003ci\u003eFor All Mankind,\u003c\/i\u003e writer\/supervising producer, \u003ci\u003eBattlestar Galactica\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Curtis breathes new life into the classic comic . . . [he] has assembled a biography that will be a go-to source for fans both old and new.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Vibrant . . . in Curtis’s telling, Keaton’s life is a picaresque worthy of his comedies . . . evocative, entertaining, and laced with lyrical detail. This is an engrossing portrait of a Hollywood legend.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e (starred)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e“Just as Buster Keaton’s work transcends its flowering in silent films, so James Curtis’s biography transcends the category of show business biography. In a narrative that majestically carries its subject from 19th century vaudeville to Cinerama to immortality, Keaton is given his due, not just as an artist, but as a man who lived a paradigmatic American Life.”\u003cb\u003e—Scott Eyman\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Film historian and biographer Curtis draws on abundant archival sources as well as interviews, memoirs, and previous biographies to create a comprehensive, warmly sympathetic life of iconic entertainer Joseph Frank “Buster” Keaton . . . lively . . . authoritative . . . Meticulous research informs a brisk biography of an entertainment icon.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e (starred)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A valuable addition to the literature of film history.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eJAMES CURTIS is the author of \u003ci\u003eWilliam Cameron Menzies: The Shape of Films to Come, Spencer Tracy: A Biography, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eW. C. Fields: A Biography\u003c\/i\u003e (winner of the 2004 Theatre Library Association Award, Special Jury Prize), among others. \u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eHe lives in Brea, California.“I staged it exactly the way it happened,” Keaton liked to say of the Andrews Raid.  “The  Union  agents  intended  to  enter  from  the  state  of  Kentucky, which was a neutral territory, pretending they were coming down to fight for the Southern cause. That was an excuse to get on that train which takes them up to an army camp. Their leader took seven men with him, including two locomotive engineers and a telegraph operator, and he told them that if anything went wrong they were to scatter individually, stick to their stories that they were Kentuckians down to enlist in the Southern army, and then watch for the first opportunity to desert and get back over the line to the North. As soon as they stole that engine they wanted to pull out of there, to disconnect the telegraph and burn bridges and destroy enough track to cripple the Southern army supply route. That was what they intended to do. And I staged the chase exactly the way it happened. Then I rounded out the story of stealing my engine back.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHowever useful Clyde Bruckman’s scenario had been in organizing the contours of the plot, it was remarkably free of the comedy highlights that would  distinguish  the  picture.  “The  script  they  took  with  us  they  hardly went by at all,” said Marion Mack, “except just the next sequence because they  had  to  write  the  gags  that  weren’t  in  it.”  Historically,  the  Andrews Raid ended at Ringgold, Georgia, when the General ran out of steam some twenty miles south of Chattanooga. But in the picture Keaton and Bruck-man kept the engine in play so that Johnnie could come upon a meeting of Union generals and learn of plans for their supply trains to unite with the Northern Division at Rock River Bridge, then advance for a surprise attack.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThroughout  the  early  filming,  much  was  made  of  a  spectacular  shot planned for the third act in which Union soldiers attempt to drive a sup-ply train over a bridge Johnnie has set on fire. The weakened span collapses under the weight of the engine, and it plunges into the river below. It was an  idea  that  came  from The  Great  Locomotive  Chase in  which  the  thieves attempt to torch a bridge on the Oostanaula River near Resaca, Georgia, but the dampness of the structure will not permit it to burn. Keaton was dead set against attempting the effect in miniature, knowing the size and spectacle of the thing would make for a thrilling big- screen experience. He surveyed every existing trestle in the region trying to find one suitable to the visual and  logistical  demands  of  the  scene,  and  at  various  times  no  fewer  than four had been picked and rejected, complicating factors being a necessary elevation of seventy- five to a hundred feet and easy access by a spur from the  OP\u0026amp;E.  Finally,  in  desperation,  a  team  of  four  men,  headed  by  Gabe Gabourie, was dispatched one Saturday into the surrounding counties on a mission to identify the best possible candidate. Their conclusion at the end of the day was that the ideal trestle didn’t exist and that Rock River Bridge would have to be built from scratch.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn July 1, a contract was let to begin the design and construction of a 250- foot bridge rising some fifty feet above the jagged rocks of Row River. It would need to be capable of supporting twenty tons of rolling stock, yet collapse into the water on cue. To bring the river up to a depth of twelve feet, a dam at the site near the Culp Creek settlement would also have to be built. By July 7, work had commenced on the span, with a spur five hundred feet in length designed to connect to the main line of the OP\u0026amp;E. The next day, a third engine arrived from Hood River, remodeled to period and renamed the Comet. On July 13, an appeal was made for National Guardsmen from Eugene, Springfield, and Cottage Grove. On July 15, a call went out for five hundred  additional  men,  with  tourist  sleepers  from  the  Southern  Pacific parked on the tracks to accommodate those traveling from long distances. Four  days  later,  confirmation  came  that  the  big  battle  scenes  were  to  be filmed over three days beginning Thursday, July 22, with the collapse of the flaming bridge likely to take place on Friday, July 23.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile  preparations  went  forth,  Keaton  busied  himself  playing  scenes with  Marion  Mack,  who,  as  Annabelle  Lee,  has  been  held  captive  by  the raiders  since  the  theft  of  the  train.  Johnnie  rescues  her,  and  the  two  steal away under the cover of darkness. At daybreak, they discover the General at a bustling army encampment being loaded with supplies. “We’ve got to get back to our lines somehow and warn them of this coming attack,” he tells her. Then he stuffs her into a burlap bag, loads her like a sack of pota-toes, and in a quick, decisive move, clobbers a Union officer and brazenly hijacks the engine from under their noses. Soon, Johnnie, Annabelle, and the General are being chased by the Texas and the Comet, both loaded with Union troops.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMack quickly learned how unpredictable Keaton could be when the cam-eras  were  grinding.  Stopping  briefly  when  they  had  to  take  on  water,  she was unexpectedly drenched when he artfully positioned her directly in front of the spout. “It really knocked me down,” she said. “It’s a good thing we didn’t have sound movies at the time.” Later, she suggested a gag of her own, where Annabelle, trying to make herself useful, picks up a broom and starts sweeping the cab as the Texas is rapidly gaining on them. Alarmed, Johnnie yanks it from her hands and tells her to add wood to the fire. Compliantly, she picks up a tiny piece, opens the door, and primly tosses it in. Disgusted, he  finds  an  even  smaller  piece,  hands  it  to  her,  and  watches  as  she  does exactly the same thing. Impulsively, he reaches over and takes her neck in his  hands  and  begins  to  throttle  her.  Then,  just  as  quickly,  he  shifts  gears and gives her a kiss.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I think I got that kiss more for thinking of the gag than anything else,” she said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe General beats the Northerners to Rock River Bridge, giving Johnnie time to set the bridge on fire before continuing on to Calhoun, a Southern stronghold. At division headquarters, he warns the commanding general of the enemy’s plan, which sends hundreds of Confederate soldiers streaming northward.  Back  at  Rock  River,  the  supply  trains  are  stymied  as  General Parker arrives on the scene. “That bridge is not burned enough to stop you,” he tells the engineers, “and my men will ford the river.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThursday,  July  22,  was  devoted  to  preparations  for  the  fateful  crossing. At two o’clock, a train carrying eight hundred men and about ninety horses arrived at Cottage Grove, where they were marched to the wardrobe depot at Sixth and Main Streets. There they were joined by two hundred boys from the local guard company, and all were issued uniforms and battle parapher-nalia. Later the same afternoon, the special train, powered by two logging engines, carried them fifteen miles to a camp at Culp Creek. Only a handful of shots would be made the following day. If all went according to plan, one of them would cost $40,000— the most expensive take in the history of the screen. Were anything to go wrong, the added cost of another run would surely break the bank.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCars began arriving on Thursday afternoon, with spectators planning to camp near the bridge all night. By four on Friday morning, they lined Row River Road from a quarter mile above the location site to a point about a mile below Culp Creek, leaving hardly any room to get through. Cottage Grove, in fact, cleared out so thoroughly that most merchants closed for the day. Dev Jennings had brought four cameras to Oregon: three Bell \u0026amp; How-ells and an Akeley, a versatile camera expressly designed for shooting action footage under field conditions. Two additional camera units were ordered up from Hollywood, making a total of six on hand to capture the fiery crash. Jennings’  own  crew  consisted  of  Boots  Haines,  assistant  Elmer  Ellsworth, and stills cameraman Byron Houck, who was carrying an eight- by- ten East-man and a five- by- seven Graflex. Jennings’ principal cameras were stationed down the river about three hundred yards, while two others were on a plat-form directly across the river on its south side, high above the far end of the bridge to capture the approach of the supply trains and Union troops.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe  atmosphere  had  grown  tense  by  the  time  Keaton  decided  he  was ready. Rehearsals coordinated the movements of the key visual elements— the cavalry, the foot soldiers, the two engines. “I marched more there than I  did  in  the  army,”  said  Ronald  Gilstrap,  who  belonged  to  the  National Guard and volunteered for picture duty. “We came down this road towards the crossing four times, I think, before they got a shot. The first time some kids  were  in  the  road,  and  another  time  something  else  happened.  Then Buster Keaton took the engine across the trestle and back.” The General had previously crossed over as Johnnie and Annabelle went about the business of starting the fire.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs director, Keaton was ever present, methodically checking and recheck-ing things as the morning wore on. “Not satisfied to stand on the camera platform  and  give  orders  through  a  telephone  with  megaphone  attach-ment, he was here and there on all angles of the location,” the Eugene Guardrecorded. Co- director Clyde Bruckman, clad in a red jacket and matching hat, was more conspicuous than useful. “He didn’t direct much of it at all,” said Marion Mack. “He was more like an assistant in the whole film.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith  the  timing  perfected,  the  span  was  weakened  by  sawing  into  the timbers from underneath. “There was an awful lot of apprehension about it,” said Grace Matteson, whose father worked as a carpenter on the film. “I can remember my father talking about the decisions they had to make in order to get it just right. There was quite a bit of figuring and arguing.” They eventually decided that strategically placed dynamite would also help the bridge to collapse on cue. Shortly before noon, the structure saturated with gasoline, Keaton called for camera. “Start your action!” he signaled, but then he decided the flames were no good and aborted the take. A custom water  cannon  powered  by  a  six- cylinder  automobile  engine  extinguished them before any damage was done.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDinner was called, and the extras went off to mess as the livestock were cared  for  and  watered.  Spectators,  estimated  at  three  to  four  thousand, crowded around the numerous hot dog stands and refreshment booths that sprang up like toadstools. It wasn’t until two o’clock that everything was in place for another attempt. The bridge was once again ignited, action again was called, and again the shot was abruptly scuttled as the engine dutifully approached its fate. Down at the far base of the bridge, directly below the flaming timbers, a group of small boys could be seen swimming in the river. The powerful water pump again was trained on the flames, the Texas was once more backed into position, and while the bluecoats retreated with their mounts, Bruckman stormed and fumed at the children. A third attempt was spoiled when some of the soldiers waded into the water at the wrong time, causing yet another half- hour delay.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBefore a fourth take was attempted, Keaton had a pile of wood placed at the center of the bridge. Sawdust was strewn all about, and everything was once again saturated with gasoline. Now getting past three o’clock, time was running short. Silence was politely requested of the spectators, and down-river the temporary dam was opened, causing water backed up some three hundred yards to flow through the gorge. Now all eyes were on Keaton as he took his place on the camera platform and signaled powderman Jack Little. Activating  a  series  of  electric  ignitions  with  the  press  of  a  button,  Little caused the bridge to burst into flames. As the fire built, the smell of gasoline permeated the air. At last satisfied, Keaton called “Camera!” and the words “Start your action!” As the Texas charged toward the burning trestle, Union cavalrymen  made  for  the  river.  When  the  cowcatcher  on  the  locomotive reached the exact center of the trestle, Little detonated the dynamite charges at the centermost pilings and the span began to buckle. With the Texas and its tender now perfectly centered over the water and clearing the banks on both sides, it fell and dug deep into the bed below. As it sank, black smoke erupting skyward, steam forced from the boiler caused the whistle to blow a mournful dirge. There was an audible gasp from the crowd, and screams could be heard as realistic dummies representing the engineer and fireman were  thrown  clear  of  the  wreck.  One  woman  fainted,  and  another  grew hysterical as the papier- mâché head of the engineer floated downstream.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith the bridge and the locomotive now a smoldering mass of wreck-age,  the  horses  and  infantry  waded  into  the  river,  where  they  discovered the dam had left the water deeper in places than they expected. Weighted down with heavy uniforms, rifles, and the like, some of the costumed extras had trouble making it across. “I was pulling them out,” said Gilstrap. “I’m a good swimmer, and there were several of us. I pulled four or five fellers up and got them on the bank.” Two men nearly drowned when they found themselves  in  deep  water,  and  a  third,  a  fifteen- year- old,  was  hospitalized in critical condition. Visibly relieved when the scene was finally in the can, Keaton was, the Cottage Grove Sentinel reported, “happy as a kid.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Come on, gang,” he said, “let’s call it a day.”","brand":"Knopf","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304816496869,"sku":"NP9780385354219","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780385354219.jpg?v=1767723220","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/buster-keaton-isbn-9780385354219","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}