Happy Birthday Buster Keaton!

Buster Keaton would have been 116 years old today if, you know, he had had better health insurance. Keaton famously said, “No man can be a genius in slapshoes and a flat hat.” We all know that’s a big fat lie, but we won’t call a man a liar on his birthday. Instead, let’s celebrate! Buster Keaton was a genius – both an extraordinary comic and an extraordinary film-maker. Often when I watch a Keaton film, I laugh out loud, but sometimes I just feel grateful for the opportunity.

Here’s Buster celebrating his 69th birthday, taken from the Canadian documentary Buster Rides Again. You can see the entire movie on the National Film Board website or with the fantastic NFB app.

Vivia la Buster! You can bet the interwebs are going nuts over Buster Keaton. Check out my ongoing round-up of Keaton bits that I find and feel free to contribute your own. And don’t forget to visit the Kitty Packard Pictorial’s Project Keaton.

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