Buster Keaton - Industrial Strength Keaton (1921-1965)

This two-disc DVD set contains a HUGE collection of rare film shorts and movies with Buster Keaton, including his cameo appearances on 1930s film shorts, his numerous 1950s Tv appearances, television commercials, Industrial sales films, an original documentary about Buster Keaton, and a 20 page full color booklet with detailed descriptions of each film, archival photos and essays from noted authors and historians.

Director: Buster Keaton, Edward Sedgwick, Adrian Brunel
Starring: Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline, Virginia Fox, Joe Roberts, Carter DeHaven, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Jackie Coogan, Douglas Fairbanks, Harold Lloyd, Rudolph Valentino, Charlotte Greenwood, Reginald Denny, Cliff Edwards, Dorothy Christy, Joan Peers, Sally Eilers, Natalie Moorhead, Lupita Tovar, Lyn Harding, Esme Percy, Martha Raye, Ed Wynn

SYNOPSIS:

Buster Keaton is universally recognized as one of the all-time greatest motion picture comedians. Today, over 75 years after his last silent film was made, those contributions still reign supreme as masterworks from the golden era of slapstick comedy.

Now Laughsmith Entertainment and Mackinac Media presents another facet of “The Great Stone Face”, providing fans with an opportunity to rediscover many of Buster Keaton’s rarely seen gems from the silent and sound eras! Through newly restored and remastered shorts, features, forgotten industrial films, promotional films, commercials, live television appearances and outtakes, Industrial Strength Keaton reveals the continuing artistry of Hollywood’s greatest laugh maker, paying homage to a career spanning nearly every form of recorded visual media from 1917 until his final work in 1965.

Whether you enjoy silent film, classic comedy, early television, or just revel in the pleasure of screening rare Keaton material that has been unavailable for decades, you’ll find something to enjoy in this tribute to one of filmdom’s most celebrated comic geniuses.

Digitally mastered from original archival materials or the sole surviving elements.

DISC 1:

THE FEATURE:
- An Old Spanish Custom (1935) - Audio commentary track

ARCHIVAL RARITIES:
- The Play House (1921) - Audio commentary track
Digitally remastered and restored version of one of Keaton’s greatest shorts.
- Character Studies (1925) - Audio commentary track
Recently discovered short with famed magician Carter DeHaven and featuring cameos by Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, Jackie Coogan, Douglas Fairbanks, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Rudolph Valentino.
- Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1931) - Audio commentary track
- 1 Parlor, 5 Bedrooms and 6 Baths
A new featurette by filmmaker Jack Dragga (2005)

PROMOTIONAL FILMS:
- Seeing Stars (1922)
In this extract from an early 1920's First National Pictures promotional film - Chalie Chaplin, (along with his young protege Jackie Coogan) and Buster Keaton appear together at dinner - some thirty years before their teaming in Limelight. To date it is the only known footage of the two great film comedians appearing in the same space during the height of their careers. Original score performed by Ben Model.
- The Voice of Hollywood #10 (1929)
- Hollywood on Parade (1932)

BONUS FEATURE:
- Keaton's Italian villa still gallery







DISC 2:

LIVE TELEVISION
- Can of Molasses Sketch
The Butcher Boy (1917)
The Ed Wynn Show (1949) w/ Ed Wynn
The Ken Murray Show (1952)*
You Asked for It (1957)

These extremely rare clips above illustrate the genesis of a stock Keaton routine know as The Can of Molasses. The bit was first filmed for the Fatty Arbuckle short The Butcher Boy in 1917 and was later used by Keaton for his various live television appearances. The kninescope audio quality is poor, however these are the only known surviving elements. We hope that the scarcity of these previously unavailable appearances will far outweigh any defects in the original materials. Original score for The Butcher Boy performed by Ben Model.
* The final moments of The Ken Murray Show are lost.

- The Martha Ray Show (1956)
- Circus Time (1956)

COMMERCIALS:
- Alka Seltzer (1958) [5 spots]
- Country Club Malt Liquor (1958) [3 spots]
- Northwest Orient Airlines (1958)
- Simon Pure Beer (1958) [6 spots]
- Shamrock Oil / Outtakes (1959) - Audio commentary & Director’s interview track
- Lessons in Living (1960) - Complete Spot & Fragments
- Milky Way (1961)
- Pure Oil (1965)
- Ford Econoline (1963)
- Pure Oil (1965)

INDUSTRIAL FILMS:
- The Devil To Pay (1960) sound short with Promotional booklet
- The Homeowner (1961) - Color / sound short with audio commentary
- The Triumph of Lester Snapwell (1963) Color short








PLUS: A 20 page full color booklet with detailed descriptions of each film, archival photos and essays from authors / historians Ken Gordon, Steve Massa, David B. Pearson, Patricia Eliot Tobias and more!

DVDTalk

After Keaton's 10 shorts with Columbia, Buster made his living by taking small roles in feature films. With the advent of television though, he found a new outlet for his talents. Making may appearances on TV comedy and variety shows Keaton gained a new fans. His newfound popularity meant more work, and he appeared in several commercials and industrial films. Now the good people at Laughsmith Entertainment in association with Mackinac Media have gathered a collection of Keaton's lesser seen works, including the aforementioned TV show and commercial appearances, as well as promotional films and two of his sound features (including one made at MGM,) and a silent short, appearing for the first time with the original intertitles. This is a great collection that supplements Kino's fine set of Keaton silent films very well.

There is a lot of material in this collection, and most of it is pretty funny…

Examiner

Buster Keaton was not just one of the funniest comedians who ever lived; he was also one of the cinema’s greatest filmmakers with an eye for visual splendor that rivaled John Ford’s. Conventional wisdom (one of the great oxymorons) has it that Keaton’s days of artistry ended when the Talkies came along.

As it turns out, conventional wisdom, as it so often does, is a big load of hooey. Keaton the filmmaker found other outlets for outlets for his creative gifts, including television commercials and industrial films in the 1950s and 60s. In fact, it was his TV ads that first introduced us Baby Boomers to Keaton’s work.

Except for the handful of these commercials posted on YouTube, most of these miniature gems were believed to be lost. Fortunately, an invaluable collection of Keaton commercials and industrial films along with some rare appearance on live television in the 50s were been compiled by film enthusiasts Paul E. Gierucki and Bruce Lawton in their priceless 2005 DVD set called Industrial Strength Keaton.

The sponsors for these ads included Alka-Seltzer, Country Club Malt Liquor, Northwest Orient Airlines, Simon Pure Beer, Shamrock Oil, Milky Way candy bars, Ford Motors and the Pure Oil Co. (In one particular clever Pure Oil commercial, Keaton is a gas station attendant who follows a motorist to his car stranded out in the middle of nowhere, the gas pump hose Keaton is holding stretching for miles all the way along the trek. Of course, the nozzle stops one foot from the motorist’s gas tank.)

Industrial Strength Keaton is a must have for aficionados of both great comedy and great filmmaking.

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