Tweet Were the Three Keatons Ever Filmed?

Just curious, were the Three Keatons ever filmed in their prime, around 1904 or 1905? They were quite successful so I'd imagine the chances for them being filmed would’ve been pretty high. Would be really cool to see Keaton in motion during that time.

I could be very wrong but it would seem like a "No" as there were legal issues that haunted them. If I were Joe, i wouldn't want a permanent visual record of Buster getting tossed around the stage. Just like regular stunt work, he may not have gotten hurt but it would certainly have looked real.

No such footage was included in the 3-part HARD ACT TO FOLLOW-documentary from -87, from what I recall; and if any such footage had suddenly reappeared at a later date, I somehow think it’d be fairly well known among silent film buffs. Agreed it’d have been awesome to see, though.

Joe Keaton disparaged film when he was in charge of the Keaton act. An act like the 3 Keatons could tour the country for years doing basically the same act to crowds who had not seen it before, something the Keatons could not do if it ran in movie theaters for a couple of months. Keaton, Sr. felt that filming their act would force them to constantly have to change the act.

Only in the 1935 Educational short PALOOKA FROM PADUCHAH. Joe, Myra, Louise and Buster all appear in it. With Paul Gierucki's incredible recent purchase of the entire 430+_ title Educational 1929-38 two reeler collection, it's likely that a near pristine 35 mm print will eventually be seen.

There were also legal issues with Buster's age.
Having a permanent record that could tie the rough & tumble act(& how much if it was the under-age kid) would not have benefited Joe & Myra at the time .
Wasn't the family chased by what would now be "social workers) trying to force the Keaton's to let Buster attend school? I believe when they finally prevailed, Buster spent about a day in school in NJ?

And yes, Buster was the first one in the family to see film as a positive thing.

Wasn't the family chased by what would now be "social workers) trying to force the Keaton's to let Buster attend school? I believe when they finally prevailed, Buster spent about a day in school in NJ?

Read this:

The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was founded in 1874 as the world's first child protective agency. It is sometimes called the Gerry Society after one of its co-founders, Elbridge Thomas Gerry. It is commonly seen as having played a key role in the development of children's rights and child protective services in the English speaking world. Today it offers support and advocacy for high-risk and abused children.

This society was well-known hanging around theaters looking for under age people on stage and depicted in many films.

Only in the 1935 Educational short PALOOKA FROM PADUCHAH. Joe, Myra, Louise and Buster all appear in it. With Paul Gierucki's incredible recent purchase of the entire 430+_ title Educational 1929-38 two reeler collection, it's likely that a near pristine 35 mm print will eventually be seen.

It's included in Kino's Lost Keaton collection of Educational shorts.

I've seen the Educational Short, gives a small glimpse into what their stage act was like. Didn't Keaton's mom play the saxophone while various gags ensued onstage? That would've been a riot to see.

[silentfilm]

Only in the 1935 Educational short PALOOKA FROM PADUCHAH. Joe, Myra, Louise and Buster all appear in it. With Paul Gierucki's incredible recent purchase of the entire 430+_ title Educational 1929-38 two reeler collection, it's likely that a near pristine 35 mm print will eventually be seen.

It's included in Kino's Lost Keaton collection of Educational shorts.

It's also on YouTube, although the frame rate was corrupted by the uploader...

Some of The Three Keaton's gags showed up in Buster's movies.
Buster Keaton: A Hard Act To Follow shows some examples.
The Increasingly Extended Twirling Rope Trick showed up
in Convict 13. Their was a gag in one of his talkie shorts
that showed Buster hitting someone with a slapstick while he
was being hit to the tune of a popular classical music piece.
I have to watch the documentary again to clarify.