Buster at the Beach

[syd]

Beach Blanket Bingo - Buster Keaton

[s.w.a.c.]

In Buster's National Film Board of Canada short, The Railrodder, at the start you can see Buster at Lawrencetown Beach in Nova Scotia, which is a beach I still regularly go to. You can see even more of it in the "making of" documentary, Buster Keaton Rides Again, which shows location footage that confirmed my suspicions that those opening scenes were shot near my home.

[syd]

Pajama Party - Closing Credits - Susan Hart, Elsa Lanchester,
and Buster Keaton

[Donald Binks]

The scene in "Beach Blanket Bingo" (God! he must have been desperate!) where Buster tries dancing the new type dancing and then manages to knock himself out, had me in stitches. It was probably the best thing in the picture! Dreadful to think that his amazing talent was in the doldrums for so long.

[Wm. Charles Morrow]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfBomkCM8o4" target="_blank

Pajama Party - Closing Credits - Susan Hart, Elsa Lanchester,
and Buster Keaton

I saw this movie on TV when I was a teenager, and found it depressing that the great Buster Keaton wound up in these cheesy A-I beach flicks. But when I watched the closing credits just now, all I could think was: "Hey, he's pretty limber for an old-timer!" And at least he was working, and providing some laughs for the Pepsi Generation kids.

[syd]

War, Italian Style (1966) (in Italian)

http://youtu.be/xTQwL-A1qIw

[syd]

How To Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965):

[Pasquale Ventura]

Throughout the 1950's into the 1960's to the end of his life Buster Keaton's annual income was between $50,000 and $250,000. Yeah, real desperate there.

[antoniod]

You're right, Pasquale. Buster's last 15 years were a burst of renewed activity that included some quite prestigious entries, like TV dramas. The Beach Party movies were only the tip of the iceberg. Buster was actually turning things down at this point. He deadpaned all the way to the bank.