Any Buster Keaton movie is a feast of visual invention and breakneck energy -- to the point of wondering if some of the performers ever broke their necks -- which is part of why they continue to hold up, even in the 21st century. To see the man in his prime is to see a true death-defier, one who braved the wilderness that was the world of early cinema and conquered it with grace and fearlessness.
In his 1926 film "The General," Keaton gave audiences what they wanted in the form of a chaotic romp and unpredictable stunts. He also delivered spectacle, with an episode of Civil War history that he could shape into a classic Buster Keaton experience. Keaton's movie was like the 19th-century equivalent of the post-apocalyptic car chase of "Mad Max: Fury Road," as director George Miller readily admits. Rather than futuristic, modded vehicles, it's a movie of trains,...
In his 1926 film "The General," Keaton gave audiences what they wanted in the form of a chaotic romp and unpredictable stunts. He also delivered spectacle, with an episode of Civil War history that he could shape into a classic Buster Keaton experience. Keaton's movie was like the 19th-century equivalent of the post-apocalyptic car chase of "Mad Max: Fury Road," as director George Miller readily admits. Rather than futuristic, modded vehicles, it's a movie of trains,...
- 5/6/2023
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
If you've taken any film class or read a list describing the best movies to watch before you die, the chances that you've heard of 1926's "The General" are high. Sure, there's a lot that you can criticize regarding its depiction of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, but it still remains a hallmark of physical comedy and of Buster Keaton's career.
However, Keaton's adaptation of William Pittenger's "The Great Locomotive Chase" did not nearly have the same reputation upon release as it does today. When it arrived in theaters, the film received mixed to negative reviews, barely making a profit with a 1...
The post Buster Keaton's Most Well-Known Project Was Actually A Flop appeared first on /Film.
However, Keaton's adaptation of William Pittenger's "The Great Locomotive Chase" did not nearly have the same reputation upon release as it does today. When it arrived in theaters, the film received mixed to negative reviews, barely making a profit with a 1...
The post Buster Keaton's Most Well-Known Project Was Actually A Flop appeared first on /Film.
- 7/30/2022
- by Erin Brady
- Slash Film
Morgan Woodward, who appeared in more than 250 movies and TV shows during a 40-year acting career, died in Paso Robles, Calif. on Feb. 22 at age 93.
The versatile character actor played oil man Marvin “Punk” Anderson on TV show Dallas in 55 episodes from 1980-1987, but also had two appearances on the original Star Trek series, was Elder Morgan in the film Logan’s Run, and was a regular on the long-running Gunsmoke TV series. The veteran actor played hard-bitten or menacing types.
Woodward grew up in Arlington, Texas, one of five brothers. He obtained a pilot’s license and served in World War II in the Army Air Corps and in the Korean War in the Military Air Transport Command.
His acting career began at Arlington State College, where he majored in music and drama, but later returned to school and obtained a degree in corporate finance from the University of Texas...
The versatile character actor played oil man Marvin “Punk” Anderson on TV show Dallas in 55 episodes from 1980-1987, but also had two appearances on the original Star Trek series, was Elder Morgan in the film Logan’s Run, and was a regular on the long-running Gunsmoke TV series. The veteran actor played hard-bitten or menacing types.
Woodward grew up in Arlington, Texas, one of five brothers. He obtained a pilot’s license and served in World War II in the Army Air Corps and in the Korean War in the Military Air Transport Command.
His acting career began at Arlington State College, where he majored in music and drama, but later returned to school and obtained a degree in corporate finance from the University of Texas...
- 2/24/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
The Railrodder
Directed & Written by Gerald Potterton
Canada, 1965
The General
Directed by Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton
Written by Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton
USA, 1926
Tsff festivities came to a comedic crescendo at the Revue Cinema on Tuesday night with a pair of locomotive laugh-getters starring “The Great Stone Face”, Buster Keaton. First on the program was a throwback silent short made by the National Film Board of Canada in 1965, just a year before the comedian’s death. The film was introduced by International Buster Keaton Society “Porkpie” Scholarship recipient R. Edwin Barnett, whose current research project aims to reintegrate The Railrodder into the main body of Keaton criticism (most books/essays on the actor/auteur simply name-check the movie as one of his “industrial” films during the rush to ring down the curtain on Keaton’s career). After seeing the film, Barnett’s point seems manifest. The Railrodder may not be a great film,...
Directed & Written by Gerald Potterton
Canada, 1965
The General
Directed by Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton
Written by Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton
USA, 1926
Tsff festivities came to a comedic crescendo at the Revue Cinema on Tuesday night with a pair of locomotive laugh-getters starring “The Great Stone Face”, Buster Keaton. First on the program was a throwback silent short made by the National Film Board of Canada in 1965, just a year before the comedian’s death. The film was introduced by International Buster Keaton Society “Porkpie” Scholarship recipient R. Edwin Barnett, whose current research project aims to reintegrate The Railrodder into the main body of Keaton criticism (most books/essays on the actor/auteur simply name-check the movie as one of his “industrial” films during the rush to ring down the curtain on Keaton’s career). After seeing the film, Barnett’s point seems manifest. The Railrodder may not be a great film,...
- 4/10/2013
- by David Fiore
- SoundOnSight
Actor Fess Parker starred as the iconic frontier heroes Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone in the 1950s and 1960s. Parker was also featured in the 1954 sci-fi film classic Them! as pilot Alan Crotty, whose encounter with giant flying ants placed him in a psychiatric ward. His performance in Them! was instrumental in his being cast as Davy Crockett for Walt Disney’s Disneyland television series in the mid-1950s.
Parker was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on August 26, 1924, and was raised on a small farm near San Angelo. He served in the Marine Corps towards the end of World War II, but his height (6′,6) disqualified him as a pilot. He attended the University of Texas after his discharge, and graduated with a degree in history in 1950. He subsequently studied drama at the University of Southern California, and made his stage debut in a production of Mister Roberts in 1951. He soon signed with Warner Bros.
Parker was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on August 26, 1924, and was raised on a small farm near San Angelo. He served in the Marine Corps towards the end of World War II, but his height (6′,6) disqualified him as a pilot. He attended the University of Texas after his discharge, and graduated with a degree in history in 1950. He subsequently studied drama at the University of Southern California, and made his stage debut in a production of Mister Roberts in 1951. He soon signed with Warner Bros.
- 3/24/2010
- by Jesse
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
The actor Fess Parker, who has died aged 85, was a quintessential westerner, a tall, rugged, Texas-born athlete turned actor, famous for his portrayals of two frontiersmen, Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, as well as sheriffs, cowboys and ranchers. He greatly appreciated the commercial success of these two title roles, and himself became a substantial businessman.
The Walt Disney Studio was the first in Hollywood to move wholeheartedly into television, and had the bright idea of combining three episodes of the Davy Crockett series Parker had made for them in 1954 into a feature. The result, Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier (1955), spawned the craze for "racoon-fur" hats and became a box-office hit on the back of its singalong theme - Bill Hayes's recording of The Ballad of Davy Crockett topped the charts for three months,...
The Walt Disney Studio was the first in Hollywood to move wholeheartedly into television, and had the bright idea of combining three episodes of the Davy Crockett series Parker had made for them in 1954 into a feature. The result, Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier (1955), spawned the craze for "racoon-fur" hats and became a box-office hit on the back of its singalong theme - Bill Hayes's recording of The Ballad of Davy Crockett topped the charts for three months,...
- 3/19/2010
- by Brian Baxter
- The Guardian - Film News
Fess Parker has died of natural causes at the age of 85. The actor donned a racoon-skinned cap as both Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone in their respective TV series of the 1950s and '60s. A long-time contract player for Disney, Parker starred as an adventurer in movies such as The Great Locomotive Chase, Old Yeller and Westward Ho, The Wagons!. Following (more)...
- 3/18/2010
- by By Aaron Broverman
- Digital Spy
Fess Parker, who starred as the racoon-skinned Davy Crockett in "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier," becoming a lifelong star to young Baby Boomers, has died of natural causes, according to reports. He was 85.
Parker also delighted young viewers with his performances in "Old Yeller" and "Daniel Boone." In more recent years, he attained a second stardom as a winery owner of the sprawling Doubletree resort along beachfront Santa Barbara, Calif., and the Wine Country Inn & Spa in Los Olivos, Calif.
He was hugely popular among kids in the late 1950s, starring in such Disney films as "The Great Locomotive Chase," "Westward Ho the Wagons!" and "The Light in the Forest." He was named a Disney legend in 1991.
His appeal peaked with the nationwide Davy Crockett craze as little tykes bought the coon-skinned caps and belted out the popular refrains of "Davy Crockett." He went on to star in...
Parker also delighted young viewers with his performances in "Old Yeller" and "Daniel Boone." In more recent years, he attained a second stardom as a winery owner of the sprawling Doubletree resort along beachfront Santa Barbara, Calif., and the Wine Country Inn & Spa in Los Olivos, Calif.
He was hugely popular among kids in the late 1950s, starring in such Disney films as "The Great Locomotive Chase," "Westward Ho the Wagons!" and "The Light in the Forest." He was named a Disney legend in 1991.
His appeal peaked with the nationwide Davy Crockett craze as little tykes bought the coon-skinned caps and belted out the popular refrains of "Davy Crockett." He went on to star in...
- 3/18/2010
- by By Duane Byrge
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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