‘The Buster Keaton Show’ Blu-ray Review
When you think of silent film stars, there are a few that stand out over the rest. Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, The Keystone Cops, Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton. Sadly, most silent film stars couldn’t transition to the talking cinema. Probably not from inability, but from producers thinking they were unable. In the 1940’s it felt as though the career of Buster Keaton was over. He rarely worked for 5 years except for a four-week part in a famous Paris-based circus in 1947 and prior to that, touring in a summer theatre production of The Gorilla in 1941. Sad for a comedic genius of his ability.
However, in 1949 comedian Ed Wynn had a TV variety show on CBS and invited Buster Keaton on. This appearance led to Buster Keaton getting a chance to have his own TV show. Although The Buster Keaton Show was short-lived and only lasted 13 episodes, it was still one of the thrills of his life, according to Keaton himself. Unfortunately, only 9 episodes of the series still exist. Liberation Hall has restored these 9 episodes and released them on a 2 Disc Blu-ray set.
- Disc 1: The Bakery Story – The Billboard Story – The Gorilla Story – The Army Story – The Collapsible Clerk
- Disc 2: The Western Story – The Detective Story – February 23, 1950 (first time ever available) – February 2, 1950 (not seen since original air date)
Buster Keaton’s comedy genius is on full display in these episodes. We get to see Buster in all kinds of situations with hilarious results. Comedy is timeless, and so is Buster Keaton!
These episodes have been transferred to Blu-ray in 1080p and are presented in widescreen format. The audio track is an English Dolby Digital stereo track.
It would have been easy to just take these episodes and throw them on a disc. But easy is not the best way to go. So, these 9 episodes have been restored by renowned archivist/preservationist Jeff Joseph. The picture quality of these episodes is astounding. But on this 2-disc set, there are not just spectacularly clear episodes; there are some nice bonus features as well. Take a look:
Special Features:
- Three comedians in closeup (CBC-TV) (16:18) in HD
- ‘This Is Your Life’ (TV episode featuring Buster Keaton) (29:22) in HD
- ‘Circus Time’ (7:27) in HD
- ‘Cops’ (1922) (17:49) in SD
- ‘The Goat’ (1921) (19:24) in SD
I have always been a huge fan of classic TV and I particularly love the shows from the 40s and 50s – so, these bonus features are amazing. Of course, I love the episode of This is Your Life, what a wonderful addition to this Blu-ray set to see the Buster Keaton edition of the show.
Liberation Hall really went above and beyond to make this Blu-ray of The Buster Keaton Show something special. And they achieved that! So, if you enjoy the comedy of Buster Keaton as much as I do, this Blu-ray is an absolute must-own.
***** 5/5
The Buster Keaton Show is out now on Blu-ray and DVD from Liberation Hall.
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