The General rolled into theaters on January 22, 1927, carrying a lot of weight on its tracks. Buster Keaton’s daring comedy-adventure was a project born from passion and a touch of peril. Filmed on real moving trains, it wasn’t just risky—it was groundbreaking. As James Curtis, author of Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker’s Life, puts it, “Buster famously refused stuntmen. His logic? Stuntmen didn’t know how to be funny.”
From Vaudeville to the Silver Screen
Long before The General, Buster Keaton—born Joseph Keaton in 1895—was already a seasoned entertainer. By the time he could walk, he was learning how to make people laugh. Growing up in the world of vaudeville, where his family shared the stage with none other than Harry Houdini, Buster found his comedic voice early. He quickly realized that maintaining a deadpan expression, no matter the chaos around him, was a recipe for laughter. “The audience was invited into his world, imagining what was going on inside his head,” Curtis explains, shedding light on Buster’s iconic “stone-faced” persona.
The General: A Bittersweet Legacy
Despite his undeniable talent, The General, set against the backdrop of the Civil War, didn’t resonate with audiences as hoped. Its steep production costs left Buster without the creative freedom he cherished, forcing him into a deal with MGM Studios in 1928. It wasn’t a decision he’d look back on fondly. “MGM was a massive machine,” Curtis says. “Buster had to stick to schedules and budgets. It wasn’t long before he turned to drinking more, particularly when he realized he’d lost control of his career and his marriage was unraveling.”
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A Life of Turmoil and Triumph
Buster’s personal life was as tumultuous as his professional one. His first marriage to Natalie Talmadge, mother to his two sons, was fraught with challenges. “She felt he wasn’t suited for family life,” Curtis reveals. After 11 years, they parted ways in 1932. Things only got worse. By 1935, his drinking had spiraled out of control, landing him in a hospital in a straitjacket. His second wife, Mae Scriven, married him in 1933 but exploited his weakened state, seeing him as a fading Hollywood star whose name still carried weight.
A New Beginning
Hope arrived in 1939 when Buster met Eleanor Norris, a dancer much younger than him. At this point, he was working as a gag writer for the Marx Brothers, still battling alcoholism. Eleanor saw potential in him. “She admired his talent and offered him the structure he needed,” Curtis explains. They married in 1940, and with Eleanor’s unwavering support, Buster managed to limit his drinking to just two beers before dinner for the rest of his life.
During their 26-year partnership, the couple traveled extensively, even starring together on The Buster Keaton Show. By the time Buster passed away from lung cancer in 1966, Eleanor had not only revived his career but also secured his legacy. Even The General, once considered a failure, found a new audience and earned a place in the Library of Congress in 1989. “His films are some of the greatest comedies ever made,” Curtis concludes. “Buster might be more beloved today than he ever was in his lifetime.”
