Bartine Burkett Zane Talks About Buster Keaton and her silent film career

[@hollywoodtimemachine]

Hollywood California: Surprising Facts You Never Knew hollywoodtimemachine.com

[@clarabrown9743]

Johnny said he met Buster Keaton on his television show on KNXT in the early 1950s, either Carson's Cellar and/or The Johnny Carson Show. This clip with Bartine is a real nice interview. I liked hearing her stories with Buster. Thanks for putting it up here.

[@envynone14]

Buster Keaton is a legend...lady is charming..gr8 interview

[@chrisarseneault5617]

To have a guest like this is why Johnny is the king of late night. Everybody else just wants to sell a book or CD or movie. Johnny just wants to talk to people.

[@patricias5122]

Did you notice, too, at the end, how we went to her and graciously took her by the hands>

[@BTURNER1961]

she was born in 1898, and died in 1994 96 years later. Her silent film career was from 1917-1925. She returned to talkies in 1980-81 plus whatever commercials she may have done.

[@AmericanPatriot-q6h]

She came back in 1973. Did TV shows. Mary Tyler Moore. Alice. Adam 12,etc

[@DeanMk1]

She passed 8 days after my father did. Same year.

[@Ma_Ba]

@@AmericanPatriot-q6h Just saw her in Season 7 E 19 of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. ( In 2023, this was available streaming on Hulu regular plan. ) She played Helen with a few lines of dialogue twice in a party scene being introduced and has comic timing for a joke delivery. They put her in a costume to emphasize being out of date and different cat eye framed glasses.

[@Ma_Ba]

Came here from a 1977 appearance of season 7 E 19 of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. That show often had bit parts for actors of merit in their older years. Her part had a few lines and delivered 2 jokes.

[@hibob418]

Looks like the other guests on the couch were Arlene Galonka and Tony Bennett. How great to see this. Thanks for posting!

[@AmericanPatriot-q6h]

Bartine is absolutely adorable. Such a beautiful lady. Just saw her on Adam 12. What a charming lady from the early days of Hollywood. I hope to see her in any of the movies she did. Especially with Buster Keaton. She is classy and sassy. Love her.

[@hollywoodtimemachine]

You can watch "The High Sign" on KZbin along with another silent short "Curses!" (1925).

[@bencheshire]

Her voice was amazing!

[@patricias5122]

she was so sweet, and you can tell she'd been a talented actress. her timing, breath control, enunciation were extremely good!

[@kiransamant]

Sweet interview.. Old golden memories..

[@suzannewinland6989]

She's so charming! And lovely!

[@pata299]

such a wonderful interview!!

[@Fibonaccisghost]

Wow this video was suggested to me because I’m recently getting into the silent era of movies and I was shocked to hear she grew up in my hometown, Shreveport LA. She was born 90 years before me but I have relatives who may have known her. They’ve unfortunately all passed away.

[@chrislawson7983]

Thanks for the post. Elegant lady.

[@palafox2237]

She was wonderful in Keaton's films. Very interesting here but what stories she could have told before her memory started to fail! Shame that no one got them all down when they could.

[@hollywoodtimemachine]

By the time that I met her in 1984, her memory was failing. Although she always said that it was just a matter of "work" to her. Thankfully, her husband rescued many of her production photos from the trash pile. I was then able to identify the film titles from there.

[@palafox2237]

@@hollywoodtimemachine Superb that her husband saved the photos!

[@patricias5122]

I couldn't agree more.

[@shawnkdodds]

What a sweetheart!

[@Lava1964]

What a great interview.

[@kellyalonzi2917]

Love this.

[@johnfisher9639]

I miss Johnny Carson so much. Best talk show host ever, makes all the current ones look so pathetic.

[@JP-vs1ys]

i couldn't stand him. but to each his own.

[@LewDog053]

Dick Cavett

[@WilliamNast-v1g]

WHAT A SWEETHEART!!!

[@andymassingham]

It is fascinating that EVERYONE who talks about Buster from that era was clearly head-over-heels for him.

[@trevorhansen1940]

Buster seemed to be an anomaly just like Mel Blanc. There isn't much controversy in their lives, at least later lives. Buster had an upbringing that would make a tyrant, thankfully he knew it didn't define him.

[@Spyglass-z6q]

You mean in love with him?

[@GR8FLMD3AD]

Thank you for sharing.

[@Beth9228]

She had a very cute voice.

[@radiochickcaster]

Wonderful story

[@hollywoodtimemachine]

Thanks for watching

[@johnmitchelljr]

Thank you.

[@hollywoodtimemachine]

You're welcome!

[@kkampy4052]

Why is it that I have never seen this episode on Antenna TV? Watch Johnny every night but it's the same episodes over and over.

[@sclogse1]

Keaton, Chaplin, W.C. Fields, the great early directors, like William Wellman, etc., the writers of precode films, later on, people like Oscar Levant, Jonathan Winters, these people are my Mount Rushmore.

[@watchingover3592]

Johnny Carson was so kind to her .

[@bruceweaver1518]

She said that Buster used to ruin the takes because he would think of something funny and they had to take the scene over again.

[@keithdow8327]

Bartine Burkett Zane (February 9, 1898 - May 20, 1994)

[@patricias5122]

The wonderful Lasky studios, that she was such a part of, with Douglas Fairbanks --- what a shame that nobody captured her memories, when they could! Johnny Carson treated her with such courtesy.

[@hollywoodtimemachine]

You can find more of her memories at hollywoodtimemachine.com/bartine. As someone who had the pleasure of knowing Bartine in her later years, she really was not fond ot talking about her past. It was thanks to her late husband that she had any stills from her silent days. It was from those stills and other researchers that we able to create a filmography which is an ongoing work in progress.

[@seanm3226]

What’s a “long distance” phone call?

[@hollywoodtimemachine]

There was a time that any call outside of your area code was considered a "long distance" call and cost more than the usual rate. Most people would only call family members that lived out of town on Sundays to save money.

[@brucekuehn4031]

Long distance relationships could be expensive! Her ad was for Saturdays, but you could have a surprisingly high bill if you called during the week before 11pm.

[@jacqudace]

The High Sign

[@Spyglass-z6q]

It's so funny when Bartine plays the ukulele in The High Sign.

[@keithdow8327]

She is 81 here.

[@worldsgreatestimpressionis6462]

Sweet interview. Carson had such class. The losers you have now days are pathetic.

[@bbbart77]

Johnny was the best.

[@brucekuehn4031]

Fatty Arbuckle parties - they weren’t for her! Look him up.

[@Grimmreefer34]

Yeah, no kidding.

[@joesimon2018]

Yeah you don't want to go to that party at Fatty Arbuckle's house

[@justaguy6100]

Hardy was funny with Stan Laurel, but if you look around, he made some darkly racist single movies.

[@oldmandrake]

What a sweetheart!