Inside Buster Keaton's Many Mansions

[@yahwea]

My friends lived in the Arbuckle house in SIlverlake area of Los Angeles built in 1919. The best fireplace ever!

[@sclogse1]

Lot of comedy roasts there?

[@davidbrims5825]

James Mason, a fan of silent films, bought Buster Keaton’s house when he moved to Hollywood from England. After his million dollar divorce from his wife Pamela in the 1960s, she took him to the cleaners, he moved to a villa in Switzerland overlooking Lake Geneva, his neighbour was Charlie Chaplin.

[@LJB103]

While Mason was remodeling the house, he took down a wall and found a cache of previously "lost" Buster Keaton films.

[@sharksport01]

Masons son married Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Go's.

[@nigelcarren]

I once attempted to copy the railway sleeper on front of the moving train trick! Even though I didn't have a train or a railway sleeper, I discovered it was still actually quite difficult.

[@susanb2015]

Audrey Hepburn and Richard Burton lived nearby.

[@jefflebowski918]

Buster Keaton is my favorite silent era actor, he did all of his own stunts.

[@Robin-g7q5d]

Thanks, Ken. I recall seeing Buster Keaton on TV in the late 1950’s & early’60’s when I was a little girl. Now, I wish I had been more observant.

[@judithmitchell4667]

I loved Buster Keaton. He vacationed in Muskegon in my state of Michigan for several years. Great video highlighting this talented artist.

[@williamtyre523]

Thanks for a great video, I have always been a huge fan of Keaton's movies. Really interesting to see how he used his own house for one of them.

[@jec1ny]

Keaton was a legend. His deadpan expression may have inspired Jack Benny, another famed comedian known for his silent dull fascial expressions. I remember seeing Keaton in a skit for "Candid Camera" where he sat at a lunch counter in a diner and predictably, everything that could go wrong did as all the people sitting near him were desperately trying not to explode with laughter completely unaware it was a set up and that they were sitting next to one of the greatest comedic geniuses of all time.

[@jaymemckinley3806]

I love your page...I especially love it when we get tours from old Hollywood or the gilded age era...

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

He was magnificent. I am glad he found happiness. Thank you for the video!

[@CuriousEarthMan]

Thanks Ken! Keaton did extraordinary work. His stunts were classics. Thanks for covering much of his life along with brief images ofhis mansions!

[@anncarlin8767]

I can remember the daytime TV pioneer Gary Moore looked a lot like Buster and spoke several times that because Keaton recognized this and met and liked Gary that in K's old age, he had given his film catalogue to Gary and asked that he take care of it and see that it was protected. Gary was always proud of the fact that he had it and I'm sure saw to it that it was.

[@SpanishEclectic]

MGM was a powerful studio, and many famous actors and singers were under their control. It seems Keaton's personal life was pretty chaotic. You may not be aware, but there is a neighborhood in San Diego called Talmadge, a housing development established in 1925. One of the main investors was Joe Shenick, president of United Artists. It was named after his wife, Norma Talmadge, as well as her sisters, actresses Natalie (Mrs.Keaton) and Constance. The houses, many of which are still in good condition and currently very expensive, are in various styles, including Spanish Revival, Normandy, and California Bungalows.

[@jetsons101]

We have a DVD of 1963's It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World. There were MANY cameo appearances in the movie, one of them was Buster Keaton. Buster's homes were great and grand, but they are in the shadow of the man, Buster Keaton.

[@michaelwhite2823]

Madge, this touched on his career and barely discussed his homes at all.

[@lawrencesiskind3554]

That's because, though his homes represented interesting examples of the sort Hollywood big wigs and stars bought or had built in roaring 1920s LA area, they weren't nearly as unique as Keaton himself, quite simply, next to Charlie Chaplin, the most important creative and influential cinematic talent of the silent Hollywood period.

[@garryferrington811]

Who's Madge?

[@michaelwhite2823]

@@garryferrington811 The Palmolive manicurist.

[@Daniel-ow2io]

@@lawrencesiskind3554 The title said Bester Keaton's mansions. Click bait.

[@alanblanes2876]

Your reports are stellar, Ken. Also amazingly edifying.

[@alanosterman7130]

I remember hearing that once his wife took everything, he ended up on a kind of a land yacht on Metro's back lot for a time. He was the best there was !

[@lauriekeikkala9937]

Thank you! This brought me real joy and a deeper understanding of our sweet Buster Keaton!❤

[@sharksport01]

Buster was in the movie Sunset Boulevard.

[@h.calvert3165]

Yes, you are right. He was one of the "Waxworks". 💎

[@jackmorrison7379]

Yes, and disrespected with other silent movie actors in that scene collectively called by screenwriter Charlie Brackett and director Billy Wilder "her waxworks". It is said several silent film star including Pola Negri, Mary Pickford and Mae Murray turned down that picture. Wisely as it turned out.

[@StamperWendy]

4:00 to 4:30 oh, my, Ken, you had me laughing! Thank you for making the video I asked for, 2nd time! ❤

[@rayn8740]

What an interesting story. Well done!

[@johnmitchelljr]

Thank you. Well done. One of a kind.

[@juliepeterson6639]

Lovely! Thank you for this!

[@ErickaLDC]

This is one of my most favorite videos I’ve watched of yours! ❤❤❤

[@carcar78]

Thank you, Ken! My favorite physical comic. Brilliant in so many ways. His homes seemed to be stage props for his life. The one used for “Electric House” was fascinating with all the trains, electric stairs and electric doors, which I’m sure, as you mentioned were there for the movie, but rooms were high end, elegant and comfy. Good job!m😊

[@867diesel]

I’m glad he made a good come back

[@andreaberryhill6654]

Fascinating! Great story... thanks.

[@mikenixon2401]

Great report Ken. I had no idea Buster Keaton would have multiple mansions. As you said he was a pioneer and standard setter. No computer imaging for real actors then and through the 20th century. I can easily say I liked his "comfortable" house the best.

[@jackmorrison7379]

Thanks ken. Never knew Buster and his first wife from hell who drove him to alcohol never lived in the Beverly Hills Mansion, now gone i believe.

[@califdad4]

Sadly his first wife made his personal life horrible, and separated him from his 2 sons and later changed their names. She was just awful

[@ad6417]

Buster Keaton was probably the first house flipper in Hollywood.

[@josephpiskac2781]

Keaton was infinite and his wife was zero.

[@ccmanning3]

Always excpetionally well-written.

[@GrinGillis]

GENUIS!

[@jliscorpio]

If you are wondering when they finally start talking about Buster Keaton's mansions it's 3:10

[@majorneptunejr]

No need . It was all interesting

[@kiskaloo6843]

Thank you for this video. I suspect you are also a Keaton fan too and to call him a genius is an understatement. However, I had to laugh at how you described Natalie Talmadge as a 'star', she didn't have the talent of her sisters and astonishingly Peg, her mother and the sisters thought Natalie was marrying below herself. Natalie was a very cruel woman, taking Buster's two sons and changing their names after the divorce. Ironically, how many people have heard of Constance or Norma Talmadge now, even people who watch silent movies would be hard pressed to name a film these ladies appeared in. Fortunately Buster met and married the wonderful Eleanor Norris, this lady has to be credited with saving him and resurrecting his career and we have so many of his movies to enjoy, my personal favourites are The Scarecrow and Steamboat Bill jr.

[@jennihubby2877]

You are an excellent narrator. And the subject matter is always of interest to me; history, architecture and design, relationships and life.

[@seattlebeard]

It's pronounced: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (sounds like mayor, not mire)

[@sclogse1]

@@CreakyCricket No, I dont think so.

[@jessiev7322]

I am glad that his Beverly Hills mansion still stands. Too bad they divided the property into separate properties and his beautiful pool now sits in someone else's property. Did he really not live in it? I understand they used this mansion in his movie, "Parlor, bedroom, and bath."

[@genacunningham1731]

Yes, he and Natalie lived in it for six years. He called it the Italian Villa. There was another smaller house that he designed and built for Natalie, furnishings included. It was that house that she said was too small.

[@jessiev7322]

@@genacunningham1731 Is the smaller house still standing?

[@MultiPetercool]

Factoid: The MythBusters’ crash test dummy “Buster” owes his name to Keaton. Ask Adam & Jamie.

[@garryferrington811]

He had some issues with Natalie. She could go through money quickly. His gigantic mansion was quite interesting, as it was X shaped.

[@michaelw.8614]

What happened to his homes?

[@SirMattBond007]

thx. please consider bob hope too

[@bombaybeach208]

"Metro Goldwyn MYER?"

[@123pb]

Uh Ken, what about his homes?

[@bh9225]

Wow, he was 5 years younger than Groucho.

[@raywagner8088]

When it reads inside the mansion I expected to see some views INSIDE THE MANSION !

[@sclogse1]

Read Keaton, by Rudi Blesh. THE bio on him.

[@drumbum3.142]

One of the Funniest Humans Ever. Found within that house/head of his.. . People are Still Borrowing from him and "using" him today.. . ... From All Genres.. . 🎭

[@mrsbluesky8415]

It’s “May-er” not “my-er”

[@Jack-eo5fn]

The sing-song narrator’s voice is a total turnoff. I’m out.

[@malvinderkaur541]

Just think what insecure greed drives you to amass hoard things you do not even use and nobody else can , you can only live at one place at a time, so all of your properties if not put to use lie rotting useless and it never occurs to you why are you doing it, same resources can be used to be useful for others minus greed in a way that you also do not lose out yet your contribution towards something good useful carry on

[@auroratorres7873]

And what does this have to do with this video?