Starring Donald O'Connor, Ann Blyth, Rhonda Fleming, Peter Lorre, Larry
Keating, Jackie Coogan, Richard Anderson
Directed by Sidney Sheldon

Print: black/white
Runtime: 91 min.
Genre: drama
Print Quality: B

The Buster Keaton Story is the sublimely inaccurate life story of immortal
film comedian Buster Keaton, played by Donald O'Connor. The film begins
with young Buster appearing in his parents' circus acrobatic act (the real
Keatons never appeared in a circus, but were vaudevillians instead).
After Buster's dad dies (an event that actually occurred when Keaton was
in his 30s and already a star), the boy strikes out on his own. He makes it
into silent films as a top slapstick comic (this much is accurate), but his
private life is complicated by two loves, a "sweet" girl (Ann Blyth) and a
wealthy temptress (Rhonda Fleming) (Buster was married three times, but
not to either one of the ladies depicted in this film). When talkies come in,
Buster is browbeaten by autocratic director Peter Lorre (all of Keaton's
talkies were directed by Eddie Sedgwick, one of his best friends) and
finds himself unable to handle dialogue (no comment). He turns to drink
(true) and destroys himself in Hollywood (partly true). But through the
love of good girl Ann Blyth, Buster makes a comeback in vaudeville, and
finally decides to get married and settle down for the first time in his life
(Buster did tour in vaudeville with wife Eleanor Norris, who was wife
number three and whom he met nine years after the advent of talkies).
The nicest thing about The Buster Keaton Story was that the amount
Paramount paid Keaton for permission to film his "life story" ($50,000) was
large enough for Buster to remain financially solvent for the rest of his
life.