Well, you were going to be hearing more from me at some point this year on the topic of Buster Keaton anyway, as 2023 is the centennial anniversary of his first two features Three Ages and Our Hospitality, and I’m also knee deep in my book about TV variety, which Buster performed in at the end of his career. Anyway, the Criterion Channel can help you do your homework in the meantime, as they’re streaming five of his features and 18 of his shorts starting today and through the next few weeks. See links below for my takes on the films they are showing:
And that’s not all! They also have several of the films Buster made during his “apprenticeship” with Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle starting in 1917, including The Butcher Boy, The Rough House, The Cook, Goodnight Nurse!, Moonshine, Coney Island, His Wedding Night, Out West, Oh Doctor!, The Garage, Back Stage, The Bell Boy, and The Hayseed.
Which one would I recommend to start the newbie off on? Cops! Cops, Cops, Cops!
For more on Keaton’s vaudeville background go here.
For five dozen Buster Keaton related posts go here.
And to read much more about the art of Buster Keaton, please read my book Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube
(Travalanche) 
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