Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase ; [a Biography]

Marion Meade

Perseus Books Group, 1997 - Biography & Autobiography - 440 pages

Buster Keaton (1895–1966) was a brilliant comedian and filmmaker who conceived, wrote, directed, acted, and even edited most of his ten feature films and nineteen short comedies, which are perhaps the finest silent pictures ever made. With a face of stone and a mind that engineered breathtakingly intricate moments of slapstick, Keaton has become an icon of the American cinema. Marion Meade's definitive biography explores his often brutal childhood acting experiences, the making of his masterpieces, his shame at his own lack of education, his life-threatening alcoholism, and his turbulent marriages. Based on four years of research and more than 200 interviews with notables such as Billy Wilder, Leni Riefenstahl, Gene Kelly, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Irene Mayer Selznik, as well as members of Keaton's family who had previously refused to discuss him, Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase is a startling and moving account of the troubled life of a cinematic genius.

What people are saying

Review: Buster Keaton: Cut To The Chase

User Review  - Bob - Goodreads

Buy this one for the photos only, not the biography. Meade did not research her subject well at all, and makes erroneous conclusions about his life. This book is condemned by all the major Keaton experts for its slipshod approach to detailing Buster's life.

Review: Buster Keaton: Cut To The Chase

User Review  - Jim - Goodreads

It is a pity that Jack Dragga's excellent filmography is tied to what might be the worst professionally published book about Buster Keaton. Dragga's filmography and the photos are the only reason I ...

About the author

Marion Meade is the author of several biographies, including Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This? She lives in New York City.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase ; [a Biography]
• Author: Marion Meade
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Perseus Books Group, 1997
• ISBN: 0306808021, 9780306808029
• Length: 440 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts