historical-hogwarts-houses:

Buster Keaton - Ravenclaw

Comedian and director Buster Keaton was popular for silent films in the 1920s. He was known for his deadpan expression and playing tricks with the camera. The son of vaudevillians, Keaton is said to have earned his famous nickname when, at age 18 months, he fell down a staircase; magician Harry Houdini picked up the unhurt infant, turned to the boy’s parents, and chuckled “That’s some buster’ your baby took.” Joe and Myra Keaton added Buster to their vaudeville act when he was three years old. The Three Keatons specialized in knockabout acrobatics, with Joe using little Buster as a “human mop.” Already accustomed to taking pratfalls without suffering injury, Buster learned how to get laughs at a very early age. He also discovered that “the more serious I turned, the bigger laugh I got,” and accordingly adopted his trademark deadpan expression. Many of his best gags were as ingenious as they were amusing, encouraging audiences to think as well as grin. He also loved playing tricks with the camera, both obvious and subtle. Not until long after his heyday was Keaton’s unique contribution to the screen fully appreciated; his Civil War comedy The General (1927), a financial disappointment when originally released, is today regarded as a masterpiece. Unfortunately, stress from repeated clashes with MGM management, the loss of his independence and artistic control, and a divorce from his first wife, Natalie Talmadge (in which she was awarded sole custody of their two sons), caused Keaton’s drinking to develop into outright alcoholism. During the 1930s, Keaton slipped from the spotlight. He made two-reel comedies for low-budget outfits like Educational Pictures and Columbia Pictures (the latter has since become a major film production and distribution company), and worked for MGM as a gag man, where he mentored Lucille Ball before she got her break as a television comedienne. At one point he was institutionalized because of his drinking. He wed one of his nurses, Mae Scriven, possibly during an alcoholic blackout; the relationship ended disastrously. He was a psychologically insightful actor during his prime, creative, groundbreaking, and an ultimately unique individual. For this, he is placed in Ravenclaw house.