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Buster Keaton: Audiences
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This Buster Keaton short is quite a feat of the writer-director-star's technical prowess. An early sequence has Keaton playing the conductor of a show and each of the members of its orchestra, cast, and audience. At one point Keaton appears on screen nine different times. His various characters, instantly recognizable members of various stereotypes, are innovative, as is the elaborate, detailed scheme of gags. Don't let your eyes leave the screen for a second!
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At the age of three, Buster began performing with his parents in The Three Keatons; the act was mainly a comedy sketch. Myra played the saxophone to one side while Joe and Buster performed on center stage. The young Keaton would goad his father by disobeying him, and the elder Keaton would respond by throwing him against the scenery, into the orchestra pit, or even into the audience. A suitcase handle was sewn into Keaton's clothing to aid with the constant tossing. The act evolved as Keaton learned to take trick falls safely; he was rarely injured or bruised on stage. Nevertheless, this knockabout style of comedy led to accusations of child abuse.
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Unable to handle the situation sitting down, Keaton mounts the bench, continues unfolding, and finds himself entangled in a mass of paper. He loses his balance and collapses in a heap, knocking over two benches in the process and burying his body in paper. Keaton's head pops through displaying a look of surprise. Suddenly, via a point-of-view shot, the audience sees what Keaton sees and realizes what he was looking for at the start of this adventure -- a job from the help wanted section.
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