Now Playing: Fitness Films, the Strong Silent Type
How Buster Keaton's Death Defying Stunts Set the Tone for CrossFit and Parkour
Today’s short film produced by Artfully Exercising Films™, is a nostalgic reflection of the silent era of Hollywood. In this film, I am doing lateral rolling burpees, which are a playful yet grueling full body exercise. While performing a set of these burpees on my roof, the first thing that popped into my mind was, “this seems like it would be a great warmup exercise for a movie stunt person.” Channeling my inner stuntman made these burpees all the more fun.
Upon reflection, I felt that perhaps I was summoning the spirit of Buster Keaton during my workout. So back in the editing room, I added old-timey effects and music that I considered to be indicative as an archetype of silent era pictures.
Keaton was one of the most famous actors during the late silent era of Hollywood. He was a pioneering figure of the physical comedy genre, and was renowned as a master stuntman. Making especially death defying stunts look so fluid and comical is a testament to Keaton’s outstanding athleticism.
Keaton’s long history performing acrobatic and daring stunts began as a child. When he was growing up, his family had a touring comedic-acrobat act (called The Three Keatons) that toured the United States vaudeville circuit. Part of their act consisted of his father, Joseph Sr., tossing young Buster (born Joseph Francis Keaton Jr.) around across the stage.
Keaton was particularly fond of baseball, which became a lifelong passion of his. America’s National Pastime was so important to him that when he was casting for his films, he’d ask potential actors “Can you act?” and “Can you play baseball?” And in fact, Keaton cast several major league ballplayers such as Detroit Tiger’s star Sam Crawford, who played a college baseball coach in the 1927 film College (Edelman, 2011). Keaton and his production team, film crew and fellow cast members would typically play impromptu games of baseball in between filming.
As for his acrobatic side, Keaton would probably enjoy participating in today’s endurance and strength-based competitions like Tough Mudder and American Ninja Warrior. Performing a handstand while crossing a shallow stream in the film The Scarecrow (1920), Keaton was setting the stage for CrossFit’s Handstand Walk Obstacle Course.
Clearing obstacles such as fire, water, wind and heights, was just another day at the office for Keaton. He was fleet on his feet as both a sprinter and broad jumper. His clearing of gaps between cliffs in the countryside and buildings in the big city with finesse, predates parkour by several decades.
If Keaton was making films in the contemporary era, his antics would certainly be supplemented with a “don’t try this at home” disclaimer, like the ones displayed prior to the intertitle in the Jackass film and television series. A lot of Keaton’s stunts demonstrate what not to do when attempting physical feats of strength and agility in real world settings. For example, in Back Stage, a 1919 comedy directed by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Keaton demonstrates why it is so important to have a spotter when lifting heavy barbells. My neck and lower back hurts just watching that scene…
References, Notes, Suggested Reading:
Edelman, Rob. “Buster Keaton, Baseball Player,” in The National Pastime: Endless Seasons: Baseball in Southern California, edited by Jean Hastings Ardell and Andy McCue, 2011, Society for American Baseball Research. https://sabr.org/journals/endless-seasons-baseball-in-southern-california/