On a Sunday Afternoon

The image at left comes from the collection of The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music at The Sheridan Libraries of The John Hopkins University.

Visit the site to check out a full image of the sheetmusic. The copyright on the waltz is 1902 - the same year the Keatons made their first visit to Muskegon's Lake Michigan Park to perform.

I learned about this one because of my subscription to the Yahoo group, busterkeatonfans. We really do live in amazing times.

LAKE Magazine

Check out the article on Keaton's Muskegon in the October issue of LAKE Magazine.

Here's a snippet:

Inside the historic depot in Muskegon, Mich. – a train station built in the late 1890s – a curious clue illustrates how Buster Keaton came through town: Above the reception desk, now the Muskegon County Convention and Visitors Bureau, hangs a framed copy of Keaton’s diary entries. On two dates, a sketch of a train car shows a stick figure jumping off to its destination. Next to the figure, one penciled-in word says it all: “Home.”

Along with contemporaries Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, Keaton is considered one of the greatest actors of the silent film era. He’s also one of the most innovative directors in motion picture history. His ability to perform acrobatic stunts while maintaining a deadpan facial expression earned him the nickname “The Great Stone Face.” And even if you don’t know the man, you’re bound to know his trademark porkpie hat.

Walking Tour of the Actors' Colony at Bluffton

Welcome to the Buster Keaton and the Muskegon Actors' Colony blog. Inspired by Morpheus' outstanding blog on legendary cartoonist and animator Winsor McCay,

Meeting McCay: Spring Lake: The Birthplace of Character Animation

I've decided to add a Blog to the
http://www.actorscolony.com/ website. The site focuses on an area
of the city of Muskegon known as Bluffton. It details the times
when the area played host to a group of vaudevillian performers
who gathered together to enjoy their summer vacation along the
shores of Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan. Together, they
formed an Actors' Colony. Among the residents was silent film
comedian, Buster Keaton.

My first blog entry highlights an opportunity for the public to visit the
Bluffton neighborhood that Keaton called "Home".This Sunday,
September 28, 2008 @ 1:30 p.m., I'm hosting a "Walking Tour of
the Actors' Colony at Bluffton." This "Keaton Walk" is open to the
public and is free of charge. Depending on questions, the walk
takes about an hour and a half.  We'll start in the parking lot at
Bluffton School, 1875 Waterworks Rd. Muskegon, MI 49441 

Comfortable shoes (and perhaps a bottle of water) are recommended.
The last one - hosted on Labor Day - attracted over 30 folks from the
area.

Come on out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather!

Thanks!

Ron