ANNOUNCEMENT: The Sixth Annual Buster Keaton Blogathon!

Cue the trumpets, my friends–for our annual celebration of all things Buster Keaton is coming back for a sixth year in a row!

(Yes, I’m having it in March this time–all the February dates were already gobbled up by other blogathons. Man, my fellow bloggers are fast. Next time I’ll have to announce it in July! 😉 )

I’m also thrilled to share that this year the venerable International Buster Keaton Society is our blogathon’s official sponsor! Founded by Patricia Tobias in 1994, the Keaton Society (nicknamed the “Damfinos”) has worked tirelessly to help preserve Buster’s legacy and introduce him to new generations. From their website:

Mission Statement

• to foster and perpetuate appreciation and understanding of the life, career and films of comedian/fimmaker Buster Keaton;
• to advocate for historical accuracy about Keaton’s life and work;
• to encourage dissemination of information about Keaton;
• to endorse preservation and restoration of Keaton’s films and performances;
• to do all of the above with a sense of humor that includes an ongoing awareness of the surreal and absurd joy with which Keaton made his films.

I can personally vouch for this iconic organization (I’ve even written for their Keaton Chronicle). One of the most perfect experiences of my life was attending their annual Damfino convention in Muskegon, Michigan in 2017 (where I gave a presentation, too!). Let me tell you–a nicer and more dedicated group of fans simply can’t be imagined. If you get a chance to go to a convention, for heaven’s sake, go! RUN!!

As the official sponsor, the Society is graciously offering a $50 gift certificate for Buster Stuff to one lucky blogathon participant. Buster Stuff is the society’s official store, selling everything from Battling Butler DVDs to custom-made porkpie hats. I’ll be conducting a drawing for the certificate on March 11.

Sybil talking about how much she loves the Damfinos.

When: Monday, March 9 and Tuesday, March 10, 2020.

Where: Right here on Silent-ology!

How: To join in, please leave me a comment on this post and let me know which Buster film or Buster-related topic you want to cover! (Or feel free to send me a message). Please add one of my banners to your blog to help spread the word about this event. During the blogathon itself, when you publish your post leave me a comment with the post’s link, or send me a message, whichever you prefer. Please mention my blog and the name of the event in your blogathon post (such as “This post is part of Sixth Annual Buster Keaton Blogathon hosted by Silent-ology.”) Post whenever you have time during March 9 and 10th, no pressure! If you post before March 9 that’s fine too, just give me a head’s up.

What to write about: Anything and everything related to the brilliant Buster Keaton’s life and career. (Check out his filmography for some ideas.)  Articles about his crew and the many wonderful actors who appeared in his films are welcome, too.

For ideas and inspiration, here’s the links to the First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Buster Blogathons. Whew–we’ve got quite a library of Keaton essays going!

(Buster avidly reading our past posts.)

Details:

• This year, post about whatever film you like–duplicates are fine! That’s right, my friends–I’ve set you free! 😉
• If you want to be extra creative–say, submit drawings, poetry or other art related to Buster, that works too.
• And as always–“Make Buster proud!” There’s a lot of dubious information out there about his life and career, so let’s try and steer clear of those myths and rumors. We want Buster smiling down on us, folks. (And I recommend checking out the Buster Myths page on the Damfinos’ site!)

Banners:

The Roster:

Silent-ology | Reviewing All Of Buster’s Educational Shorts

MovieMovieBlogBlogII | The General

Shadowplay | TBA

Critica Retro | Sherlock Jr.

Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog | Speak Easily

Big V Riot Squad | The Saphead

Cameras Against Humanity | Keaton and the Kuleshov Effect

Taking Up Room | In the Good Old Summertime

Talk About Cinema | The Railrodder and Buster Keaton Rides Again

David Skold | Fan trailer for The Cook

MovieRob | The Navigator and The Stolen Jools

Thoughts of One Truly Loved | The Navigator

The Everyday Cinephile | The Cameraman

Groovy Like a Silent Movie | Essay on Buster’s fandom

Wonderful World of Cinema | Day Dreams