Buster Keaton was at his best in the years prior to leaving for MGM. During this time in the mid to late twenties, anything collegiate was all the style rage. Although Harold Lloyd tackled the topic first in THE FRESHMAN (1925), Keaton ‘took a run’ at it in his lesser known classic, COLLEGE (1927). In this story, scholarly nerd Ronald (Buster Keaton) starts off on … Continue reading Buster Keaton in COLLEGE (1927)
Fields of sunflowers with their friendly faces reaching up to the sky, as rumbles of enormous dark storm clouds approach rapidly. This scene was played out just a couple of days ago in my town and is pretty typical here in the heartland, as we transition from the long, hot days of late summer into cool Autumn. But what may be less known about this … Continue reading CLASSIC FILM FALL REPORT: Fly in to ‘Fly Over States’
In the steamy summers as a kid, I would often pass the time in the muggy Kansas heat at my grandparents’ houses. When I needed a break from the lake or the community pool or my uncle’s baseball games and yet that sweet bombpop barely satiated with a few sticky bites- it was the perfect time to come inside to the cool A/C and enjoy … Continue reading Beach Party Films: the Fashion, Music and Pop Culture, Daddy-O!
The last weekend of every February brings two things to the northeastern corner of Kansas- the high likelihood of harsh winter weather and the Kansas Silent Film Festival. This year in celebrating its 19th year, the weather was undoubtedly cold but certainly navigable yet another stellar line-up of silent cinema kept the crowds warm at the Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Each year, this event … Continue reading 2015 Kansas Silent Film Festival
Outspoken & Freckled 