On a drive through Muskegon last summer, I was surprised to find a Buster Keaton statue downtown. What was the Muskegon connection or was the town just a silent movie fan? Located in front of the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts, the work is by Emmanuel Snitkovsky and the sculpture was moved here from Hollywood in 2010.
The sign reads as though Keaton was born or grew up in Muskegon but that is not the case.
Buster spent some summers in Muskegon where his father and others had established the Actors' Colony in Bluffton in 1908. We found the historic marker on Lakeshore Drive between Keaton Court and Waterworks.
I am a big fan of Buster Keaton movies (the man was a genius) and if you've never seen one, treat yourself and watch "The General." Muskegon holds an annual Buster Keaton movie festival, or at least used to. It may be tenuous but I was still happy to find a Buster Keaton Michigan connection.
Dennis Scott, Chicago theater organist, comes to Muskegon every Fall to play for the Keaton convention at the Frauenthal. We have high hopes that it will happen this October.
ReplyDeleteI will be watching for that! Thanks!
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