Two previously unpublished scripts show how the Great Stone Face meticulously mapped out his stunts and jokes
Buster Keaton, king of the silent movie, death-defying stuntsman and one of Hollywood’s greatest comedians, was also a great believer in the art of improvisation. “As a rule, about 50% you have in your mind when you start the picture and the rest you develop as you’re making it,” he once told an interviewer.
Now, however, two previously unpublished sketches have come to light in which Keaton appears to undermine his commitment to making it up as he goes along, with jokes mapped out in minute and colourful detail.