- Buster Keaton, Film, 1964. Irish playwright Samuel Beckett had always wanted to work with the baby-faced silent clown, Harry Langdon. He died, however, before Beckett could even finish his sole film script (silent, but for a “sssh!”), let alone set about trying to make it. Charlie Chaplin was impossible to contact. Zero Mostel proved unavailable. MacGowran, finest performer of Beckett’s plays was too busy. Finally, almost begrudgingly, Beckett suggested Keaton. The two icons never got on (Buster had turned down Sam’s Waiting For Godot on Broadway), but director Alan Schneider (who says Sam was the true director) said Keaton was totally professional: patient, imperturbable, relaxed… indefatigable if not exactly loquacious. He played O. The other character was the actual camera, E – E and O, Eye and Object. No wonder US critic Andrew Sarris called it pretentious garbage.
Birth year: 1918Death year: 1973Other name: Casting Calls: 1