Question 1

True or false: Buster Keaton was a trained circus acrobat before becoming a film star.

Accepted Answer

True. He joined his parents' vaudeville act as a toddler, learning risky acrobatics. This background made his physical comedy unmatched.

Question 2

True or false: Buster Keaton never smiled on camera, earning him the nickname 'The Great Stone Face.'

Accepted Answer

True. Keaton maintained a deadpan expression in his films, though he smiled off-screen. The moniker stuck due to his stoic comic persona.

Question 3

True or false: Buster Keaton was a close friend and frequent collaborator of Charlie Chaplin.

Accepted Answer

False. They were rivals, not friends. Keaton even criticized Chaplin's sentimentality, and they rarely worked together until a cameo in 'Limelight.'

Question 4

True or false: Keaton performed all his own stunts, including a famous fall where a house facade dropped on him.

Accepted Answer

True. In 'Steamboat Bill, Jr.,' a two-ton wall fell through an open window, missing Keaton by inches—a real stunt he pulled off in one take.

Question 5

True or false: Buster Keaton stopped making films after the silent era ended because he hated talkies.

Accepted Answer

False. He made talkies but struggled with studio interference and alcoholism. His career revived later with TV appearances and short films.

Question 6

True or false: Keaton's film 'The General' was a massive box office hit upon its 1926 release.

Accepted Answer

False. It bombed financially due to poor distribution and mixed reviews, leading to Keaton losing creative control. It's now considered a masterpiece.

Question 7

True or false: Keaton's signature porkpie hat was a deliberate choice to hide a scar on his forehead.

Accepted Answer

False. The hat was just a practical prop for his stunts—it stayed on during falls. He had no forehead scar from his childhood acrobatics.

Question 8

True or false: Keaton helped invent the camera crane for a single shot in 'The General.'

Accepted Answer

True. To film a train chase, he mounted a camera on a railroad handcar, creating an early dolly shot that revolutionized action filmmaking.

Buster Keaton Trivia Questions