The Marx Brothers tried Buster as a gag writer but their styles never meshed, and Groucho labeled the former great a has-been. The 40s and 50s were the proverbial wine-dark sea, and only Keaton's third wife shared any success with him. The glory days of Keaton's independence resurfaced when his solo films were collected, refurbished, and shown on the university and art house circuits. By the time of his death in 1966, he had once again been able to enjoy the worldwide fame of his early years. Keaton movies defy such a claim again and again.
Comic sequences maintain the rhythm and finish of fine music.
A look at any of Keaton's silent classics will prove he was well before his time. His world-weary stoicism gave The Roaring Twenties a taste of what lay ahead, within and beyond The Great Depression. The jokes still work, the stunts still amaze, and the imagery still gorgeous. See and believe.