The other night on Olbermann, I caught the tail end of him telling a story about Buster Keaton – except that I didn’t hear the beginning. Luckily, I found the transcript:
First, on this date in 1895 was born actor Nigel Bruce famed as Dr. Watson to Basil Rathbone‘s Sherlock Holmes. But it was on the set of the movie “Limelight” that Bruce and co-start Norman Lloyd got to watch unmatched film history. As star and director Charlie Chaplin filmed himself in a complicated bit of business, Bruce and Lloyd heard someone whispering “just to your left, Charlie. Your center frame, Charlie.”
Finally Bruce realized it was another co-star, legendary comic Buster Keaton, whispering guidance to Chaplin. My god, Bruce mumbled, we‘re watching Keaton direct Chaplin.
A Damfino (that’s what us Keaton fans are called) can not fail to remind you that Chaplin cut most of Buster’s scenes out of Limelight. Fucker.