It's been a minute since I did a Throwback Thursday post, but I came across a scene that struck me so much that I had to run to Man Central and tell you all about it. Silent film star Buster Keaton has gone nude on camera before! It's true. I figured you'd love this piece of old movie trivia that intersects with our nude interests. Let's talk about it.
In case you don't know that much about silent film, I will happily give you a quickie crash course on Buster Keaton. The main three silent film comedians were Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton. These were visionaries filmmakers who often wrote and directed their own films and then performed some of the funniest physical comedies known to man.
Keaton grew up on stage. He was a Vaudeville performer who was raised by vaudeville performers. His family made him perform with them as a child and he became known for doing wild physical comedy while maintaining a stony straight face. He ventured into Hollywood where he made a name for himself in the 1920s, starring in classic hits like Sherlock Jr. and The General.
So let's talk about his nudity. Nudity was rare in 1920s Hollywood. Nude scenes happened, of course, but it did not happen too often and they especially did not feature male actors. In 1928's The Cameraman, he dove into the water and lost his bathing suit under the waves. That is when we see his ASS before he comes up for air and realizes that he is naked.
It is a little grainy due to the old film of it all - not to mention the fact that he is swimming underwater - but we get to watch Buster Keaton throw ass in the water. That's still hot 96 years later!
This scene should be studied by film and nudity historians. Is it the earliest male nude scene? It certainly is a contender for that important historical title.
Watch the scene here and keep your eyes open for his buns in the water:
Buster Keaton in The Cameraman
00:42:03 Some Pre-Code bare buns from Buster as he losing his bathing suit and attempts to retrieve it! (28 secs)