As Buster Keaton fans from around the world descend upon Iola this weekend to celebrate the silent film legend’s life and career — for the 20th straight year — Mary Martin couldn’t help but reflect on the gala’s humble beginnings.
“I didn’t think we could make it go the first year,” Martin said. “I had no idea so many people loved silent film. I barely knew who Keaton was.”
That the annual celebration has grown to become a reunion of sorts for fans both of Keaton and the silent film genre is testimony to the organizers who have dedicated countless hours through the years to ensure the proceedings go off without a hitch.
Martin considers that the Keaton Committee’s greatest attribute.
“We’ve been complimented at how organized and seamless these weekends are,” Martin said with a chuckle. “A lot of years, we’ve been flying by the seat of our pants.”
Martin, one of the charter members of the Keaton Celebration Committee, and Iolan Bruce Symes, whose involvement with the Keaton gala also dates back to its premiere in 1993, gathered this week to reflect on the annual celebration and their hopes for the future.
THE GENESIS for the Keaton celebration began in 1991 following a presentation on Keaton by the late Gene DeGruson, curator of special collections at Pittsburg State University.
A handful were aware Keaton had special ties to southeast Kansas — he was born in Piqua, while his family was traveling through the region as part of a vaudeville troupe — but few realized the Great Stone Face’s cultural impact on the world of silent film and entertainment in general.
Talking casually with Iola attorney and historian Clyde Toland afterward, DeGruson quickly embraced the idea of a local celebration of Keaton, particularly because of Iola’s proximity to Piqua.
The group began planning for the celebration to start the following fall, in 1992.
“But none of us had ever done anything like this before,” Martin said, “so we had to learn quickly.”
A committee took shape and traveled to the William Inge Film Festival in Independence to gather ideas about how to celebrate Keaton’s work.
But DeGruson became sick and was unable to assist with the efforts.
“It became apparent we weren’t going to be ready,” Martin said, “and we knew we wanted to do this thing right.”
So plans were delayed to September 1993.
Activities were planned around Keaton’s birthday — Oct. 4 — but pushed up a week on the calendar because his birthday invariably falls on or near the same weekend as Humboldt’s wildly popular Biblesta celebration.
