Short Summary
In 2014, I was looking through my old photos, and I discovered one that I had taken of myself at Buster Keaton’s gravesite, here in Los Angeles.
![]()
Thinking it wasn’t too shabby a photo, I went onto www.busterkeaton.com and emailed it to the society. I thought they might like it. Well, society founder and then-president Patricia Eliot Tobias wrote to me, and asked if I live in Los Angeles.
“Yes, I do!”
“Wonderful! Would you be interested in helping out on a few little projects around town?”
“Yes, I would!”
That began a three-year (and still going) relationship with the society, and today I am its Vice President. And I am still working on those… “little projects.” One of those is The Plaque.
Buster Keaton’s greatest cinematic work is comprised of 29 films, and Buster used his production studio at the intersection of Lillian Way and Eleanor Ave in Los Angeles as his home base for all of them. And there must be something in the soil there, because prior to Buster’s years there, Charlie Chaplin used the studio to produce 12 of his greatest short films.
This is Hollywood hallowed ground.
In 1988, a plaque was placed at the location of the former studio marking the spot. However, it had a few problems.
![]()
Firstly, the materials that comprise the plaque have not held up well against decades of foot traffic. It’s become difficult to read the plaque at all.
Second, it made no mention of Charlie Chaplin. While there is often a “Charlie vs. Buster” competition online, Patricia Eliot Tobias speaks for us all at the society when she says, “Buster and Charlie were friends, and the world needs as much laughter as it can get.” So, this new plaque corrects this oversight, and properly honors Chaplin’s work.
Finally, the plaque was placed on the wrong corner. We have no idea what the reason is for this, so I’m sticking with: comedy. (If you are having flashbacks to the do-it-yourself house from Keaton’s “One Week” that was placed on the wrong lot, then you’ve got the right idea.) The studio sat on the southwest corner of the intersection, but the existing plaque is on the northeast corner. The new plaque will be placed on the correct corner. We promise.
![]()
The International Buster Keaton Society (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization) was created to to foster and perpetuate appreciation and understanding of the life, career and films of comedian/filmmaker Buster Keaton; to advocate for historical accuracy about Keaton's life and work: to encourage dissemination of information about Keaton; to endorse preservation and restoration of Keaton's films and performances; to do all of the above with a sense of humor that includes an ongoing awareness of the surreal and absurd joy with which Keaton made his films.
In short, we were founded to honor Buster Keaton. This plaque is our way - and YOUR way - of saying that the genius of Buster Keaton, and of Charlie Chaplin, will never be forgotten.
What We Need & What You Get
- The total cost of creating the new bronze plaque and placing it in the ground is $19,396. We are looking to raise $15,000 in this Indiegogo campaign, and The Society itself will put up the remaining funds. It's good to have some skin in the game.
- That said, if we are able to surpass our goal and raise the full amount, The Society will be able to use its funds for our regular operations.
- If we totally crush our goal, we will use the "extra" funds to:
- Increase the amount of our yearly "Porkpie Scholar Grant"
- Enhance our outreach through a more active and robust online presence
- Invest in continued research into the life and work of Buster Keaton
- As a thank you for your generous donation, we have some amazing perks for you, including:
- Exclusive pins
- Society membership
- One-of-a-kind Keaton posters
- Replicas of the plaque
- Keaton playing cards
- DVDs
- Tote bags
- Beautifully printed and enlarged photos from The General
- And more!
- If we are unable to reach our goal, our plan will be to continue to fundraise until we reach it! This project has been a dream of ours for too long, and we have no intention of giving up.
How Do You Put a Plaque in the Ground?
First, you have to design it and have it made. You can meet our designers down below (Meet the Team). After an exhaustive search, we have partnered with Masterworks Plaques to produce the final plaque. They have the design and they are now just waiting for... the check!
Second, you need to work with the city. Over the last two years, we have worked with the great people at the Los Angeles City Council, and we have gotten full approval. They have given us a final budget and they are now just waiting for... the check.
The Team
ALEK LEV
Vice-President, International Buster Keaton Society
Project Lead, Plaque Co-Designer
Alek Lev is a director, writer, actor, and American Sign Language interpreter. (He has interpreted for three presidents, two Broadway shows, and one Beatle.) Alek first discovered Buster Keaton in the public library near his alma mater, Wesleyan University, where the three-VHS set of A Hard Act to Follow appeared to him as if out of a Day Dream. Alek directed the feature film Ready or Not, co-starred in the Independent Spirit Award-winning film Conventioneers, created the highly edited improv sketch show No Plans This Weekend, and was the new media director for the CBS show How I Met Your Mother. Visit www.aleklev.com for all your Alek Lev needs.
PATRICIA ELIOT TOBIAS
Co-Founder & President Emerita, International Buster Keaton Society
Patricia Eliot Tobias is an internationally known film and television historian based in Los Angeles. The president emerita of the nonprofit International Buster Keaton Society Inc., she has been a consultant, audio commentator, documentary writer and on-camera expert for numerous television and DVD documentaries, and in June of 2008, she was a guest speaker at the inaugural Fred Astaire Conference at Oxford University in England. Professionally, she has written, edited and/or designed for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Daily Variety, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Writers Guild of America West and Oxford University Press.
BOB BORGEN
President, International Buster Keaton Society
Bob Borgen was introduced to Buster Keaton through Blackhawk Films when he was in high school in 1967. He immediately became a fan and began collecting Keaton’s films (although most were not officially available). He eventually tracked down nearly all of Keaton’s silent work in 16mm prints. He also met Eleanor Keaton, Buster's widow, and they remained friends for the final 24 years of her life. In the '70s and '80s, Eleanor introduced Bob to everyone researching Keaton for books and documentaries. As a result he is proud to have been a “thanks” in more than a dozen projects. He also was introduced to ice hockey in 1967 when his hometown Los Angeles gained a team in the National Hockey League. Bob fell for that, too, and has made his living as a writer and producer in and around the NHL for nearly 40 years.
JESSE ALSON-MILKMAN
Plaque Co-Designer
Originally from New York City, Jesse Alson-Milkman moved to Los Angeles in 2006 to attend film school at the University of Southern California. Since graduating in 2009, he has produced a number of shorts and commercials, as well as the award winning feature film Funeral Day, where he headed up the crowdfunding campaign to finance post-production. Before co-designing the Keaton plague, he worked on design campaigns for How I Met Your Mother and American Dad.
NICOLE BAJOREK
Keaton Silhouette Artist
Nicole Bajorek is an undergraduate at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where she is pursuing a BA in Media Theory and Creative Writing. Her post-grad plans include attending a graduate program that focuses on archiving or film preservation. Currently, she is working on a graphic novel about Buster Keaton, inspired by his silent films.
THE INTERNATIONAL BUSTER KEATON SOCIETY
The International Buster Keaton Society (also known as “The Damfinos”) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1992 with the purpose of fostering understanding and perpetuating appreciation of the life, career and films of comedian/filmmaker Buster Keaton. The group advocates for historical accuracy about Keaton’s life and work, encourages dissemination of information and research about Keaton, and endorses preservation and restoration of Keaton’s films and performances.
The International Buster Keaton Society Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Other Ways You Can Help
If you aren't able to make a donation now, please SHARE this campaign:
And finally... The Plaque:
![]()
