The return of the Buster Keaton Celebration to Iola also means the return of a special treat for the Iola community — a rediscovered short film that came back to the screen in Iola in 1995.
“Paradise for Buster” is a promotional film Keaton made for John Deere in 1952, at a time when manufacturers sponsored “industrial films” as a promotional tool.
It was brought to Frank Scheide, now chairman of the Keaton festival committee, in Arkansas by a former student whose grandfather was one of the producers.
The committee re-introduced the film in Iola to great fanfare during the centennial Keaton celebration in 1995.
They’ll show it again at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, offering one of the few opportunities to see a rare industrial film from Keaton. Unlike many Keaton films, you can’t find this one online in its entirety.
“Paradise,” though, isn’t your typical advertisement.
“You’d think it would be, but there’s just one little reference to John Deere at the end,” Scheide said. In “Paradise,” Keaton tells of inheriting a run-down farm and trying to make it work.
“It’s a good, funny film, meant to entertain people.”
SCHEIDE teaches film history and criticism at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
Years ago, student Mike Rohrbach was in Scheide’s office when he saw a biography of Keaton on his desk and mentioned his grandfather had produced one of his films.
“Would you like to see it?” Rohrbach asked.
The film had not been shown since its debut in 1952, during a “John Deere Day” celebration.
Scheide was able to make a copy of it.
When Keaton’s widow, Eleanor, attended the 1994 celebration in Iola, Scheide told her about the obscure “Paradise,” which she had never seen.
Scheide was able to give her a copy as well.
