Loud applause for Keaton focus

It pleased me very much to see that UCLA is honoring the great Buster Keaton [“His Silence Is Golden,” May 12].

At the age of 16 I used to hang around the Brown Derby on Vine Street seeking autographs. There, at the time, was a drugstore on Vine between Hollywood and Sunset boulevards. One hot afternoon I sat down at the food counter to grab a sandwich and a cool drink. Within a minute or two, a gentlemen sat next to me. To my shock and surprise, I recognized Buster Keaton. We had lunch together and talked for half an hour. I found him so charming and interesting and friendly. MGM had been putting him in some films over which he had no control, and he told me he was quite unhappy about how his career was going downhill because of it. He did sign the menu for me.

He was a genius, and today we cannot even mention the term “screen comedy” without putting his name at the top of the list.

Jerry Perchesky

Banning