“Several times I'd have been killed if I hadn't been able to land like a cat.”

—  Buster Keaton

Interview in The Detroit News (4 December 1914)
Context: The funny thing about our act is that dad gets the worst of it, although I'm the one who apparently receives the bruises … the secret is in landing limp and breaking the fall with a foot or a hand. It's a knack. I started so young that landing right is second nature with me. Several times I'd have been killed if I hadn't been able to land like a cat. Imitators of our act don't last long, because they can't stand the treatment.

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Buster Keaton photo
Buster Keaton 8
American actor and filmmaker 1895–1966

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