Did ABC Borrow from Buster?

I still firmly believe that ABC has had a reality show hit on its slate for years because of Buster Keaton.  Yes, because of the great stoneface comic actor/director who gave us classics in the silent film era, young men are finding love on ABC.

One of my favorite Keaton features is 1925's SEVEN CHANCES.  This comedy runs only about 55 minutes -- and Buster Keaton does a lot of running in it.  In that movie, he plays a young lawyer with a firm that's on the brink of financial ruin.  He's informed that a relative has left him a fortune in his will.  But, in order to claim that fortune, he has to be married by 7p on a particular day.  The expiration day for him to say "I do" happens to be the same day he's told the news.  That means the bachelor has to find a bride right away.

When news about the fortune gets out, there's no shortage of single women chasing him to become his wife.  This makes for a great visual in the comedy.

Buster Keaton was the star and also the silent film's director.

This comedy was remade and released in 1999.  THE BACHELOR starred Chris O'Donnell in the title role and Renee Zellweger.

THE BACHELOR's 1999 action was set in San Francisco.  It repeated the bachelor-chase visuals from the 1925 original film, SEVEN CHANCES.

Box office-wise, there wasn't a happy ending.  Critics and the public did fall in love with this feature.  The movie soon went to TV.  ABC aired it one night.

Pretty soon after its ABC network premiere, I noticed commercials for a new show coming to the network.  A new romantic reality show called....you guessed it....THE BACHELOR.  True it's not a "remake" of the Buster Keaton 1925 film.  However, you do have the basic business of several women seeking to be picked to exchange wedding vows with the one sought-after bachelor.

But you probably knew this already.   Did you?  I hope you have a fabulous love life this new year.