Buster Keaton had to dig to save his early films

Keaton owned a sprawling estate in Beverly Hills that he simply called "The Italian Villa." He lived there with his wife at the time, Natalie Talmadge, who appeared in numerous Keaton films until their divorce in 1932. She obtained the property, but eventually sold it. Other stars had lived in the luxurious villa before 'A Star is Born' actor James Mason bought it. Naturally, Mason thought he was inheriting a magnificent estate, but he didn't know there was a hidden treasure in the mansion.

According to the LA Times, when Mason took over the "Italian Villa", he made an incredible discovery in his garden shed. Turns out Keaton had left behind a whole slew of movie prints that were just gathering dust. Both reels such as "The Play House", "The Boat", "The Paleface", "Cops", "My Wife's Relations", "The Blacksmith" and "The Balloonatic" were saved and set in motion for restoration . the prints were probably the ones Keaton used for his reissue strategy.

There were still more footprints to be found, some of which would crop up long after Keaton's death, but it goes to show that you never know where many of those footprints might end up, and if he there are even more out there to find.