Sherlock Jr. (1924)

Director:

Buster Keaton

Writers:

Clyde Bruckman (writer)
Jean C. Havez (writer)

Release Date:

21 April 1924 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Fantasy | Mystery

Plot:

A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meagre skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.

Plot Keywords:

Projectionist | Stunt | Small Town | Pickpocket | Train

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Buster Keaton	...	Sherlock, Jr. / Projectionist
Kathryn McGuire	...	The girl
Joe Keaton	...	Her father
Erwin Connelly	...	The butler / handyman
Ward Crane	...	The sheik / villain

Runtime:

45 min

Country:

USA

Language:

None

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

UK:U | Portugal:M/6 | Finland:S | Spain:T | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Larchmont Blvd. near Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Buster Keaton Productions

Trivia:

Some filmographies credit Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle as co-director of this film. The confusion comes from the fact that Buster Keaton did originally hope to have Arbuckle work as his co-director, but Arbuckle was still too depressed over the scandal that had nearly ended his career three years earlier and had become difficult to work with, so Keaton went ahead as the sole director of the film. The claim that Arbuckle was a co-director on the film was made by Minta Durfee; however, her claim lost credibility because she also stated that Arbuckle was the sole screenwriter of the film. The script was definitely written by Joseph A. Mitchell, Jean C. Havez and Clyde Bruckman - Keaton's usual team of gagmen from this time. Historians agree there is no credibility to the claim that Arbuckle ever directed so much as a frame of the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Sherlock Jr spins the fence around placing his pursuers behind it, he puts a crossbar across the gate to stop them coming back. In the next shot as he leaves the alley, the crossbar is no longer visible on the fence.

Quotes:

The sheik: We are lost! He is sending for the world's greatest detective - Sherlock Jr.!

Movie Connections:

Edited into When Comedy Was King (1960)

Astounding Creativity

It's almost impossible to describe the astounding creativity of "Sherlock, Jr". Even for Buster Keaton, this is a tremendous display of comedic and fantasy material. What's so remarkable is not so much any particularly hilarious gag or gags, as the never-ending stream of amazing and entertaining sights - coming faster and faster as the film proceeds - that seem so off-hand and effortlessly inventive, but that must have involved many hours of painstaking work to perfect. The film vs. reality theme is also highly suggestive, and makes this great movie one of the most completely satisfying efforts by Keaton or anyone else.

The film opens slowly and allows the pace to build gradually. Buster operates the movie projector at a theater, while trying to study on his own to be a detective. He is involved in a real-life mystery that involves his girlfriend's family, and which turns out badly for him. He retreats into the fantasy world of a picture showing at his theater, and from then on you just have to see it to appreciate it. The creative comedy, the technical skill, and the subtly expressed themes are all remarkable.

This is a great experience not to be missed.