Sherlock Jr. (1924)

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.

Director:

Buster Keaton

Writers:

Jean C. Havez (story) (as Jean Havez), Joseph A. Mitchell (story) (as Joe Mitchell)

Stars:

Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Joe Keaton

Top Rated Movies #195 | 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Buster Keaton	...	Projectionist / Sherlock, Jr.
Kathryn McGuire	...	The Girl
Joe Keaton	...	The Girl's Father / Man on Film Screen
Erwin Connelly	...	The Hired Man / The Butler
Ward Crane	...	The Local Sheik / The Villain

Storyline

A meek and mild projectionist, who also cleans up after screenings, would like nothing better than to be a private detective. He becomes engaged to a pretty girl but a ladies man known as the Sheik vies for her affection. He gets rid of the projectionist by stealing a pocket watch belonging to the girl's father - which he pawns to buy her an expensive box of candy. He then slips the pawn ticket into the projectionist's pocket and subsequently is found by the police. He doesn't have much luck but in his dreams, he the debonair and renowned detective Sherlock Jr. who faces danger and solves the crime. In real life, the girl solves crimes quickly.

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Plot Keywords:

false accusation | surrealism | national film registry | character name as title | entering movie via screen | 

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Taglines:

every inch of footage holds such a laugh!

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Assuming its copyright has not lapsed already, this film and all others produced in 1924 enters the U.S. public domain in 2020.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Title card: There is an old proverb which says: Don't try to do two things at once and expect to do justice to both. This is the story of a boy who tried it. While employed as a moving picture operator in a small town theater he was also studying to be a detective.

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Alternate Versions

In 1999, Kino Video distributed a 45-minute version of this film, with a music score composed by and performed by the Club Foot Orchestra.

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Connections

Featured in Stan Kann: The Happiest Man in the World (2005)

User Reviews

Anything but Elementary...

You can only marvel at the craft of Buster Keaton. The choreography and precision in coordinating these stunts and sequences would be astounding and breathtaking whatever period of cinema they came from but more so here as the medium was still in its infancy. For an imagination to conjure up such things, with the practice and patience to perfect them, can genuinely be considered genius. A performance by an absolute legend of silent picture perfection.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

None English

Release Date:

11 May 1924 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sherlock Holmes Jr.

Filming Locations:

3630 Pasadena Ave, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$977,375

Company Credits

Production Co:

Buster Keaton Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min 49 min (1924)

Sound Mix:

Silent DTS (musical score)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1