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.
Some of our favorite trailers of the week include the Mindy Kaling's latest project, and one of TV's best dynamic duos.
Related News
-
Trailer for 'The Great Buster: A Celebration' Doc About Buster Keaton
25 September 2018 | FirstShowing.net -
Giveaway – Win Buster Keaton: 3 Films Master of Cinema Limited Edition Blu-ray Boxed Set
30 October 2017 | Flickeringmyth -
The Best Classic Movies for People Who Don’t Watch Older Films — IndieWire Critics Survey
28 August 2017 | Indiewire
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Sherlock Jr. (1924)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
The General
(1926)
Certificate: Passed
Action
|
Adventure
|
Comedy
Directors:
Clyde Bruckman,
Buster Keaton
Stars:
Buster Keaton,
Marion Mack,
Glen Cavender
Sunrise
(1927)
Certificate: Passed
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
F.W. Murnau
Stars:
George O'Brien,
Janet Gaynor,
Margaret Livingston
Our Hospitality
(1923)
Comedy
|
Romance
|
Thriller
Directors:
John G. Blystone,
Buster Keaton
Stars:
Buster Keaton,
Natalie Talmadge,
Joe Keaton
Seven Chances
(1925)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Romance
Director:
Buster Keaton
Stars:
Buster Keaton,
Ruth Dwyer,
T. Roy Barnes
The Passion of Joan of Arc
(1928)
Biography
|
Drama
|
History
Director:
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Stars:
Maria Falconetti,
Eugene Silvain,
André Berley
The Navigator
(1924)
Action
|
Comedy
|
Romance
Directors:
Donald Crisp,
Buster Keaton
Stars:
Buster Keaton,
Kathryn McGuire,
Frederick Vroom
It Happened One Night
(1934)
Comedy
|
Romance
Director:
Frank Capra
Stars:
Clark Gable,
Claudette Colbert,
Walter Connolly
Metropolis
(1927)
Drama
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Fritz Lang
Stars:
Brigitte Helm,
Alfred Abel,
Gustav Fröhlich
M
(1931)
Crime
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
Fritz Lang
Stars:
Peter Lorre,
Ellen Widmann,
Inge Landgut
Safety Last!
(1923)
Comedy
|
Thriller
Directors:
Fred C. Newmeyer,
Sam Taylor
Stars:
Harold Lloyd,
Mildred Davis,
Bill Strother
One Week
(1920)
Short
|
Comedy
Directors:
Edward F. Cline,
Buster Keaton
Stars:
Buster Keaton,
Sybil Seely,
Joe Roberts
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
(1939)
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Frank Capra
Stars:
James Stewart,
Jean Arthur,
Claude Rains
Edit
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 | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (70) »
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. Written by garykmcd
Plot Keywords:
false accusation | surrealism | national film registry | pawn ticket | pocket watch |Taglines:
every inch of footage holds such a laugh!Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
11 May 1924 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Sherlock Holmes Jr. See more »Edit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$977,375Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (1924)Sound Mix:
SilentColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1
Edit
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The intertitle introducing Sherlock Jr.'s assistant contains some sharp humour. "His assistant - Gillette. A Gem who was Ever-Ready in a bad scrape." Gillette, Gem and Ever-Ready were all razor manufacturers. See more »Goofs
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. See more »Quotes
The sheik: [to Sherlock Jr. about a man locked in a tight cage] That's a detective. When he's dead I'll put you in there.See more »
Alternate Versions
In 1995, Film Preservation Associates, Inc. copyrighted a 45-minute version of this film, with a music score performed by Vince Giordano and His Nighthawks Orchestra. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
See what movies and TV series you can watch for free today, and visit IMDb Freedive for even more. Select any poster below to play the movie!
Explore popular action and adventure titles available to stream with Prime Video.
This Keaton classic is both funny and extremely clever in its construction. Our hero is a cleaner but dreams of becoming a detective, always with his nose buried in a book on the subject.
The first third of the film is much like any other comedy. There are lost dollar bills, things sticking to other things, something stolen, mistaken identities. Our heroine is introduced in a charming scene where they seem terrified to hold hands. Her father is played by Buster's father Joe Keaton, who would appear in many of his son's films.
There's a mustachioed cad with slick hair and a sharp suit who is after the girl, a cartoon baddie who the audience instinctively knows deserves a hiss and not a cheer.
It is in Junior's other job as a cinema projectionist that the film comes alive. We are watching the film he has set up and then, suddenly, he is part of the action. In a sequence of great inventiveness, we see the film within a film changing scenes and watch with delight as the character adapts to each situation and surrounding.
Sherlock Jr is very funny but is also unusual and, in comparison with other comedies of the period, ahead of its time. It includes some excellent stunts that are the equal of anything done by Harold Lloyd in the same period, and, although it has a very short running time, manages to develop a good storyline throughout.
Justly feted as a masterpiece of silent comedy, Sherlock Jr represented one of the peaks of Buster Keaton's cinematic career. It is a film worth watching and has stood up well today.