“Say, Mr. Detective, before you clean up any mysteries…..clean up this theater.”
Buster Keaton is considered by many to be one of, if not the best, actor/director/writer of the silent film era and also one of the best actor/director/writers of all time. He’s also considered to be one of the funniest performers in history. He began his career in vaudeville with his family’s show, The Three Keatons, and made his first appearance on stage at the age of three in 1899. He quickly became a master of pratfalls and high risk stunts and utilized these talents in silent films. His first appearance on film came in 1917’s The Butcher Boy. It starred Fatty Arbuckle, Al St. John, and Alice Lake. Soon enough, Keaton found himself working as a second unit director for Arbuckle and he would eventually direct his first short, One Week, in 1920, and his first feature film, Three Ages, in 1923. Keaton continued working until 1966 (his death), starring in, directing, and writing much of his work. Some of his most popular works include The General (1926), The Navigator (1924), Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928), and Sherlock, Jr. (1924).
In Sherlock, Jr., Keaton portrays a young man who reads a book about becoming a detective during breaks at his job at a cinema. Keaton runs the projector and cleans up the theater. He’s also in love with a young woman, known only as The Girl, whom he purchases a box of candy for that costs one dollar. Hoping to impress her, he changes the price tag to four dollars. He also gives her a ring, albeit a small one. While courting her, another man, known as The Sheik, steals the pocket watch from the coat of the Girl’s father. He pawns it for four dollars, buys a box of three dollar chocolates, and gives them to the Girl in front of Keaton. When he discovers that his pocket watch has been stolen, the Girl’s father decides to call the police. Seeing it as an opportunity to test his detective skills, Keaton volunteers to find the watch but is instead framed for the theft by the Sheik. The Girl’s father kicks Buster out of his home and tells him that he is no longer welcome there. Heartbroken, Buster returns to the cinema and begins projecting the film Hearts And Pearls. He soon falls asleep in the projector booth and dreams that he is in the film as Sherlock, Jr., a master detective who battles a villain that looks like the Sheik. The rest of the characters in the film are replaced by people in Keaton’s real life. The rest of the film plays out with Keaton, as Sherlock, Jr., attempting to solve a crime. What happens we he awakens from his dream? Watch Sherlock, Jr. to find out!
This film is hilarious. It features a number of gags, stunts, and pratfalls by Keaton, many of which are considered to be some of his best stunts of all time. Keaton rides on the handlebars of a motorcycle without a driver for an extended period in the film. He also jumps “through” his sidekick, Gillette, when attempting to escape from some thugs. He rides a roadblock gate from the top of a two-story building to the ground as well. He plays a one-sided game of pool in which he avoids an explosive ball. One stunt in the film almost unknowingly ended Keaton’s career. In the film, Keaton runs across the top of moving rail cars and then hops onto a water tower by grabbing the water spout. The spout, which opens when pulled down, released a ton of water on top of Keaton and pinned him to the rails below. Despite this part of the stunt being planned out, Keaton was pushed down so hard into the rails that he broke a vertebra in his neck. Unaware that he broke the vertebra, Keaton hops up and runs away from the villains chasing him in the scene. It is said that Keaton complained of having severe headaches for days following the stunt, but he wouldn’t find out about the break until years later after receiving an X-ray.
The film didn’t do very well at the box office and Keaton spent a ton of hours editing and re-editing it hoping to find a final product that he liked. He never did and, as a result, considers this film to be “alright” but pretty much a disappointment. Time has been kind to the film, however, as it has found a place on numerous “Best Of” lists for silent films. I really enjoyed this film myself. Some of the stunts are amazing and I had to do a double take on the “jumping through” Gillette scene. The film has also become appreciated for the physical gags and stunts executed by Keaton.
The film is available to stream for free on a number of platforms and I highly recommend watching it. It’s one of my favorite silent films and I believe that you will enjoy it as well.
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Ken's Alternate Universe! 