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.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.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.
Jane Connelly
- The Mother
- (uncredited)
George Davis
- Conspirator
- (uncredited)
Doris Deane
- Girl Who Loses Dollar Outside Cinema
- (uncredited)
Christine Francis
- Candy Store Girl
- (uncredited)
Betsy Ann Hisle
- Little Girl
- (uncredited)
Kewpie Morgan
- Conspirator
- (uncredited)
Steve Murphy
- Conspirator
- (uncredited)
John Patrick
- Conspirator
- (uncredited)
Ford West
- Theatre Manager
- (uncredited)
- …
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen Buster Keaton is running along the roofs of the moving freight train cars, he comes to the last one and jumps and grabs the tube connected to a water tower. His weight caused the tube to descend and, as it did so, water poured out and washed him on to the track with force, fracturing his neck nearly to the point of breaking it. This footage appears in the released film. Keaton suffered from blinding migraines for years afterwards and was unaware of the reason, until a doctor diagnosed him in the 1930s.
- GoofsAfter 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.
- Quotes
Projectionist: [as Sherlock Jr., riding on the handlebars of a motorcycle, unaware the driver fell off] Be careful or one of us will get hurt.
- Alternate versionsIn 1995, Film Preservation Associates, Inc. copyrighted a 45-minute version of this film, with a music score performed by Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks.
- ConnectionsEdited into When Comedy Was King (1960)
Featured review
marvellous and inventive
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.
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.
helpful•345
- didi-5
- Sep 16, 2006
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Misfit
- Filming locations
- 3630 Pasadena Ave, Los Angeles, California, USA(Northleaf Grocery)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $399
- Runtime45 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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