Sherlock Jr.

"Every inch of footage holds such a laugh!"

1924 0h 45m EN

🙌

8.0

BANGER

🍅

87%

FRESH

⭐

8.2

IMDB

★8.0TMDB · 1,218🍅87%Rotten Tomatoes★8.2IMDB · 64,220

ActionComedyMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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

“Every inch of footage holds such a laugh!”

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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
Doris Deane
Girl Who Loses Dollar Outside Cinema (uncredited)
Christine Francis
Candy Store Girl (uncredited)
George Davis
Conspirator (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Buster Keaton
Writers: Clyde Bruckman, Jean C. Havez, Joseph A. Mitchell
Languages: No Language
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 45-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

102 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Buster Keaton, shot by Byron Houck. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Buster Keaton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Buster Keaton and Kathryn McGuire and Joe Keaton carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Every inch of footage holds such a laugh!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0015324 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Buster Keaton directs. Byron Houck behind the camera. Buster Keaton cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 45-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2102 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Buster Keaton, shot by Byron Houck. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Buster Keaton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Buster Keaton and Kathryn McGuire and Joe Keaton carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Every inch of footage holds such a laugh!".
7IMDB entry: tt0015324 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 22 themes, including "pickpocket", "amateur detective", "slapstick comedy", "jungle".
9Released under 19 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Byron Houck
Editing: Buster Keaton
Costume design: Clare West
Runtime: 45 min · 0h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Sherlock Jr. (1924)
Rotten Tomatoes: 87% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 8.2/10 · 64,220 votes
MPAA: Passed
US box office: $977,375

Awards

2 wins total

Also by

Buster Keaton

Stills · wallpapers

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-06
★ 7/10
What a superbly intricate piece of comedic cinema this is. Keaton is a down-at-heel cinema projectionist who fancies himself as a budding "Sherlock Holmes". When a love-rival manages to frame him for pinching his (rather fickle) girlfriend's father's watch his life seems to have lost all purpose... Only when he returns to his cinema and runs that evening's movie does he doze off and dream his way into the film - this time as a brilliant detective calmly dealing with poison, explosives and dastardly cunning plots as he effortlessly solves the crime - some stolen pearls - and gets the girl! The story flows perfectly; the timing precise, the illusions almost circus-like but sophisticatedly so; no slapstick swinging planks and 8-foot puddles; just some intelligent humour and the odd, clever, use of special effects that create some sympathy for the initially rather pathetic hero! As much as to the imagery, this owes much to the score which the Club Foot Orchestra deliver setting a great pace for the shenanigans on screen.

Production companies