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Sherlock Jr.

1924 · US

Directed by Buster Keaton

Keaton, 1924. A projectionist (and unpaid detective) falls asleep and walks into the picture on the screen. The edits dump him from garden to street to lion's cage. Kathryn McGuire is the girl; Ward Crane the rival. The film-within-the-film is the formal joke. He did the stunts. One of them, the water tower, broke his neck; he finished the picture anyway.

Comedy · Mystery · Action

Watch now

Watch Sherlock Jr.

1924 · Source: Wikimedia Commons

Public domain presentation

Public Domain Source

Wikimedia Commons · FM-54; File:Sherlock Jr. (1924).webm; 1440x1080

Video: Buster Keaton · Credit: YouTube – View/save archived versions on archive.org · Public domain · Source: File page

In Pioneers: Buster Keaton · Silent 101 · American Comedy

Cast & Crew

Buster Keaton · DirectorBuster Keaton · Projectionist / Sherlock, Jr.Kathryn McGuire · Girl

Available Subtitles

No subtitle tracks are currently listed.

Other sources: DonaldPBorchersOG

From the Reading Room

Article
Sherlock Jr.
Article
Sherlock Jr. essay by Jeffrey Vance — Library of Congress

NFPB essay examining Keaton's innovative exploration of cinema and reality through experimental techniques.

Article
Sherlock Jr.
Article
Review: Sherlock Jr. (1924) — Philosophy in Film

Philosophical analysis of the film as meditation on cinema's relationship to imagination and dreams.

Where to Watch

Streaming data by JustWatch

Cast

Principal players
B

Buster Keaton

Projectionist / Sherlock, Jr.

Kathryn McGuire

Kathryn McGuire

Girl

Joe Keaton

Joe Keaton

Girl's Father / Man on Film Screen

E

Erwin Connelly

Hired Man / Butler

Ward Crane

Ward Crane

Sheik / Villain

Doris Deane

Doris Deane

Girl Who Loses Dollar Outside Cinema (uncredited)

C

Christine Francis

Candy Store Girl (uncredited)

George Davis

George Davis

Conspirator (uncredited)

Kewpie Morgan

Kewpie Morgan

Conspirator (uncredited)

Steve Murphy

Steve Murphy

Conspirator (uncredited)

John Patrick

John Patrick

Conspirator (uncredited)

Betsy Ann Hisle

Betsy Ann Hisle

Little Girl (uncredited)

F

Ford West

Theatre Manager / Gillette (uncredited)

Crew

Byron Houck

cinematographer

Clyde Bruckman

writer

Elgin Lessley

cinematographer

Jean C. Havez

writer

Joseph A. Mitchell

writer

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