Sherlock Jr. is 100!
One of the most hilarious films just celebrated its one-hundredth birthday.
“There is an old proverb which says: Don’t try to do two things at once and expect to do justice to both.
“This is the story of a boy who tried it. While employed as a moving picture operator in a small town theater he was also studying to be a detective.”
And so begins the story of Sherlock Jr.
Fortunately for us – the viewers – the proverb rings true. The boy in question falls asleep while running the reel, and when attempting to solve his first case, gets framed for the crime. But in proper Buster Keaton fashion, these missteps make such hilarious happenings possible.
Buster Keaton was so dedicated to the craft of physical comedy – pantomime – that sometimes it is hard to decide whether to laugh or simply to gawk at the impressive nature of his stunts. And you may be more familiar with his work than you first realized. His trademark comedic style has inspired dozens of others. He’s been depicted in animated shorts, children’s books, and pop art. One of his films, Steamboat Bill Jr., was the inspiration for the famed Mickey Mouse short of a similar name, which still opens Disney films to this day.
His stone face, wonky shoes, and flat hat were his versions of Charlie Chaplin’s cane and twittering mustache. As he goes through comical scenarios, only the audience is laughing, not his character. Besides a few rare slips at the beginning of his film career, Keaton never smiled. Pathos of course plays a role. You may find yourself laughing as you watch Keaton stumble off a train or his car fall apart, but you can’t help but root for him. You want to see him reach some sort of happy ending. And although you know he won’t smile when he reaches it, that’s alright, you want him to have it just the same.
“All my life, I have been happiest when the folks watching me said to each other, ‘Look at the poor dope, will ya?’.”
– Buster Keaton
One of his best films, Sherlock Jr., turned 100 on April 21st, 2024. He walks atop trains, searches for clues, obliviously thwarts villains, and jumps, quite literally, straight into a movie screen.
Although a century old, you may be surprised by how little has changed. Technology-based, fashion-based, sure, plenty has changed on those fronts. But human-nature-based, no. People still aspire and dream, people still laugh at the same sorts of things, and people are still inspired by film.
One thing that has changed within the last 100 years is the relationship people have with film. It’s no longer a novelty. You don’t have to go down to the theater and hope they are playing something you might like. You now have thousands of movies available at your fingertips – including some brilliant ones.
If you have 45 minutes to spare, take a peek at one of the brilliant ones – Sherlock Jr.
