- Location: On the Amtrak to DC
- Sherlock Jr. would have been a remarkable film even it hadn't starred Buster Keaton. With Keaton, however, it's really amazing. The story follows a bumbling movie projectionist (Keaton) as he attempts to woo a girl (Kathryn McGuire) under the watchful eye of a competing suitor (Ward Crane). As always, the plot is largely a pretense for the Great Stone Face's shtick, examples of which include a hilarious struggle to purchase candy, a memorable lesson in how not to tail a suspect, and the most unique method of quick-change I've ever seen. The film's action centerpiece involves an absolutely astounding ride on the handlebars of a motorcycle that is as thrilling as anything Keaton ever did, which is saying something.
- The reason that Sherlock Jr. stands out from what I've seen of the rest of Keaton's filmography, however, is the additional creativity that is evident behind the camera. Despite the countless hours of preparation that must have gone into his usual capers, the impression is usually one of improvisation. His characters find themselves in the path of an oncoming train and somehow manage not to get hit, usually because Keaton pulls off some incredibly dangerous stunt. In the movie theater scene, however, we are treated to a glimpse of what Keaton could accomplish in the editing booth. Through a combination of trick photography and clever cuts, Keaton manages to have his dreaming self enter the very film he's projecting. Once there, some rather jarring scene changes produce a whole host of amusing effects on him before he takes the opportunity to do a riff on Sherlock Holmes. He was already my favorite silent physical comedian, but this film proves that he was a man of many talents.
- Apparently Keaton fractured his neck in the water tower scene.
