SHERLOCK HOLMES WEEKEND GUEST BLOG - DAVE LEWIS

Writer Dave Lewis AKA Evan Lewis who resides HERE is a massive Sherlock Holmes fan. So much so that he has a Sherlock Holmes story, Skylar Hobbs and the Rabbit Man in the Feb 2010 issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. When asked to write something for the Sherlock Holmes Weekend, he came back with the following appreciation of the 1924 Buster Keaton classic, Sherlock Jr.

He also supplied a link with an embed code for the movie so after reading Dave's appreciation you can sit back and watch the entire movie here, on the Archive.

It's acknowledged classic of early cinema - Enjoy.

Over to you, Dave.

I didn’t know what to expect from this film. I’d heard the name for many years and was always curious, but never quite got around to seeing it. Until now. And it was a surprise. First, because it has very little to do with Sherlock Holmes, which was a mild disappointment. Second, because it’s for the most part so brilliant the Holmeslessness doesn’t matter. For a movie made in 1924, the special effects are flat-out amazing.

I’ll start from the beginning. Buster Keaton plays a projectionist/janitor in a small-town movie theater. The film opens with him reading a book, How to be a Detective, instead of working. The next 13 minutes provide a lot of yawns. Buster wants to buy a box of candy to impress his girl. When he finally scrounges up enough dough for the candy he pays her visit, and ends up getting framed by a rival (“the local sheik”) for the theft of her father’s watch. Ho hum.

Then, in the 14^th minute, the film comes alive. The next half hour is a roller coaster ride of wild imagination, incredible sight gags and slapstick humor. (In a scene where Keaton hangs from the spout of a railroad water tower, the fall to the tracks actually fractured his neck.) Returning to the theater, Buster fires up the projector for the current feature, slumps on his stool and falls asleep - and out pops his dream self. As Dream Buster stares out at the movie screen, the players morph into the cast from the candy & pocket watch sequence. Dream Buster marches down the aisle, climbs on stage and steps into the screen, now part of the movie-within-a-movie. In short order, he becomes Sherlock, Jr., the world’s greatest detective, hired to recover a string of stolen pearls.

Sherlock, Jr., also referred to as “the crime-crushing criminologist”, makes his appearance in top hat and tails, looking very much like a Strand illustration of Mr. Sherlock Holmes. The gags come fast and furious now, as he meets a murderous butler and flirts with exploding billiard balls.

We soon meet his loyal assistant Gillette (a nod, no doubt, to William Gillette, who was still portraying Holmes on stage). Gillette has so mastered the art of disguise that he repeatedly fools Sherlock. Among the choice bits to follow are a quick-change so quick you almost miss it, a wild ride on the handlebars of a motorbike and a daring rescue of his captive ladylove.

The film’s musical score, added in 1993 by the Club Foot Orchestra, adds to the fun. We’re treated to a dizzying display of musical styles, everything from slide-guitar blues to jump jazz, even veering into echoes of Peter Gunn and the James Bond.

Many critics consider Sherlock, Jr. to be Keaton’s funniest feature film. A few years back the American Film Institute ranked it number 62 of the funniest movies of all time.

But don’t take my (or their) word for it. You can watch the entire 45-minute film yourself right here on the ARCHIVE. Just remember, don’t let the first 13 minutes discourage you. Have a cup of tea, browse other posts if you must. But be ready for the fun to start in minute 14, and be prepared to be mesmerized until the end.