Cops (film)

1922 film

Cops

Theatrical poster

Directed by| Edward F. Cline
Buster Keaton
Written by| Edward F. Cline
Buster Keaton
Produced by| Joseph M. Schenck
Starring| Buster Keaton
Virginia Fox
Joe Roberts
Edward F. Cline
Steve Murphy
Cinematography| Elgin Lessley
Distributed by| First National Pictures Inc.

Release date

* March 11, 1922 (1922-03-11)

Running time

| 18 minutes
Country| United States
Languages| Silent film
English (original intertitles)

Cops is a 1922 American two-reel silent comedy film about a young man (Buster Keaton) who accidentally gets on the bad side of the entire Los Angeles Police Department during a parade and is chased all over town. It was written and directed by Edward F. Cline and Keaton. This very Kafka-esque film was filmed during the rape-and-murder trial of Fatty Arbuckle, a circumstance that may have influenced the short's tone of hopeless ensnarement.[1][2]

It was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in their National Film Registry in 1997.[3][4]

## Plot

[edit]

Cops

The main character is spurned by his love interest, who wants him to become a businessman. Once he leaves her estate, he ends up acquiring a large amount of money from a businessman’s wallet. He uses this money to buy up a comically large amount of furniture and a horse to carry this furniture in a carriage. While moving the furniture around town, he faces a variety of comical issues, such as his horse tiring out and accidentally knocking out a cop with his homemade turn signal. Later, he accidentally joins a police parade. A bomb gets thrown off a rooftop and Keaton’s character catches it and unwittingly throws it into the parade. This leads to him being chased by a horde of cops.

At the end of the film, Keaton's character manages to lock all the cops in a police station. However, the girl he tried to woo at the beginning of the film (revealed to be the Mayor’s daughter) disapproves of his behavior and gives him the cold shoulder. Therefore, he unlocks the police station and is immediately pulled in by the cops. The film ends with the title "The End" written on a tombstone with Keaton's pork pie hat propped on it.

## Edits

[edit]

During its initial release individual states had their own censor boards and would cut the film to meet their states requirements. Surviving prints of this title bear the State of Pennsylvania Censors Board Approval logo, Pennsylvania cut out the Goat Gland Doctor sequence and for decades this was missing. Around 1980 a surviving uncut print was located and this sequence was re-inserted into the film. Still, many older prints exist without this sequence restored.

## Cast

[edit]

* Buster Keaton as The Young Man
* Joe Roberts as Police Chief
* Virginia Fox as Mayor's Daughter
* Edward F. Cline as Hobo
* Steve Murphy as Conman selling furniture (uncredited)

## See also

[edit]

* Buster Keaton filmography
* List of United States comedy films
* 1922 in film

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Neibaur, James L., and Terri Niemi (2013). Buster Keaton's silent shorts, 1920-1923. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 148. ISBN 081088741X.
2. ^ Oldham, Gabriella (1996). Keaton's silent shorts: Beyond the laughter. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. p. 203. ISBN 0585108064.
3. ^ "New to the National Film Registry (December 1997) - Library of Congress Information Bulletin". www.loc.gov. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
4. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved June 3, 2020.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cops (film).

English Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Cops

* Cops essay by Randy Haberkamp at National Film Registry [1]
* Cops essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 ISBN 0826429777, pages 81–83 [2]
* The short film Cops is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
* Cops at IMDb
* Cops at the International Buster Keaton Society
* Article at InDigest Magazine about the film recently being scored by guitarist Steve Kimock

* v
* t
* e

Buster Keaton

Filmography

Shorts (1917–1923)|

* The Rough House
* One Week
* Convict 13
* The Scarecrow
* Neighbors
* The Haunted House
* Hard Luck
* The High Sign
* The Goat
* The Playhouse
* The Boat
* The Paleface
* Cops
* My Wife's Relations
* The Blacksmith
* The Frozen North
* The Electric House
* Day Dreams
* The Balloonatic
* The Love Nest

Feature films|

* Three Ages
* Our Hospitality
* Sherlock Jr.
* The Navigator
* Seven Chances
* Go West
* Battling Butler
* The General
* College
* Steamboat Bill, Jr.
* The Cameraman
* Spite Marriage

Shorts (1934–1937)
(for Educational Pictures)|

* The Gold Ghost
* Allez Oop
* Tars and Stripes
* Grand Slam Opera
* Blue Blazes
* Mixed Magic
* Love Nest on Wheels

Television|

* The Buster Keaton Show (1950)

Works about|

* The Buster Keaton Story (1957)
* Buster Keaton Rides Again (1965)
* Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (1987)
* The Great Buster: A Celebration (2018)
* Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life (2022)

Related|

* Natalie Talmadge (first wife)
* Eleanor Keaton (third wife)
* Myra Keaton (mother)
* Joe Keaton (father)
* Go West: Music for the Films of Buster Keaton (1995)
* The High Sign/One Week (1995)
* International Buster Keaton Society

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