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

Even though the central character's intentions are good, he cannot win, no matter how inventively he tries. He gets into various scraps with police officers throughout the film. Eventually, he unwittingly throws a bomb into a police parade and ends up being chased by a horde of cops.

At the end of the film, Keaton's character locks up the cops in the police station. However, the girl he is trying to woo 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.

## Cast

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* 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)

## Legacy

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Cops is one of Keaton's most iconic and brilliantly constructed short films.

## See also

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

## References

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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

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cops (film).

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 AllMovie
* 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

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)

Miscellaneous|

* The Buster Keaton Show (1950)
* Go West: Music for the Films of Buster Keaton (1995)
* The High Sign/One Week (1995)
* International Buster Keaton Society

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