A series of mishaps manages to make a young man get chased by a big city's entire police force.A series of mishaps manages to make a young man get chased by a big city's entire police force.A series of mishaps manages to make a young man get chased by a big city's entire police force.
- Awards
- 1 win
Buster Keaton
- The Young Man
- (as 'Buster' Keaton)
Edward F. Cline
- Hobo
- (uncredited)
Virginia Fox
- Mayor's Daughter
- (uncredited)
Steve Murphy
- Conman Selling Furniture
- (uncredited)
Joe Roberts
- Police Chief
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaA "goat gland specialist" was a quack who purported to treat erectile dysfunction with goat glands. In the 1920s, John R. Brinkley, a Kansas pharmacist and self-proclaimed "doctor," used the new medium of radio to make a name for himself, claiming he could cure male impotence with a goat gland transplant. His quack treatments attracted many patients, including several prominent Hollywood movie stars.
- Quotes
Police Chief: Get some cops to protect our policemen!
- Crazy creditsThe "THE END" text appears on a tombstone, which has Keaton's signature pork pie hat on top.
- Alternate versionsSome prints, notably those made by Blackhawk Films, are missing the "goat gland" sequence.
- ConnectionsEdited into When Comedy Was King (1960)
Featured review
Keaton and the Chase
This seems to be Buster Keaton's most popular short film. I prefer his films with more cinematically based comedy, such as in "The Playhouse", "The Frozen North" and "Sherlock, Jr.", but "Cops" is a very entertaining little film. It features a large comedic chase--chases, especially involving policemen, being one of the most regularly reoccurring devices in Keaton's oeuvre, especially in his two-reelers. Cops chased Keaton in "Convict 13", "Neighbors", "Hard Luck", "The Goat" and--in an escalated chase very similar to that in "Cops"--"Daydreams". My favorite Keaton chase, by the way, is the chase of the brides in "Seven Chances".
The comedic chase has a long cinema tradition, perhaps dating back to James Williamson's "Stop Thief!" (1901) or "Chinese Laundry Scene" (1895), the latter of which was based on a vaudeville act. Then, there were the Pathé comedies and those of Mack Sennett's Keystone, which were greatly derived from them. Keaton came from vaudeville and worked under one of the premiere early comedians, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, to begin his on screen career, so he was fully immersed in this tradition.
In "Cops", there are some good visual jokes that rely on film technique, such as following a close shot of Keaton behind bars with a reverse long shot that clarifies the opening scene. Keaton's mechanical inventiveness is demonstrated during the horse carriage sequence. And, there's plenty of physical comedy during the great chase finale. Keaton's sense of matured, restrained comedy is also important here, which is perhaps best characterized by his retained stoic expression throughout any chaotic misadventure. "Cops" is rather representative of Keaton's refined sense of what's funny and of his advanced understanding of film-making.
The comedic chase has a long cinema tradition, perhaps dating back to James Williamson's "Stop Thief!" (1901) or "Chinese Laundry Scene" (1895), the latter of which was based on a vaudeville act. Then, there were the Pathé comedies and those of Mack Sennett's Keystone, which were greatly derived from them. Keaton came from vaudeville and worked under one of the premiere early comedians, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, to begin his on screen career, so he was fully immersed in this tradition.
In "Cops", there are some good visual jokes that rely on film technique, such as following a close shot of Keaton behind bars with a reverse long shot that clarifies the opening scene. Keaton's mechanical inventiveness is demonstrated during the horse carriage sequence. And, there's plenty of physical comedy during the great chase finale. Keaton's sense of matured, restrained comedy is also important here, which is perhaps best characterized by his retained stoic expression throughout any chaotic misadventure. "Cops" is rather representative of Keaton's refined sense of what's funny and of his advanced understanding of film-making.
helpful•241
- Cineanalyst
- Oct 17, 2005
Details
- Runtime18 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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