List of contributors; Acknowledgements; Introduction: 'Think slow, act fast' - Keaton's comic genius Andrew Horton; 1. 'This fellow Keaton seems to be the whole show': Buster Keaton, interrupted performance and the Vaudeville aesthetic Henry Jenkins; 2. Houdini's protégé: Buster Keaton in Sherlock Jr. Peter F. Parshall; 3. The detective and the fool: or, the mystery of manhood in Sherlock Jr. Kathleen Rowe Karlyn; 4. Passing through the equal sign: fractal mathematics in Sherlock Jr. Michael Goodwin; 5. The purple rose of Keaton Dan Georgakas; 6. Playing detective: possible solutions to the production mysteries of Sherlock Jr. David B. Pearson; Filmography; Opening reviews of 'Sherlock Jr.', 1924; Select bibliography; Index.