User:Nancekelton/sandbox

Plot
A movie theater projectionist and janitor (Buster Keaton) is in love with a beautiful girl (Kathryn McGuire). However, he has a rival, the "local sheik" (Ward Crane). Neither has much money. The projectionist buys a $1 box of chocolates, all he can afford, and changes the price to $4 before giving it and a ring to her. The sheik steals and pawns the girl's father's pocket watch for $4. With the money, he buys a $3 box of chocolates for the girl. When the father notices his watch is missing, the sheik slips the pawn ticket into the projectionist's pocket unnoticed. The projectionist, studying to be a detective, offers to solve the crime, but when the pawn ticket is found, is banished from the girl's home.

While showing a film about the theft of a pearl necklace, he falls asleep and dreams that he enters the movie as a detective, Sherlock Jr.. The other actors are replaced by the projectionist's "real" acquaintances. The dream begins with the theft being committed by the villain (played by the local sheik) with the aid of the butler (played by the hired man). The girl's father calls the world's greatest detective and Sherlock Jr. arrives. Fearing that they will be caught, the villain and the butler attempt to kill Sherlock through several traps and an elaborate pool game with an exploding 13 ball. When these fail, the villain and butler try to escape. Sherlock Jr. tracks them down to a warehouse, but is outnumbered by the gang that the villain was selling the necklace to. During the confrontation, Sherlock discovers that they have kidnapped the girl. With the help of Gillette, Sherlock Jr. manages to escape this situation and save the girl.

When he awakens, the girl shows up to tell him that she learned the identity of the real thief after going to the pawn shop to see who actually pawned the pocket watch. As a reconciliation is playing on the screen, he mimics the actor's behavior.

Cast

 * Buster Keaton as Projectionist / Sherlock Jr. - A poor young projectionist that wants to marry The Girl. He has an interest in being a detective and when he falls asleep, he dreams of being Sherlock Jr., the world's greatest detective.
 * Kathryn McGuire as The Girl - The daughter of a fairly wealthy man, whom the Projectionist is in love with. In the dream, she must be saved by Sherlock Jr..
 * Joe Keaton as The Girl's Father - A man who is wealthier than most. He does not want his daughter marrying a thief. In the dream, he is a very rich man.
 * Erwin Connelly as The Hired Man / The Butler - A hired man of the girl's father. In the dream, he is a co-conspirator in the theft of the necklace.
 * Ward Crane as The Local Sheik / The Villain - A poor scoundrel that has his eyes for the girl. He steals the pocket watch, and in the dream, he is the villain who steals the necklace.
 * Ford West as Theatre Manager / Gillette, Sherlock's assistant - The projectionist's boss in the real world. In the dream, he is the assistant.