Sherlock Jr. (1924)

A movie projectionist (Buster Keaton, who also directed) daydreams about being a great detective. One afternoon, he falls asleep and imagines he walks into the movie playing in the auditorium and becomes one of the characters, the great detective Sherlock Jr. This perfectly charming comedy displays Keaton's remarkable talents as a physical comedian. Even a tired old joke like slipping on a banana peel easily gets a belly laugh when Keaton does it. The film is crammed with marvelous "how did they do that?" sight gags like Keaton literally jumping through an old lady or a series of visual jests as when Keaton is unable to adjust to a rapid series of location switches while in the projected movie. I can't help but wonder if Woody Allen's PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO wasn't influenced by Keaton's film. With Kathryn McGuire, Ward Crane, Joe Keaton (Buster's father) and Erwin Connelly.