The Keystone Cops (often spelled "Keystone Kops") are fictional, humorously incompetent policemen featured in silent film

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such ...

comedies produced by

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...

for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917.

History

The idea for the Keystone Cops came from

Hank Mann Hank Mann (born David William Lieberman, May 28, 1887 – November 25, 1971) was a Russian Empire-born and American comedian and silent screen star who was a member of the Keystone Cops. According to fellow actor and original member of the ...

, and they were named for the Keystone studio, the film production company founded in 1912 by Sennett. Their first film was ''

Hoffmeyer's Legacy ''Hoffmeyer's Legacy'' is a 1912 comedy short directed by Mack Sennett and notable for being the first Keystone Cops comedy. However, many consider the first real Keystone Cop comedy to be ''The Bangville Police (1913).'' Cast * Ford Sterling .. ...

'' (1912), with Mann playing the part of police chief Tehiezel, but their popularity stemmed from the 1913 short ''

The Bangville Police ''The Bangville Police'' (also known as ''Bangville Police'') is a 1913 comedy short starring Fred Mace, Mabel Normand and the Keystone Cops (Mace, Raymond Hatton, Edgar Kennedy, Ford Sterling, and Al St. John). The one-reel film, generally r ...

'' starring

Mabel Normand Amabel Ethelreid Normand (November 9, 1893 – February 23, 1930), better known as Mabel Normand, was an American silent film actress, screenwriter, director, and producer. She was a popular star and collaborator of Mack Sennett in their ...

, which had

Ford Sterling Ford Sterling (born George Ford Stich Jr.; November 3, 1883 – October 13, 1939) was an American comedian and actor best known for his work with Keystone Studios. One of the 'Big 4', he was the original chief of the Keystone Cops. Biography ...

in the role of chief. As early as 1914, Sennett shifted the Keystone Cops from starring roles to background ensemble in support of comedians such as

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is conside ...

and

Fatty Arbuckle Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle (; March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked w ...

. The Keystone Cops served as supporting players for

Marie Dressler Marie Dressler (born Leila Marie Koerber, November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934) was a Canadian stage and screen actress, comedian, and early silent film and Depression-era film star. In 1914, she was in the first full-length film comedy. Sh ...

, Mabel Normand, and Chaplin in the first full-length Sennett comedy feature '' Tillie's Punctured Romance'' (1914); ''

Mabel's New Hero ''Mabel's New Hero'' is a 1913 American short comedy film featuring Mabel Normand, Fatty Arbuckle, and The Keystone Cops. Cast * Mabel Normand as Mabel * Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle as Fatty * Charles Inslee as Hansome Harry * Virginia Kirtley as ...

'' (1913) with Normand and Arbuckle; ''

Making a Living ''Making a Living'' (also known as ''Doing His Best'', ''A Busted Johnny'', ''Troubles'', and ''Take My Picture'') is the first film starring Charlie Chaplin. A one-reel comedy short, it was completed in three days at Keystone Studios in Los An ...

'' (1914) with Chaplin in his first pre-

Tramp A tramp is a long-term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking all year round. Etymology Tramp is derived from a Middle English verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (''cf.'' modern English ''t ...

screen appearance; ''

In the Clutches of the Gang ''In the Clutches of the Gang'' (also known as ''In the Clutches of a Gang'') is a 1914 American short comedy film featuring Roscoe Arbuckle. The majority of the film is believed to be lost. However, a fragment of the film exists and is held by ...

'' (1914) with Normand, Arbuckle, and

Al St. John Al St. John (also credited as Al Saint John and "Fuzzy" St. John; September 10, 1892 – January 21, 1963) was an early American motion-picture comedian. He was a nephew of silent film star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, with whom he often performed on ...

; and ''

Wished on Mabel ''Wished on Mabel'' is a 1915 American silent comedy short or "one-reeler" filmed at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California, and directed by Mabel Normand. The short also co-stars Normand and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. Plot This "farce c ...

'' (1915) with Arbuckle and Normand, among others. Comic actors

Chester Conklin Chester Cooper Conklin (January 11, 1886 – October 11, 1971) was an early American film comedian who started at Keystone Studios as one of Mack Sennett’s Keystone Cops, often paired with Mack Swain. He appeared in a series of films with Ma ...

Jimmy Finlayson James Henderson Finlayson (27 August 1887 – 9 October 1953) was a Scottish actor who worked in both silent and sound comedies. Bald, with a fake moustache, Finlayson had many trademark comic mannerisms and is known for his squinting, outraged ...

, and

were also Keystone Cops, as was director

Del Lord Delmer "Del" Lord (October 7, 1894March 23, 1970) was a Canadian film director and actor best known as a director of Three Stooges films. Career Delmer Lord was born in the small town of Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. Interested in the theatre, he t ...

. The original Keystone Cops were

George Jeske George Washington Jeske (February 22, 1891 – October 28, 1951) was an American screenwriter, director, and actor. Career Jeske was born in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1891. He was one of the original Keystone Kops for Mack Sennett. He wrote f ...

Bobby Dunn Robert P. Dunn (August 28, 1890 – March 24, 1937) was a comic actor who was one of the original Keystone Kops in '' Hoffmeyer's Legacy''. Early years Dunn was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Richard P. and Melissa Dunn, and attended S ...

, Mack Riley, Charles Avery, Slim Summerville,

Edgar Kennedy Edgar Livingston Kennedy (April 26, 1890 – November 9, 1948) was an American comedic character actor who appeared in at least 500 films during the silent and sound eras. Professionally, he was known as "Slow Burn", owing to his ability to por ...

, and

.Lahue, Kalton (1971); ''Mack Sennett's Keystone: The man, the myth and the comedies''; New York: Barnes; ; p. 194 In 2010, the lost short ''

A Thief Catcher ''A Thief Catcher'' is a one-reel 1914 American comedy film, produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone film company, directed by Ford Sterling, and starring Sterling, Mack Swain, Edgar Kennedy, and Charles Chaplin as a policeman. Cast * Ford S ...

'' was discovered at an antique sale in Michigan. It was filmed in 1914 and stars

Mack Swain Mack Swain (born Moroni Swain; February 16, 1876 – August 25, 1935) was an early American film actor, who appeared in many of Mack Sennett’s comedies at Keystone Studios, including the Keystone Cops series. He also appeared in major feat ...

, and

and includes a previously unknown appearance of

as a Keystone Cop.

Revivals

Mack Sennett continued to use the Keystone Cops intermittently through the 1920s, but their popularity had waned by the time that sound films arrived. In 1935, director Ralph Staub staged a revival of the Sennett gang for his

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

short subject '' Keystone Hotel'', featuring a re-creation of the Kops clutching at their hats, leaping in the air in surprise, running energetically in any direction, and taking extreme pratfalls. The Staub version of the Keystone Cops became a template for later re-creations.

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

's 1939 film ''

Hollywood Cavalcade ''Hollywood Cavalcade'' is a 1939 American film featuring Alice Faye as a young performer making her way in the early days of Hollywood, from slapstick silent pictures through the transition from silent to sound. Production In the wake of Alic ...

'' had

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

in a Keystone chase scene. ''

Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops ''Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops'' is a 1955 comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. After the film was completed, Universal-International wanted to rename it ''Abbott and Costello ...

'' (1955) included a lengthy chase scene, showcasing a group of stuntmen dressed as Sennett's squad. (Two original Keystone Cops in this film were

Heinie Conklin Heinie Conklin (born Charles John Conklin; July 16, 1880July 30, 1959) was an American actor and comedian whose career began in the silent film era. Early years Conklin was born Charles John Conklin on July 16, 1880, in San Francisco, Califo ...

as an elderly studio guard and

as a prop man. Sennett also starred in a cameo appearance as himself).

Richard Lester Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932) is an American retired film director based in the United Kingdom. He is best known for directing the Beatles' films '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964) and '' Help!'' (1965), and the superhero films ' ...

's '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964) has a scene where the reminiscent Keystone cops chase

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

around the streets. In Sydney, Australia, in the 1960s, Rod Hull, Desmond Tester and Penny Spence featured in a local homage series of TV comedy shorts, ''Caper Cops''. "It’s a direct steal of the American ''Keystone Kops'' ic but this is Sydney, Australia, in the late 1960s and who cares..." said creator/star Hull.

Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began ...

directed a car chase scene in the Keystone Cops' style in his comedy film ''

Silent Movie ''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in the summer of 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and Sid ...

'' (1976).

Canceled cartoon shorts

In the late 1960s, Warner Bros.-Seven Arts pitched to create a series of animated cartoon short films based on the Keystone Cops, before being scrapped permanently following the closure of Warner’s original animation studio in 1969.

In popular culture

The name has since been used to criticize any group for its mistakes and lack of coordination, particularly if either trait was exhibited after a great deal of energy and activity. For example, in criticizing the

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-ter ...

's response to

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

, Senator Joseph Lieberman claimed that emergency workers under DHS chief

Michael Chertoff Michael Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is an American attorney who was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security to serve under President George W. Bush. Chertoff also served for one additional day under President Barack Obama. ...

"ran around like Keystone Kops, uncertain about what they were supposed to do or uncertain how to do it." In sport, the term has come into common usage by television commentators, particularly in the United Kingdom and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. The rugby commentator Liam Toland uses the term to describe a team's incompetent performance on the pitch. The phrase "Keystone cops defending" has become a catchphrase for describing a situation in an English football match where a defensive error or a series of defensive errors leads to a goal. The term was also used in American Football commentary to describe the play of the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The ...

against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in the 2012

Butt Fumble The Butt Fumble was a notorious American football play from a National Football League (NFL) game played on Thanksgiving (United States), Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2012, between the New York Jets and New England Patriots. In front of the ho ...

game, with sportscaster

Cris Collinsworth Anthony Cris Collinsworth (born January 27, 1959) is an American sports broadcaster and former professional American football player. Collinsworth was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons (1981-1988), all with ...

declaring "This is the Keystone Cops", after the Jets gave up 21 points in 51 seconds. According to

Dave Filoni David Filoni (born June 7, 1974) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and voice actor. He has worked on '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'', '' The Mandalorian'', and on the theatrical film and television series of '' Star Wars: The Clon ...

, supervising director of the animated television series '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'', the look of the police droid is based on the appearance of the Keystone Kops. The 1983 video game ''

Keystone Kapers ''Keystone Kapers'' is a video game developed by Activision and published for the Atari 2600 in April 1983, and later ported to the Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit family, ColecoVision, and in 1984, MSX. Inspired by Mack Sennett's slapstick ''Keystone Co ...

'', released for the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocesso ...

, 5200, MSX and

Colecovision ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision. The console offered a closer exp ...

, by

Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one ...

, featured Keystone Kop Officer Kelly. The open-source 1987 video game '' NetHack'' features Keystone Kops as a type of enemy, appearing whenever a player steals from an in-game shop. In 2022 Tom Cooper, an Austrian military analyst and book writer, repeatedly used 'Keystone Cops in Moscow' as an alias for the Russian Ministry of Defense.

References

External links

;Feature films *
Hoffmeyer's Legacy
' (1912) *
The Bangville Police
' (1913) with

''The Gangsters''
(1913) with

Roscoe Arbuckle Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle (; March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked w ...

, and

*
Barney Oldfield's Race for a Life
' (1913) with

*
Mabel's New Hero
' (1913) with

and

*
Making a Living
' (1914)
Available to watch/download
from the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

) with

Charles Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consid ...

*
Tillie's Punctured Romance
' (1914)
Available to watch/download
from the

) with

, and

*
In the Clutches of the Gang
' (1914) with

, and

*
The Noise of Bombs
' (1914) with

police chief The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

*
Love, Loot and Crash
' (1915)
Available to watch/download
from the

) with

Charley Chase Charles Joseph Parrott (October 20, 1893 – June 20, 1940), known professionally as Charley Chase, was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director. He worked for many pioneering comedy studios but is chiefly associated with pro ...

*
Wished on Mabel
' (1915) with

and

*
Love, Speed and Thrills
' (1915)
Available to watch/download
from the

) with

Minta Durfee Araminta Estelle "Minta" Durfee (October 1, 1889 – September 9, 1975) was an American silent film actress from Los Angeles, California, possibly best known for her role in '' Mickey'' (1918). Biography She met Roscoe Arbuckle when he was att ...

, and

{{Mack Sennett American film series Fictional police officers in films Police comedies Film characters introduced in 1912 Slapstick comedy Slapstick films Silent films American black-and-white films Films directed by Mack Sennett 1910s police films Comedy franchises

History

Revivals

Canceled cartoon shorts

In popular culture

See also

References

Further reading

External links