Jail Bait

1937
U
18m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Buster Keaton and Harold Goodwin in Jail Bait (1937)

Buster agrees to pose as a murderer to throw off the police while his room mate, a reporter, searches for the real killer.Buster agrees to pose as a murderer to throw off the police while his room mate, a reporter, searches for the real killer.Buster agrees to pose as a murderer to throw off the police while his room mate, a reporter, searches for the real killer.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

338

YOUR RATING

11User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos2

Top cast9

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Buster Keaton

Office Boy

Harold Goodwin

Newspaper Reporter

Matthew Betz

Sawed-Off Madison
(as Mathew Betz)

Bud Jamison

Police Chief

Betty André

The Girl
(as Betty Andre)

Stanley Blystone

Arresting Officer
(uncredited)

Bobby Burns

Prison Warden
(uncredited)

Allan Cavan

Desk Sergeant
(uncredited)

Harry Tenbrook

Prison Guard
(uncredited)

Director
- Charles Lamont
Writer
- Paul Gerard Smith
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Closing credits: No. 7117 EDUCATIONAL FILMS CORP. OF AMERICA.

Quotes
Police Chief: Say, what did you confess for?
Office Boy: For $98.

Connections
Featured in The Great Buster - A Celebration (2018)

User reviews11

Featured review

Has Some Very Good Sequences, & Keaton is In Good Form

The short feature "Jail Bait" has some very good moments, and Buster Keaton is in good form. Despite his personal struggles during this part of his life, when he had the chance to perform good material, he could still do it well. This movie offers him some sequences that go quite well with his talents.

The story has Buster as an office boy who allows a reporter to use him as a decoy in the hunt for a wanted criminal, resulting in some amusing tangles. The movie starts a bit slowly as things are set up, and it is a while before Keaton gets to take center stage. But once the story gives him a chance, the movie picks up considerably, and it becomes very amusing at times.

Buster gets the chance to use his trademark deadpan reactions on several occasions, and he carries it off as effectively as ever. He also gets some good chances for physical comedy, with one particularly funny sequence when he is trying to attract the attention of a policeman.

Overall, "Jail Bait" is definitely above average for its time and genre, thanks primarily to the comic timing and slapstick skills of Buster Keaton.