Convict 13

An eager young golfer becomes the victim of a mugging by an escaped criminal, a misfortune that pushes him from the fairway into a prison yard. Once inside, he navigates a maze of cells, stern guards, and a scheme to break out. Far from a routine capture, his quick reflexes and athletic flair turn ordinary prison life into a whirlwind of dizzying chases and comic improvisation. The new inmate bounces between accidental heroics and bumbling superiors, using wit rather than brute force to outsmart the criminals and keep the guard towers on their toes. The result is a fast paced, playful suite of gags.

Directed by Buster Keaton with Edward F. Cline, Convict 13 (1920) is a compact silent caper built around Keaton's trademark physical comedy, with Keaton playing the golfer turned prisoner and Sybil Seely as the socialite.

Box office figures for this short are not widely documented, reflecting the era's limited public tracking of micro releases. As with many Keaton comedies, its value lay in reputation and audience reaction rather than tall worldwide receipts.

Critics often note how Keaton turns a seemingly ordinary setting into a playground of danger and laughter. The humor arises from timing and restraint, not shouting, with the protagonist learning to adapt under pressure while authority figures misread the situation. Thematically, Convict 13 challenges authority through wit and resilience, showing that a clever underdog can shape order in a place designed to test him.

While not as frequently cited as Keaton's later features, Convict 13 contributes to the era's prison capers and helps cement the idea that tight spaces can explode with humor. Its brisk pace and dialogue free humor illustrate how silent comedy evolved to play in confined settings.