By Frank Miller
A Clever Dummy
Brief Synopsis
Comedy ensues when a mechanical robot is mistaken for a janitor in this silent short film.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Herman Raymaker
Director
Robert Milliken
Eva Thatcher
Marvel Rea
Claire Anderson
James Donnelly
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Short
Silent
Release Date
1917
Production Company
Keystone Film Company
Distribution Company
Triangle Distributing
Technical Specs
Duration
19m
Synopsis
Comedy ensues when a mechanical robot is mistaken for a janitor in this silent short film.
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Short
Silent
Release Date
1917
Production Company
Keystone Film Company
Distribution Company
Triangle Distributing
Technical Specs
Duration
19m
Articles
A Clever Dummy
If your mother ever told you to stop making funny faces or it'd get stuck that way, she could have been thinking of Ben Turpin. This silent clown's trademark, permanently crossed eyes, resulted from him crossing his eyes so much during his 17-year vaudeville career that he couldn't uncross them. Turpin was laboring in thankless roles at various studios when he made an impression on Charles Chaplin, who introduced him to Mack Sennett. He made his debut at Keystone Film Company in this short as a janitor in love with an inventor's daughter. When the inventor creates a mechanical man modeled on Turpin, the janitor takes its place, hoping to win the daughter's heart. Turpin's eyes made his romantic scenes screamingly funny, while making any romantic success seem highly unlikely. Fortunately, he was more than just a one-joke clown. His physical adroitness made his scenes in the dual role laughable even without his time-tested gimmick, and he would go on to become one of Sennett's most popular stars. In small roles, look for Wallace Beery as a theatre owner and Chester Conklin, another Sennett standby, as a props man.
By Frank Miller
By Frank Miller
A Clever Dummy
If your mother ever told you to stop making funny faces or it'd get stuck that way, she could have been thinking of Ben Turpin. This silent clown's trademark, permanently crossed eyes, resulted from him crossing his eyes so much during his 17-year vaudeville career that he couldn't uncross them. Turpin was laboring in thankless roles at various studios when he made an impression on Charles Chaplin, who introduced him to Mack Sennett. He made his debut at Keystone Film Company in this short as a janitor in love with an inventor's daughter. When the inventor creates a mechanical man modeled on Turpin, the janitor takes its place, hoping to win the daughter's heart. Turpin's eyes made his romantic scenes screamingly funny, while making any romantic success seem highly unlikely. Fortunately, he was more than just a one-joke clown. His physical adroitness made his scenes in the dual role laughable even without his time-tested gimmick, and he would go on to become one of Sennett's most popular stars. In small roles, look for Wallace Beery as a theatre owner and Chester Conklin, another Sennett standby, as a props man.
By Frank Miller
