Penny Wise

"Penny Wise" is a short starring Joe Cook that has some funny moments, though its plot makes no sense whatsoever.

When the story begins, Joe is working at a department store and he's a complete incompetent. At the same time, the department store's owner is talking to his daughter and her boyfriend. The owner says that any incompetent can run the store...and to prove it he makes Joe the general manager.

Soon Joe is making all sorts of insane decisions....ranging from doubling all the salaries to having a buy anything in the store for $.01 and get another item for free sale. Soon, the store is completely empty and the owner arrives...and is suitably angry.

The biggest reason to see this one is to see Cook's stunts near the end. Watching him walking on a globe and then riding a unicycle is actually pretty impressive...particularly the globe bit. A few of the sight gags are clever as well. As for the plot...well...it just seems like an excuse for Cook to do his shtick.

When the owner of a department store is about to go on vacation, he tells his children that any idiot could run the store. So they put Joe Cook in charge.

In between his dull shenanigans, Cook uses the store, as so many screen comedians before him have, as a source of props. As a result, there are a few moments of sheer delight in this short, as he uses his circus training to juggle Indian clubs and balance on a moving ball.

It's also a pleasure to see Babe London as a customer. The rest of it is rather poor, but those moments make this short worth watching.