Un automate très autonome

Ben Turpin steals the movie from ... Ben Turpin.

The science-fictiony aspects of this very clever motion picture make this a superlative Keystone production.

But there are also first-class production values along with a first-class cast of actors, most of whom are just unknown today.

For 1917, this is a fascinating look at imagined technology.

Mack Sennett gets writing credit, and there are three directors, very unusual.

Out of all the cast, today only Ben Turpin and Wallace Beery are known, and Beery, though listed third in the cast here, actually had a small part. Out of all the players, he is the only one who went on to big parts in the talkies.

"A Clever Dummy" is indeed very clever, and deserves your attention as some amazing Hollywood history, including its inventiveness and Wallace Beery's early work.

A Clever Dummy (1917)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

An inventor creates a mechanical dummy modeled after a moron (Ben Turpin) who lives in the basement. A vaudeville owner comes to take a look at the dummy but the human dummy replaces himself with it and that night he ends up taking the stage. A CLEVER DUMMY isn't all that clever but it's story is decent enough to where you can get a few laughs at it but it's clear that Turpin is the star of this picture. I was really amazed to see how well he did in the physical portion of the film and especially towards the end when he's up on the stage doing all sorts of tricks. I thought these moments were the highlight of the film because the actor was pretty much just set free to do whatever he wanted. This led to some funny stuff including the "dummy" going back out on stage once the pretty girls started their dance. We're also treated to some fun supporting performances including Chester Conklin and his mustache as well as Wallace Beery in a small role. The film is certainly far from a classic or even a good one for that matter. There simply wasn't enough laughs but it's still worth seeing for Turpin's performance.

This is one of Ben Turpin's earlier silents for Keystone (Sennett Studios). While there is some of the typical material from a Keystone comedy (including a short but exciting obligatory chase at the end), the rest of the movie is very, very unusual to say the least! For some odd reason, an inventor has made an automaton that is modeled after Ben. While the audience can tell which is which, the folks in this little short are a bit dim and can't seem to tell that later when the dummy is supposed to perform on stage, it's actually Ben taking its place. I was particularly impressed by Turpin's physicality and ability to do some complicated scenes and I was also impressed that this was a pretty funny short for 1917. While not great, it is among the better shorts from that period.

By the way, look for Chester Conklin (a perennial in these films) with his trademark mustache as well as a young Wallace Beery as the owner of the theater.