Ten Dollars or Ten Days

Back in the 1970s there was a building in Greenwich Village with a stylized eye on a pole in front of it and a poster of Ben Turpin in the front window. It was the Church of the Exquisite Panic, one of the eccentric landmarks of the Village and a homage to Mr. Turpin, who managed to parlay a decent ability as a fall-taker and the trick of crossing his eyes into a long and successful career. He was hardworking and a good family man and thanks to Mack Sennett's expert staff, he flourished for a long time. While most of Sennett's big names left as soon as they could for more money, Turpin was content to collect an ample paycheck until his wife fell ill and he retired to nurse her.

Here, teamed with Harry Gribbon and fighting over Irene Lantz -- her on screen career lasted only a couple of years but she would return to the movies in the next decade to a long career in the costume department under just her given name -- Sennett's staff compiled a rather disjointed movie out of three separate bits -- Ben fights with cats, Ben louses up in a department store and Harry tries to rob the store. The sequences are individually well done and the last has some good thrill comedy in it. However, just about any of Sennett's large troupe could have taken Ben's role.

This is an early Ben Turpin comedy from Mack Sennett. While I have definitely seen better films from Turpin, this one is fun--though a tad uneven.

It begins with Turpin having some crazy dreams about cats and shooting himself (don't ask). Then Ben goes to work at an odd little department store where LOTS of random gags occur. Most fall a bit flat. However, things pick up a bit when Ben thinks he may have poisoned a co-worker he's sweet on--and he rushes to the rescue. She is NOT impressed nor is she impressed later when people think Ben robbed the store and killed someone. Here is where the film accelerates--getting much funnier and the stunts get a bit crazy. And, not surprisingly, in the end Ben is able to somehow save the day.

As I said, this film is uneven. It has a lot of laughs--but also many gags that simply aren't funny. Plus, the 1920s 'laugh' involving showing a black man getting scared is a pretty cheap plot device and is sure to offend many today. Well worth seeing if you love silent comedies, otherwise there are lots better silent comedies out there you should see first.

Ten Dollars or Ten Days (1923)

*** (out of 4)

Ben Turpin plays a soda clerk who has weird dreams one night and then the next day at work he can't seem to stay out of trouble. When a girl (Irene Lentz) he has a crush on is accused of robbery, Turpin decides to turn himself in even though he didn't commit the crime. TEN DOLLARS OR TEN DAYS isn't the best Turpin short I've seen but I think there are enough funny moments scattered throughout to make it worth viewing and especially if you're a fan of silent films. I think some of the best moments happen towards the end once the police are on the case. The highlight has to be a hilarious sequence where Turpin is threatened to hang for his crime and then, just by chance, a rope gets placed around his neck and he gets dragged up the side of a building. It seems like the Harold Lloyd style of comedy had an impact on this because there are several jokes dealing with Turpin hanging from the top of a building. This also leads to some goofs because on certain shots they're on what appears to be a skyscraper while other shots show that they're probably only three or four stories up. As usual, Turpin is a lot of fun in his role and he actually has some nice chemistry with Lentz. Harry Gribbon plays the best friend and he adds some nice laughs to the picture as well.