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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.