An inventor and his assistant build a robot that looks like their janitor, and everyone tries to profit off the invention.
Practical Effects
Early split-screen and doubling tricks for robot vs. janitor scenes.
Acting
Ben Turpin's cross-eyed double duty as janitor and his mechanical doppelgänger.
Director
Herman C. Raymaker
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was one of several 1917 shorts where Ben Turpin played dual roles using early double-exposure techniques. His cross-eyed look made him instantly recognizable even in fuzzy silent prints.
The 'mechanical man' trope exploded in 1910s cinema, reflecting both Edison-era innovation anxiety and vaudeville's obsession with automaton acts. This film literally merges both worlds.
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