15. Lloyd’s insured crossed eyes against the possibility of them becoming uncrossed
Virtually forgotten today, Bernard Turpin, known as Ben Turpin, was a vaudeville and silent film star known for his physical comedy and his permanently crossed eyes. His work in silent films included appearances with Charles Chaplin at Essanay Studios in Chicago, Illinois. Later he worked with Mack Sennett in Hollywood, becoming one of the highest-paid studio performers during the silent era. He made a few sound films including, somewhat ironically, Million Dollar Legs, starring W. C. Fields. One of his most famous features was his constantly cross-eyed appearance, which he used to mug the cameras after one of his pratfalls. In fact, only one of his eyes was misaligned, the other he crossed deliberately for such scenes.
At the height of his success, which was largely based on the unusual alignment of his eyes (many of his early films had titles such as Idle Eyes, The Eyes Have It, etc.), Turpin purchased a $25,000 policy against the potential loss of income he would suffer should his eyes ever suddenly straighten themselves. Since only one of his eyes was permanently misaligned the policy was likely more a publicity stunt, but Lloyd’s issued the policy. Turpin never had to file a claim against it, he died in 1940, shortly after appearing in Laurel and Hardy’s Saps at Sea, a film in which his misaligned eyes were used for comic effect.