Movie talk with a boy named Zombion! The tramp
Here is a short film from 1917, which lasts about twenty minutes. Not to be confused with the film of the same name in 1915 (from the studio “Essanay”), where the tramp played the legendary Charles Spencer Chaplin.
It's a parody of Charlie Chaplin. The tramp here is played by American actor Billy West. By the way, it seems that he was born in Russia (in the Russian Empire), a few years later his family emigrated to the United States.
Billy didn't become some kind of silent movie superstar, but he had his own thing. West very coolly imitated Charlie Chaplin and his iconic image. I mean, he's an imitator.
On IMBD, the film has a rather low rating (4.9). I agree that it is impossible to compare West’s Tramp with Chaplin’s films. With some "Baby" or "Pilgrim", in any case. But it is certainly no worse than Chaplin’s earliest works. The early ones, I emphasize bold.
How do I explain it to you? In short, the days of Keystone and Mac Sennett. Let's be honest, there were similarly arranged toothless running and throwing food. The plot was often absent. Therefore, I will refrain from vehement criticism of West’s Tramp.
Chaplin was rumored to have watched shorts with West, praising Billy. These are the cakes.
In the background, you can see the young Oliver Hardy. In a few years (three or four, approximately) he will meet actor Stan Laurel, as a result we will get one of the funniest duets in the history of cinema – Laurel and Hardy.
5.5 out of 10