When Charlie Chaplin hit the silver screen - the country suffered from a case of ‘Chaplinitis’. Audiences couldn’t enough of his films - so in 1917 a fake Charlie Chaplin, named Billy West, popped onto the scene. West stole Chaplin’s character and starred in 24 films - as a “tramp” character.
Yes, being a hack was even a thing back in old-timey days.
We also explore other comedians who tried to rip-off Charlie Chaplin - such as in 1920: Charlie Aplin.
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