American slapstick comedy. Main title: Billy sei ein Mann! (Billy, be a man!) [frame scan 1] First intertitle: Billy West, ein Gent mit Bügelfalten (Billy West, a gent with creases) [frame scan 2]. Billy West irons his trousers with a rolling pin [frame scan 3]. Billy is secretly in love with Fiffy [frame scan 4], the girl with whom his roommate is also in love. The pair come to blows [frame scan 5; the roommate on the right]. Billy catches a would-be-detective's attention as he hangs his friend's suit out the window [frame scan 6]. Funny scene outside a clothes shop: Billy poses as a shop-window dummy and plays dead. The annoyed detective uses a long needle to check which of the dummies is alive [frame scan 7]. A workman carrying dynamite turns up and blows up the shop! [frame scan 8] Fiffy's father throws each of her suitors one by one out of the house. He has two passions: card games, at which he would gladly cheat even himself [frame scan 9], and whiskey. Fiffy encourages Billy not to give up: Billy, be a man! [frame scan 10]
Jeanpaul Goergen, Deutsche Kinemathek, 22.09.2010
This is definitely a 1924 -25 Billy West Arrow Comedy. In 1920 he stopped mimicing Chaplin, although his style still remained very Chaplinesque. He kept the moustache, but trimmed it down a little, and getting rid of the tramp's outfit and derby he adopted a natty suit and a straw hat. In this outfit it seems like he started imitating Monty Banks.
As Steve Ryzewski mentioned the older man is James T. Kelly and the fellow in the straw hat Alfred Hewston. To add to this, the leading lady is Florence Gilbert, and Billy's tough roomate is Fred Da Silva (also known as Fred Lancaster). Sadly I don't have an exact title for this film. These Arrow comedies were very rarely reviewed in the trade magazines so we don't really have plot synopsis to match with unidentified Arrows.
Steve Massa, 25.09.2010
Great site! The fellow with straw hat looking at book is Alfred Hewston (sometimes spelt Houston). The little older fellow playing cards is James T. Kelly from many of the Chaplin Essanay's and Mutuals.
SteveR, Phila
Steve Rydzewski, 24.09.2010
Contains the entire first act. The second act is missing.
German censorship: 1925.01.07, B.09617, Jv ['Jugendverbot' = Forbidden to young people], 2 acts, 671m
We are looking for the original American title, the names of the actors and the year of production.
Jeanpaul Goergen, Deutsche Kinemathek, 22.09.2010
Do you have media, images or documents related to this film? Lost Films welcomes contributions of materials in digital format.
Login or
register to upload your supplementary materials about his film.
