History of Fake Charlie Chaplins

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices