He's in Again

A truly superior effort by Billy West, most successful of the Chaplin imitators. In this one, he winds up as a waiter at a cabaret and has to take part in a comic boxing match. Although he misses Chaplin's gracefulness by a hair, there is no reason to look down on this effort. While the gags echo Chaplin gags of years gone by and movies yet to come, they are distinctive enough that they are worthwhile on their own merits. Oliver Hardy, made up as he is in all of Billy's works -- to suggest Eric Campbell, Chaplin's Goliath -- plays ... well, recognizably, the Mr. Hardy of his peak years: good natured and slightly florid. Credit Charley Chase as director and in a small but amusing role as a manic piano player.