Film
The Villain
1917 · 21 min · ★ 5 · Dir. Arvid E. Gillstrom
In The Villain, Billy attempted something a little different. He's still imitating Chaplin, but this time he's playing the wicked, top-hatted Charlie found in some of his earliest Keystone appearances (e.g. Mabel at the Wheel), the ones where Charlie himself seemed to be imitating the studio's recently departed Ford Sterling. Throughout this short there is much spoofing of old-time melodramas, a frequent motif of Sterling's comedies.
Starring
Billy West
The Villain
Oliver Hardy
Nell
Florence McLaughlin
Florence
Bud Ross
Nell's Sweetheart
Ethelyn Gibson
Unknown role
Leo White
Unknown role
Joe Cohen
Unknown role