Not Wanted

After five years as the best of the Chaplin imitators, Billy West struck out with his own comedy character, a middle-class man in a nice suit and a fedora -- but with the mustache. These movies involved him in cartoonish situations in which he executed some extended gags very nicely -- in this one he does the one in which the water pump only works when he's not ready for it and another in which he can't catch a fish with some expensive gear, while the boy next to him catches whoppers with a stick and a bent pin -- and gradually moved behind the camera.

Directed by Billy West, Robert P. Kerr, Not Wanted leans on a strong ensemble — Billy West, Bess True, Tiny Sandford — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 1924.