After so many false starts with hopeful producers, West became his own producer in 1924, releasing through Dr. William E. Shallenberger's Arrow Pictures Corporation, established in 1914. The comedian averaged one Billy West comedy monthly. West also picked comedian
Bobby Ray from the Arrow stock company and teamed him with West's former screen foil Oliver "Babe" Hardy for a brief series of slapstick comedies. Ethelyn Gibson was still his leading lady, but theirs had become an uneasy alliance. Gibson, apparently tiring of West's professional setbacks and relocations, had deserted him in 1923 for Leon Glaser, "reported to be a wealthy broker", and signed a
prenuptial agreement with Glaser in 1926. West and Gibson continued to work together; he went on to produce a separate series of "
Winnie Winkle" comedies starring Gibson. West did attempt to reconcile with Gibson to no avail; he was granted a divorce on May 11, 1928. Gibson's own plans were upset in January 1929, when her intended bridegroom Leon Glaser suddenly voided his prenuptial agreement and married Betty Cohen, daughter of wealthy diamond merchant A. B. Cohen. In 1925 Billy West launched a production partnership with his brother George West. Billy remained in California while George handled the business interests in New York. The company was known as West Brothers Productions. Filming at the Fine Arts studio in Hollywood and releasing through the
Weiss Bros. Artclass corporation ("The Diamond Setting of Every Program"), West Brothers made three concurrent series of two-reel comedies under the "Happiness Comedies" brand name:
Winnie Winkle, based on the
Martin Branner comic strip;
Hairbreadth Harry, based on the C. W. Kahles comic; and
Izzie and Lizzie, based on the Jewish-Irish comic situations popularized in ''
Abie's Irish Rose''. In July 1925 Billy West, evidently noting the success of feature films with short-subject stars
Buster Keaton,
Harold Lloyd, and
Larry Semon, decided to produce his own feature-length comedies, starring himself. These were to be released by independent producer
W. Ray Johnston, formerly vice president of Arrow and now heading his own
Rayart Pictures -- the future
Monogram Pictures. Four five-reel features were made. In
Thrilling Youth (1926) West appeared as a straw-hatted, mustached college graduate turned businessman, in the manner of then-popular star Charley Chase. Slapstick gags were toned down in favor of human-interest situations, in the manner of Harold Lloyd. West's character was thus not very original, although the films were successful within Rayart's market of small neighborhood theaters. Rayart followed the West features with two-reel comedies, and kept them in release for several years; the 1927 short
One Hour to Play was still circulating in 1930. In 1928 West directed two-reel comedies for
Fox Film but, like West's other disappointments, the engagement ended prematurely: Fox suspended short-comedy production.
George LeMaire signed West to direct talking comedies for
Pathé in New York. Plans soon fell through -- LeMaire completed enough films for the season, but without West's services -- and by early 1930 West was back in Hollywood, on the staff of producer
Larry Darmour, as comedy writer and gag man. In 1932
Variety's Paris correspondent found "Billy West doing an
Aimee MacPherson, staging revival meetings in his apartment." He returned to Hollywood later that year and took small roles in sound features and shorts, freelancing for various studios. He worked steadily through 1935 and then retired as an actor. ==Old acquaintance==