Arthur Ripley started his movie career as an apprentice at KalemPictures and then worked for several studios, including Vitagraph andMetro. By early 1920s he had become a gag writer forMack Sennett. In 1923 Sennett signedvaudeville comicHarry Langdon andgave his writers the job of developing something for Langdon'scharacter. Ripley and fellow Sennett gagmanFrank Capra created the perfect story linesfor the pantomime of Langdon and soon his two-reel comedies were hugelypopular. For the next few years Sennett cranked out film after filmwith Langdon, written by Ripley and Capra and directed byHarry Edwards. The last film onthe Sennett lot wasSaturday Afternoon (1926),which was released as a three-reeler.

In 1926 Langdon left Sennett to form his own company, the Harry LangdonCorporation, and took Edwards, Capra and Ripley with him. The firstpicture they made together wasTramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926),which became a big hit. After one film Edwards left and Capra becamedirector, although still writing with Ripley. Capra directed the nexttwo films,The Strong Man (1926)andLong Pants (1927), and then healso departed, leaving Ripley as head writer and Langdon not onlystarring but taking over as director. Without Capra, however, the nextthree films flopped and Ripley was soon looking for another job. Duringthe 1930s he would work as gag writer in a number of shorts, not unlikethe job he held a decade before. He would also occasionally direct andin the 1940s he would add producer to his credits.