A rich girl swaps pants with a ghetto boy and accidentally triggers a class crisis. 1917 was WILD.
Little Betty has a luxurious home, an army of servants and the costliest of toys. But she hasn't what a child wants most of all, other children to play with. The result is that she runs away and joins a group of children from the ghetto district on the beach. In play she exchanges clothing with a little boy. That evening Betty doesn't return home. Her maiden aunt, an over-zealous guardian, is frantic. She notifies the police. The same evening the father of the boy, who has lost his position and is facing starvation, decides to turn burglar. He steals into the home of Betty's father. The household is awakened and the intruder captured.
Acting
Mary McAllister's silent-era emotional gymnastics at age ~10.
Production
Ghetto vs. mansion sets showing 1917 Chicago inequality.
Writing
Absurd coincidence plotting that Shakespeare wishes he wrote.
Director
Arthur Berthelet
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This film is considered lost—no complete prints exist, only fragmented stills and the original synopsis survive in archives.
The 'ghetto district' framing reflects Progressive Era anxieties about urban poverty and immigration, with wealthy audiences safely observing 'slum' life through comedy.
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