Bell Boy 13

1923 film directed by William A. Seiter

January 19, 1923 (1923-01-19)

Running time

5 reelsCountryUnited StatesLanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Bell Boy 13 is a 1923 American silent comedy film directed by William A. Seiter, and starring Douglas MacLean, John Steppling, Margaret Loomis, William Courtright, Emily Gerdes, and Eugene Burr. The film was released by First National Pictures on January 19, 1923.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Plot

As described in a film magazine,^[4] college graduate Harry Elrod (MacLean) wishes to marry actress Kitty Clyde (Loomis), but his Uncle Ellrey Elrod (Steppling) has picked out Angela Fish (Gerdes) as a wife for his nephew. Harry arranges an elopement with Kitty. His uncle's suspicions are aroused and he trails Harry continuously. Miss Fish and her father the Reverend Doctor Wilbur Fish (Courtright) call. Harry in desperation starts a fire in his room. He is rescued by the fire brigade and then stages a run through the streets in the fire chief's car, intending to catch another train and follow Kitty. He escapes the pursuing firemen, boards the train, and arrives safely at the Philadelphia hotel where Kitty will meet him. There he finds that she has changed her mind, coming to believe that he must have his uncle's consent. He then receives a telegram from his uncle, disowning him. Broke, Harry takes a job as a hotel bell boy. In uniform, he enters where Kitty is dining with Mr. Haskell (Steers), her press agent, and sits down, but is dragged away by the indignant hotel manager. Uncle Ellrey comes to the hotel but is shown the wrong room by Harry, so he demands that Harry be fired. The manager, ever ready to make a guest happy, is ready to oblige him, but Harry turns Bolshevist and induces the entire hotel staff to go on strike. The end result is that the uncle is defeated, and Harry wins Kitty.

Cast

Douglas MacLean as Harry Elrod
John Steppling as Uncle Ellrey Elrod
Margaret Loomis as Kitty Clyde
William Courtright as Reverend Doctor Wilbur Fish
Emily Gerdes as Angela Fish
Eugene Burr as The Mystery Man
Jean Walsh as Pink
William Irving as Hotel Dining Room Guest (uncredited)
Edgar Kennedy as Chef (uncredited)
Larry Steers as Mr. Haskell, Press Agent (uncredited)

Preservation

Prints of the film survive in the Library of Congress and UCLA Film and Television Archive.^[5]

References

^ "Bell Boy 13". afi.com. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
^ "Bell Boy 13". AllMovie. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
^ "Bell Boy 13". TCM.com. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
^ "Bell Boy 13: Thomas H. Ince Photoplay in Five Parts". Exhibitor's Trade Review. 13 (12). East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania: Exhibitor's Trade Review, Inc.: 628 February 17, 1923.
^ American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: Bell Boy 13