Betty Takes a Hand

Discovering that her father, Peter Marshall, had been defrauded by a business partner named James Bartlett, Betty goes to Los Angeles to visit her aunt, Mrs. Hamilton Haines, whose late husband had a hand in ruining Peter. Tom, Bartlett's son, has arranged a yachting trip for Mrs. Haines and her daughter Ida, and Ida, deciding that her cousin is too pretty to come along, persuades Betty to stay behind. Tom, on the way to the yacht after a quarrel with his father, passes the Haines mansion and, noticing a sign advertising room and board, stops. Meeting Betty who is posing as Miss Haines, Tom moves in and falls in love with his landlady. When Betty accidentally meets Tom's father, the old man is so captivated that he offers her $5,000 to marry his son. After Tom and Betty are married, when both fathers discover their in-laws' true identities they are first indignant but later are reconciled.

Perhaps not quite good enough to actually get the 3 1/2 stars I'm giving it. On the negative side, there are simply a few too many scenes padding this film, seemingly to make it a long enough story. On the positive side, those scenes, however unnecessary, are still charming, and a showcase for Olive Thomas' charm and charisma. So, it's a wash. I liked it. Olive's acting chops seemed to get better with every film she made.