Little Billy films


The Little Billy films are a series of short films produced by Keystone Studios, revolving around the character of a small boy, portrayed by Paul "Little Billy" Jacobs.
Jacobs' mother, who lived near the Keystone Studios lot, appeared with her son as extras in crowd scenes. Director Henry Lehrman "discovered" the young man, and cast him in Our Children. The audience responded positively to Jacobs' appearance, and Lehrman built a group of "Keystone Kids" around Jacobs as "Little Billy".
Five films starring Jacobs were made at Keystone between 1913 and 1914:
  • Our Children : Little Billy tangles with a tough kid.
  • Little Billy's Triumph : Little Billy tries to get his dime back from two kids who want to put on a puppet show.
  • Little Billy's Strategy : A kidnapping occurs at a birthday party.
  • Little Billy's City Cousin : Little Billy's cousin visits, and flirts with girls.
  • A Back Yard Theatre : The kids stage their own show.
The shorts also starred Gordon Griffith, Charlotte Fitzpatrick, Thelma Salter and Matty Roubert as regulars. Little Billy's Triumph was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2010.
In February 1914, Lehrman and Ford Sterling left Keystone Studios, and established Sterling Comedies at Universal Studios. The "Little Billy" comedies continued under the Sterling banner, with Jacobs now credited as "Billy Jacobs" or "Billie Jacobs".
The Universal "Little Billy" comedies included:
  • Sergeant Hofmeyer
  • Papa's Boy
  • Billy's Riot
  • Kids
  • The Flirt
  • It's a Boy!
  • Billy's Vacation
  • A Beach Romance
  • A Race for Life
  • Lost in the Studio
  • A Rural Affair
  • The Broken Doll
  • The Battle
  • Billy's Charge
  • Carmen's Romance
  • Olive's Love Affair
  • Billie's Strategy
  • Billie Was a Right Smart Boy
  • Olive's Pet
  • Olive's Hero
  • Playmates
  • Her Filmland Hero
  • Lizzie's Watery Grave
  • Little Billy's School Days
The Sterling Comedies brand folded in 1915.
After the demise of Sterling Comedies, Jacobs continued to appear in films credited as Billy Jacobs, including The Heart of Nora Flynn, The Clown, The House with the Golden Windows, The [Garden of Allah (1916 film)|The Garden of Allah], Those Without Sin, The Tides of Barnegat, The Primrose Ring, Unconquered, A Hoosier Romance and Little Orphant Annie.
Jacobs later became a writer, and worked for the Hollywood Spectator magazine.