Little Eva Ascends (1922)

John St. George, who plays "Uncle Tom" in blackface, and younger brother Roy, who plays "Little Eva" in a wig and dress, are the sons of Blanche St. George, owner and leading lady of a repertory company that presents Uncle Tom's Cabin in small towns. Both boys dislike stage life, but sixteen-year-old Roy is particularly sensitive about playing a girl because their train is heading for the Connecticut town where his sweetheart lives, and she plans to see the play with her parents. When the troupe registers at the only hotel in town, John notices his mother's agitation at meeting the proprietor, Mr. Wilson, and the fact that they are served "commercial travelers' meat" at the dinner table rather than the thinner, less appetizing "actors' meat." The reason, he learns, is that Wilson is his and Roy's father, whom Blanche left many years ago to pursue her stage career. John confesses his longing for a real life, but is obligated to stay with his mother until she can earn the money to buy an opera house. At the performance, all goes well until Roy's ascent to heaven on a stepladder, which is jeered by boys in the gallery who realize he is a boy, not a girl. Removing his wig, Roy stumbles and knocks over the ladder, which pulls down the backdrop and brings the play to a crashing halt. Wilson, in attendance, invites everyone to dinner at his estate, and offers Blanche $10,000 to buy the opera house she wants, in exchange for letting him keep the boys. The St. Georges, joined by Roy's sweetheart and her family, sit down for dinner, and all is well.