Despite his apparent absence from film production, Billy B. Van’s name surfaces in 1924 in an unexpected—and misleading—context. He is advertised as starring in the film “White Sin,” though the role in fact belongs to the phonetically similar actor Billy Bevan.

There would be a similar mixup with Billy Bevan in 1931, with Billy B. Van incorrectly listed as being in the cast of the Douglas Fairbanks Jr. feature “Chances.”

While misspellings and inconsistencies were common in the trade press of the period, this instance goes further, substituting one performer entirely for another. The error underscores the challenges inherent in reconstructing Van’s film career, where even contemporary sources can blur identities and complicate attribution.