Summary
In a vivid tableau of early 20th-century societal friction, Will M. Ritchey's 'Betty Be Good' unfurls a narrative steeped in the vivacious exploits of Betty, the winsome yet stubbornly impish scion of Jonathan Brownlee, a retired industrialist of considerable means. Betty's penchant for audacious pranks casts a perpetual pall of exasperation over her father and the household's dutiful staff, often eliciting her father's titular, albeit largely ineffectual, plea for decorum. Simultaneously, a simmering political animosity festers between the elder Brownlee and Peter Madison, the city's incumbent mayor. Unbeknownst to many, Mayor Madison's son, Jimmy, covertly infiltrates the police ranks, adopting the guise of a uniformed officer to unmask municipal corruption. The plot thickens when Brownlee, convinced of Mayor Madison's malfeasance, procures what he believes to be incriminating documents. However, these crucial papers inadvertently become collateral in one of Betty's spontaneous escapades, as she absconds with the automobile in which her father had carelessly left them. In a twist of fate, Jimmy, oblivious to her true identity, apprehends Betty for the apparent theft of the vehicle and its sensitive contents. From this unlikely confrontation, an undeniable romantic spark ignites between the spirited captive and her earnest captor. The dramatic resolution arrives only when Brownlee's fervent accusations against Mayor Madison are conclusively debunked, paving the way for a rapprochement between the two feuding patriarchs. With the political tempest quelled, Jimmy finally sheds his masquerade, revealing his authentic self to Betty, culminating in a felicitous conclusion to their burgeoning romance.
Synopsis
Betty, the pretty daughter of Jonathan Brownlee, a retired capitalist, is impulsive and mischievous, delighting in pranks that keep her father and the servants of the household in perpetual apprehension. Brownlee's stock phrase is "Betty Be Good," constant, though rather futile, appeal on his part to the high-spirited girl, who tells her friends she is weary of being lectured on her tomboy achievements. Peter Madison, mayor of the city, is at enmity with Millionaire Brownlee over political matters. He has a son, Jimmy Madison, who is masquerading as a uniformed policeman in order to detect grafters on the force. Brownlee secures what he believes to be evidence of political crookedness on the part of the mayor. The documents are lost when Betty, in one of her escapades, drives off with the car in which her father has left them. Jimmy arrests Betty for stealing the car and papers, being unaware of her identity. Betty and Jimmy fall in love, and the denouement does not come until Millionaire Brownlee's suspicions against Mayor Madison are proved unfounded and the two men shake hands. Jimmy reveals himself to Betty in his true character and the drama ends happily.
