Dog Shy

Charley is a man paralyzed by an irrational fear of canines, a phobia that inadvertently thrusts him into the center of a high-society conspiracy. While fleeing a persistent dog, he seeks refuge in a public telephone booth, displacing a pompous aristocrat who is mid-negotiation regarding an unwanted marriage. Through a series of frantic misunderstandings, Charley is mistaken for a professional butler and embedded within the very household where a young woman (Mildred June) is being coerced into marrying a man she loathes. The narrative spirals into a chaotic farce as Charley attempts to identify the girl among twenty debutantes, all while contending with a literal dog named 'Duke' and a metaphorical 'Duke' who is actually a common criminal. The climax hinges on a midnight signal—a wolf-like howl—that is simultaneously the cue for an elopement, a jewel heist, and a domestic execution. Charley must navigate a labyrinth of social expectations and physical threats, proving that his fear of dogs is the only thing standing between him and a heroic resolution.