Summary
In an audacious bid to circumvent the onerous alimony payments levied post-divorce, the hapless Neal concocts a series of increasingly elaborate and ludicrous schemes. His initial, desperate attempt to flee the country is thwarted by a dramatic aerial pursuit, a testament to the era's nascent cinematic thrills. Undeterred, he stages a theatrical suicide, abandoning his garments by the shore to feign his demise, thus allowing his ex-wife, Edith, to reclaim their former domicile. The legal system, in its ponderous wisdom, declares Neal legally deceased, inadvertently granting Edith full inheritance of his estate. Confronted with this ironic turn of events, Neal's counsel informs him that his only recourse to recover his assets is to remarry his now-wealthy former spouse. This revelation propels Neal into a new charade: adopting a bushy disguise, he orchestrates a fabricated street assault on Edith, intending to emerge as her valiant rescuer. However, the flimsy ruse unravels when one of his hired ruffians, in a moment of clumsy contrition, inadvertently exposes Neal’s true identity. Edith, a woman of unexpected guile, plays along, nursing her 'hero' back to health and accepting his proposal. The ensuing wedding is a meticulously staged farce, with every 'guest' a detective and the 'minister' an undercover agent. At the precipice of her vows, Edith dramatically exposes Neal, shattering his convoluted plan. Yet, a final, bewildering twist emerges: Neal's lawyer unearths a forgotten clause in an old will, mandating reconciliation for family quarrels lest the entire fortune be diverted to charity. Thus, in a bewildering stroke of fate, the estranged couple is compelled to remarry, their union officiated by the very judge who presided over their divorce, sealing a bizarre cycle of marital entanglement.
Synopsis
Edith and Neal have just been divorced and the judge ordered Neal to pay $300 a week alimony. Neal tried to slip out of the country on the first alimony day, but was caught in an airplane chase. Then next alimony day he got what he thought was a brilliant idea. He left his clothes on the beach and pretended to have killed himself. So Edith took possession of the house and the judge started courting her. Then Neal was informed by his lawyer that he was legally dead and his wife automatically inherited everything and in order to get his money back he would have to marry her again. So Neal disguised himself with whiskers and had a couple of thugs accost Edith so he could play the hero with her. But in the sham fight one of the thugs apologized to Edith for hitting her husband so hard and spilled the beans generally. So Edith took him in the house and nursed him back to health and he proposed. After telling him how like her poor, dear, dead husband he was, she consented, and he had to wear a suit of her supposed dead husband's to get married in. The "guests" were all detectives, the minister himself being a detective. Just as Edith was about to say "I do," she said "I don't " instead and disclosed Neal's identity. The lawyer arrived just then and said in reading over the old will he found a clause saying that quarrels in the family would have to be patched up or the money would go to charity. So they were married all over again - by the judge of the divorce court.
Motion Picture News, November 1, 1919
Review Excerpt
"
The Enduring Farce of 'He Married His Wife': A Silent Cinema Spectacle of Spousal Shenanigans
In the bustling landscape of early 20th-century cinema, where the moving picture was still finding its voice and defining its genres, there emerged a delightful, often chaotic, form of storytelling that captivated audiences: the silent comedy. Among these effervescent offerings, He Married His Wife, a 1919 creation featuring the versatile Neal Burns, stands as a testament to the era's..."
