Summary
A whirlwind of Southern propriety and Northern impudence ignites in "In for Thirty Days," a boisterous silent comedy where societal norms collide with unchecked privilege. The narrative unfurls around Helen Corning, a scion of "Yankee" wealth whose audacious roadster-fueled transgressions shatter the placid rhythm of her Southern environs. Her reckless abandon culminates in a series of escalating mishaps: first, the ignominious capsizing of Brett Page's humble Ford, then the spectacular dislodging of Judge Carroll's market-bound eggs, which find an unexpected resting place within his venerable whiskers. This sartorial scandal precipitates a swift, albeit comically draconian, sentence: thirty days in the local lockup. Yet, fate, or perhaps small-town economic ingenuity, intervenes when Brett, a surprisingly erudite and affluent author, invokes an archaic ordinance, 'hiring' the recalcitrant Helen for a pittance to perform domestic duties. This enforced proximity, initially a crucible of mutual antagonism, gradually forges a nascent respect, blossoming into an unforeseen affection. Helen, discovering Brett's true intellectual stature, finds herself increasingly disinclined to accede to her mother's mercenary machinations to marry her off to the diminutive Count Dronsky. The climax erupts in a farcical escape attempt orchestrated by the avaricious Mrs. Corning and the opportunistic Count, employing the bumbling "Hot Stove" Kelly. Helen, demonstrating a surprising aptitude for vehicular chaos, commandeers Kelly's getaway car, deftly redirecting its trajectory into Brett's bungalow. Amidst the ensuing melee, Brett dispatches Kelly with a well-deserved thrashing, and in a final flourish of cinematic absurdity, with Mrs. Corning and Dronsky in hot pursuit, Helen and Brett exchange vows in their careening automobile, officiated by a judge precariously perched upon the hood, sealing their tumultuous, yet utterly charming, union.
Synopsis
Helen Corning, a rich "Yankee" widow's daughter, antagonizes her Southern neighbors when she speeds in her roadster. After she causes Brett Page's stalled Ford to overturn, Helen rams Judge Carroll's wagon, upsetting his eggs which fly into his whiskers. Furious, the Judge sends Helen to jail for thirty days. Brett, taking advantage of the town's ancient law that allows townspeople to hire prisoners for twenty cents per day, takes the uncooperative Helen into his home to cook and clean. Learning to respect Brett who, she discovers, is an affluent author, Helen resists her mother's efforts to get her released so that she can marry the one hundred and fifteen pound Count Dronsky. After Mrs. Corning and Dronsky hire "Hot Stove" Kelly to break Helen out and take her across state lines, Helen runs Kelly's car into Brett's bungalow. Brett thrashes Kelly, and while Mrs. Corning and Dronsky pursue, he and Helen are married in the car, by a judge riding on the hood.
