Summary
A maelstrom of familial obligation, romantic longing, and a most improbable legal loophole defines the heart-wrenching, yet ultimately jubilant, trajectory of "Molly Entangled." The narrative unfurls within the shadow of the imposing Barry estate, where the dying wishes of its patriarch, old Mr. Barry, cast a long, controlling pall. His will, a testament to dynastic anxieties, decrees that should his dissolute son, Jim, remain unwed, the considerable fortune would irrevocably transfer to the rival O'Mara clan. When Jim, a man whose life is a testament to excess and irresponsibility, suffers a catastrophic fall, his prognosis grim—mere hours to live—the formidable Mrs. Barry, desperate to safeguard her family's legacy, orchestrates a desperate plea. She implores Molly Shawn, a young woman bound by an unspoken debt of gratitude to the Barrys, to enter into a deathbed marriage with her son. Molly, her heart irrevocably pledged to the earnest Barney Malone, finds herself caught in an agonizing ethical bind, ultimately consenting to the charade out of a profound sense of loyalty. The hurried ceremony proceeds, a solemn farce played out against the backdrop of impending doom. Yet, in a twist of fate so audacious it borders on the divine, Jim miraculously defies death, his recovery shattering the fragile equilibrium. Molly is thrust into an emotional purgatory, her days consumed by a yearning for Barney, her future seemingly sealed by a union born of desperation. The dramatic tension escalates as her predicament becomes increasingly unbearable, until salvation arrives from the most unexpected quarter: the revelation that the "priest" who officiated their hasty vows was, in fact, a common criminal, cloaked in sacred vestments as a desperate evasion of the law. This astonishing discovery, a narrative deus ex machina, instantaneously dissolves Molly's unwanted marital bonds, liberating her from her entanglement and paving the way for her rightful union with Barney, the man she truly loves. The film thus navigates a perilous journey through duty and desire, ultimately affirming the triumph of genuine affection over contrived circumstance.
According to old Mr. Barry's will, if his son Jim fails to marry, the vast Barry estate will revert to the O'Maras. When one night Jim, an irresponsible drunk, falls down the stairs and is given until morning to live, Mrs. Barry, in order to protect the property from the O'Maras, pleads with Molly Shawn to marry her son. Molly, although in love with Barney Malone, agrees out of a sense of indebtedness to the Barry family, and the two are married. Much to everyone's surprise, Jim recovers and Molly pines for her sweetheart Barney until it is discovered that the priest who performed the ceremony was really a criminal who, to escape the law, had disguised himself in priests' robes. Overjoyed, Molly is disentangled and now free to marry Barney, the man she loves.
