Summary
In 'The Adorable Deceiver,' a silent-era comedic romp, the deposed King Nicholas of Santa Maria and his resourceful daughter, Princess Sylia, find themselves unceremoniously thrust into the chaotic melting pot of 1920s New York City. Having fled a revolution with only the famed crown jewels, their initial attempts to maintain royal standards through a lavish hotel suite quickly deplete their illicit funds. This forces a comical descent into the more mundane, yet equally treacherous, world of a boarding house run by the formidable Mrs. Schrapp. When agents from their newly formed Republic track them, Sylia, ever the pragmatist, embarks on a new identity, leveraging her latent charisma to secure a job in an automobile showroom. Her path soon intertwines with Tom Pettibone, a new-money social climber, and his mother, who see in Sylia a golden ticket to high society. The stage is further complicated by the arrival of the Doyles, a pair of con artists brazenly impersonating the very royals Sylia and her father once were, setting the scene for a delightful clash of genuine royalty, manufactured aristocracy, and sheer opportunism.
Synopsis
Nicholas, the king of a small Balkan state, Santa Maria, is forced to flee a revolution and he and his daughter, Princess Sylia, go to America. Sylvia brings the crown jewels. They are living incognito in an expensive suite in a New York City hotel but the proceeds from hocking the jewels aren't enough to maintain the standards they are trying to maintain, and they are forced to take lodging at the boarding house of Mrs. Schrapp. The landlady gets King Nicholas a job. While he is away, agents from the Republic of Santa Maria show up, and Sylvia flees and spends the night in a car in the showroom of an automobile agency. She tells the manager she is a super car seller, and he tells her to take care of a couple of shoppers. They are Tom Pettibone and his mother, who are trying to storm the gates of high society with their newly-acquired fortune. Tom becomes interested in Sylvia and introduces her at the country club as the Princess of Albania. Two crooks, Jim and Flo Doyle, are also in attendance masquerading of the King and Queen of Santa Maria.
