Summary
In the seemingly placid environs of Weston, Illinois, a town ostensibly dedicated to moral rectitude, Stuart Adams, a theatrical impresario of audacious spirit, arrives to spearhead the advance publicity for 'The Girl and the Garter,' a burlesque spectacle poised to challenge the community's staid sensibilities. His homecoming is far from a quiet affair, immediately clashing with the formidable Purity League, a bastion of local conservatism helmed by banker James Richards—incidentally, the father of Stuart's beloved Hazel. Stuart, far from deterred, embarks on a series of ingenious provocations. He publicly bestows a scandalous kiss upon Hazel, shattering the League's decorum, then cunningly manipulates local media to print Richards' own admission of having viewed the very show he condemns in New York, framing it as an 'investigation' into its 'shocking' nature. Further escalating the satirical assault, he clandestinely adorns Hazel's roadster with a banner promoting the burlesque during a Purity League parade. The escalating feud culminates in a proposed public debate between Stuart and Richards. Amidst this civic tumult, Stuart fortuitously encounters detective Vera Vincent on a train, a meeting that proves serendipitous when he aids her in foiling a robbery at Richards' own bank. As the highly anticipated debate unfolds, Stuart, privy to the show's unannounced cancellation, masterfully diffuses the tension by magnanimously offering to withdraw the controversial performance. Ironically, Richards, now subtly impressed by Stuart's strategic prowess, insists he join them for dinner, inadvertently thwarting Stuart's carefully laid plans to elope with Hazel at the train station—a fortunate turn, as Hazel, confined to her room by her vigilant aunt, remains safely at home.
Synopsis
Stuart Adams, the advance-agent for a traveling burlesque troupe, arrives in Weston, Illinois, his hometown, to publicize the coming show, "The Girl and the Garter". The Purity League, led by banker James Richards, the father of Stuart's sweetheart Hazel, attempts to stop it from opening. After kissing Hazel in public - thus outraging the League members - Stuart builds curiosity about the show by having the newspaper print Richards' admission that he viewed it in New York "to see how shocking it was". He also attaches a banner which advertises the show to Hazel's roadster during a Purity League parade. After Stuart challenges Richards to a debate, Stuart helps detective Vera Vincent, whom he met on the train, capture two crooks trying to rob Richards' bank. During the debate, Stuart, knowing that the show has been canceled, offers to end the bickering by withdrawing the show. Richards then insists that Stuart, who plans to meet Hazel at the train station to elope, come to dinner. Fortunately for Stuart, Hazel had been locked in her room by her aunt, and is still at the house.
