Summary
A whirlwind of audacious romance and slapstick ingenuity, "The Matrimaniac" plunges into the tumultuous quest of Jimmy Conroy, a man determined to claim his beloved Marna against the formidable opposition of her patrician stepfather, Theodore Lewis. Lewis, a staunch traditionalist, envisions a more "suitable" match in the insipid Wally Henderson, rendering Jimmy anathema to his dynastic ambitions. Undeterred, the impetuous lovers orchestrate a clandestine elopement: Jimmy sabotages Lewis's motorcar and readies a rope ladder, while Marna, with equal parts thrill and trepidation, prepares her escape. Their audacious plan is swiftly imperiled by Wally's timely detection and subsequent betrayal, igniting a frantic pursuit as Lewis dispatches the unwitting suitor to intercept the fugitives by train, armed with injunctions to nullify Marna's underage nuptials.
Aboard the locomotive, Jimmy, clutching a precious marriage license but lacking the crucial ceremony, fends off Wally's sanctimonious lectures on filial obedience. A brief stop at a desolate way station offers a sliver of opportunity; Jimmy, with characteristic impulsiveness, commandeers the bewildered Rev. Tobias Tubbs mid-bath, hustling the flustered clergyman, still clad in a bathrobe, towards the departing train. Wally, ever the obstructionist, thwarts their boarding, forcing Jimmy into a desperate, cross-country odyssey. Through a resourceful expenditure of cash and I.O.U.s, Jimmy procures a motley ensemble for the bewildered Tubbs, then compels him across the rugged landscape via handcar, mule, foot, and even precariously clinging to train bumpers.
The relentless pursuit culminates as Jimmy flags down the very limited carrying Lewis, only to be unceremoniously ejected, yet not before hauling Tubbs onto the observation platform. Lewis, feigning cordiality, swiftly conspires with the conductor for their arrest, even as Wally, back at the hotel, maliciously convinces a despondent Marna that Jimmy has abandoned her. Marna, heartbroken, retreats with Wally, awaiting her stepfather. Jimmy and Tubbs are apprehended, but Jimmy, with his customary agility, stages a daring escape, leaving Tubbs incarcerated. A fraught telephone call orchestrates a desperate plan: Marna, disguised with the help of a sympathetic maid, will proceed to the city jail, where Jimmy intends a daring break-in, and Tubbs, from within his cell, will officiate.
The ensuing chase is a breathtaking ballet of acrobatics and evasion, as Jimmy, pursued by officers and Lewis, scales rooftops, navigates sheer walls, and surmounts seemingly impassable barriers in a futile attempt to reach Marna. Disheartened, Marna is returned to the hotel, while the manhunt for Jimmy intensifies. He finds precarious refuge high above, on telegraph wires, eventually enlisting the aid of a lineman. In a marvel of improvised communication, the lineman establishes a three-way telephone connection, linking Tubbs in jail, Marna in her room, and Jimmy on his aerial perch. As the frustrated pursuers rage below, the unconventional nuptials commence. Lewis, realizing the audacious maneuver, races to the jail, arriving just as the final vows are exchanged. The narrative concludes with a triumphant Jimmy, back in his office, settling the myriad I.O.U.s, only for Marna, his lawfully wedded wife, to emerge from his vault, into his waiting arms – a testament to love's ultimate victory over convention and chaos.
Synopsis
Jimmy Conroy plans to marry Marna, stepdaughter of the wealthy Theodore Lewis, who disapproves of Jimmy as a son-in-law. His idea of a husband is Wally Henderson. Jimmy and Marna decide to elope. Jimmy cuts the tires on father's automobile and secures a rope ladder, while Marna packs up. Wally sees them eloping and informs father, who hustles him down to the train to prevent a ceremony until he can obtain injunctions and follow on the limited to serve it, Marna being under legal age. Jimmy has the marriage license, but has no time to get married before getting to the train. Wally takes the same train and lectures them on parental deference, but is shoved away. The train stops ten minutes at a way station. Jimmy rushes to the Rev. Tobias Tubbs, who is bathing. When he comes to the door, clad only in a bathrobe, Jimmy hustles him to the train just as it pulls out. Wally is on the platform and prevents them from boarding the cars. By the liberal use of money and I.O.U.'s Jimmy digs up a variegated costume for Tubbs and forces him along by hand car, mule back, afoot, and on the bumpers. After numerous adventures the limited, with father aboard, is flagged by Jimmy, who is thrown off, but pulls Tubbs up with him on the observation platform. He is about to be put off again when father pretends to be friendly. Instead he conspires with the conductor to have them arrested for stopping the limited. Meanwhile, Wally has convinced Marna that Jimmy has deserted her. She weepingly accompanies him to the hotel, there to await father's arrival. Jimmy and Tubbs are arrested when they disembark. Jimmy escapes and Tubbs is locked up. Father gives the injunction for service and has a scene with Marna. Jimmy has a hairbreadth escape from father and the officers as he attempts to get Marna from the hotel. Then he communicates by telephone and arranges for her to go to the city jail, where he will try to break in and Tubbs will marry him. Changing clothing with a sympathetic hotel maid, Marna eludes her guard and reaches the jail. Jimmy is sighted trying to break in, and a heart-breaking chase follows over rooftops, up and down the walls of buildings and over apparently unsurmountable obstacles. Mama, discouraged, is sent back to the hotel room. The search for Jimmy continues. He takes refuge on the telegraph wires overhead. Walking past several poles, he comes to one where a lineman is working. After explanations, the lineman agrees to help and makes a three-cornered telephone connection between Tubbs in jail, Marna in her room, and Jimmy on the pole. While the pursuers howl threats below, the unique wedding is under way. Father suddenly realizes it and dashes for the jail, arriving as the ceremony is completed. In conclusion, Jimmy is shown in his office settling I.O.U.'s. When alone again, he opens the vault, and out steps Marna into his arms.
