Summary
The Speed Girl weaves a kinetic tapestry of automotive daring and romantic entanglement, centering on Betty Lee, a 20-year-old stunt performer whose audacious feats with planes and speedsters propel her to stardom. Her life pivots when Ensign Tom Manley, a naval officer, witnesses her rescuing a horseback rider, mistaking it for a heroic act. This catalyzes a clandestine courtship, pitting her against the scheming Carl D'Arcy, a suitor whose jealousy fuels a Machiavellian plot to ruin her. The narrative crescendos with a trial of speed and integrity—Betty’s race against time to deliver Tom to his ship intersects with Carl’s underhanded manipulation of the law, culminating in a jailhouse twist where public relations and personal ethics collide. The film’s climax, a meticulously staged jailbreak-turned-propaganda-stunt, underscores the tension between artifice and authenticity in the nascent studio system.
Synopsis
20-year-old Betty Lee becomes famous for her movie stunts with airplanes and high-powered roadsters. While horseback riding, she allows Ensign Tom Manley to believe that he has saved her from a runaway; then at the studio he meets her suitor, Carl D'Arcy. Betty evades Carl's marriage proposal and accepts Tom's luncheon invitation. Through a trick, she delays him in meeting his ship, and at the last minute, Betty, along with Tom and her press agent, Soapy Taylor, burn up the road to San Diego. Through Carl's plotting, the police arrest Betty for speeding and sentence her to 10 days in jail, although she manages to deliver Tom on time. Carl, trailed by revenue officers, shifts blame to Hilda, a chambermaid whom he has deceived, and she meets Betty in jail. Soapy plans a jail wedding for Carl and Betty as a publicity stunt, but Tom exposes Carl and wins Betty's hand.
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