The son of missionaries in China (bespeckled Harold Lloyd) returns to the United States to his home town and finds himself in the running for mayor. The men behind the scenes (George Barbier and Grant Mitchell) think he will be a puppet, but Lloyd has his own way of doing things. It's all predictable at first until the surprising climax where Lloyd fights crime and corruption in a really surprising manner that is almost laughably offensive.
There is a major overdose of somewhat improper language in discussing Asian Americans, particularly those dressed up in Fu Manchu garb. There isn't really all that much slapstick (as compared to Lloyd's silent classics), but the twist at the end is rather surprisingly original and daring, and tastelessly funny (in a Mel Brooks "Springtime For Hitler" manner) that will provoke interest. Una Merkel is wasted as Lloyd's spunky love interest, while veteran dumbbell Nat Pendleton plays the head gangster.
There is a major overdose of somewhat improper language in discussing Asian Americans, particularly those dressed up in Fu Manchu garb. There isn't really all that much slapstick (as compared to Lloyd's silent classics), but the twist at the end is rather surprisingly original and daring, and tastelessly funny (in a Mel Brooks "Springtime For Hitler" manner) that will provoke interest. Una Merkel is wasted as Lloyd's spunky love interest, while veteran dumbbell Nat Pendleton plays the head gangster.