- Betty's father has an invention that looks like a fancy camera; it emits an ultra-lavender ray that temporarily rids the ray's target of inhibitions. To test it, Betty's father zaps Charley hoping his newly-aberrant behavior will cause Betty to end her affections for the milquetoast. Dad's plan backfires: the invention works perfectly, Charley gets a backbone, and Betty loves her new forceful man. However, Charley's courage and lack of a superego get him in trouble with the law. He goes on trial for assaulting a bullying police officer. Is Charley going up the river leaving Betty high and dry?—<jhailey@hotmail.com>
- Betty's father (Frank Austin) admits to his assistant that he has completed a secret invention that he has been working on for years. He does not want anyone else to know about it. His brainchild looks like a fancy camera. It emits an ultra-lavender ray that temporarily rids the ray's target of inhibitions that stop that person from doing what they most want to do. Betty's father tells his assistant that he is not yet tested it yet. He plans to do so on his assistant who just wants to go home. Betty's father swears his assistant to secrecy as his own daughter does not even know about it. That night, Betty (Betty Mack), the inventor's daughter is on her way home from a masquerade party dressed as a general, and with her boyfriend Charley (Charley Chase), who is dressed as King Henry VIII. The pair get into an argument in the car over which radio station to tune into. Betty gets out of the car by the railroad crossing, pursued by Charley who tries to reason with her. However, their arguing soon turns to fear when she gets the heel of her boot stuck in the train tracks as an oncoming train closes in. Charley rescues her in the nick of time, but the train wrecks the car, which Charley has parked in the middle of the tracks up ahead. Dutifully, Charley walks Betty home. They are disturbed by the loud snoring of her father and Charley thinks better of coming into the house. As he goes to leave, he catches his jacket in the door hinge and traps himself and ends up falling asleep in a vertical position. The next morning, the milkman (James C. Morton) arrives to find 'the sleeping king' on the doorstep and flees in a panic. Betty father opens the door and releases Charley from his predicament. Still fully dressed as the king, Charley walks along the street and passes a cop (Harry Bernard). Charley casually acknowledges him; "Morning officer." "Morning, Henry.", replies the officer before scratching his head in amazement. In town, the now-dressed Charley waits for Betty out on the sidewalk. Her father has brought his ray machine along and deliberately zaps Charley with it when a beautiful woman (Kay McCoy) comes out of the building. Under the influence of the ray's spell, Charley springs to life and adjusts the girl's hat and starts flirting with her, right under Betty's nose, who takes exception to this. Charley tries to explain his innocence but it falls on deaf ears. Betty questions whether Charley was dropped on his head as a baby. Charleu follows Betty across the street. He is struck by a second ray, which results in him pushing two unsuspecting men into a water fountain (one of them is Charlie Hall). Charley and Betty stop outside a radio shop and listen to a broadcast of "Peter Rabbit", a children's story being read out by the announcer Uncle Percy (Billy Gilbert). Charley gets zapped again. As a result, it brings out Charley's annoyance with the story, so he grabs a brick and demolishes the radio. The store owner comes out and Charley pays for his destruction saying it was worth it. Betty agrees but can't believe it was Charley who did it. The inventor's friend asks why Charley always seems to be the target for the ray machine. The inventor confesses that he is trying to make Charley crazy all the time so that his daughter will dump him. Betty storms off, telling Charley she is going to return the ring he gave to her. As the couple stop outside a fruit and vegetable store, Charley receives his fourth zap from the machine and stops Betty forcefully. Nearby, an angry police officer (Tiny Sandford) bullies a much smaller man over parking six inches too close to a fire hydrant and threatens to throw him in "the hoose-gow" or prison for the offense. Charley snaps and begins launching vegetables at the cop with pretty good accuracy, apart from his first throw. The proprietor (Harry Bowen) is quick to demand an explanation, but Charley offers to fully reimburse him for all items used and the grocer pulls out his adding machine. After enduring the bombardment, the cop finally is able to confront Charley and take him away. In the courtroom, Charley is in a straight jacket and with four policemen watching over him closely, each armed with a shotgun. The judge (Harry Dunkinson) orders Charley to remove his hat. Unable to use his arms, Charley jerks his head and his hat flies off, landing on a coat rack. The courtroom explodes with applause, including the judge. Betty urges her father to tell the judge how Charley ended up in the predicament he is in. The judge listens to the inventor's excuse of how his machine effected Charley but dismisses it as "impossible". The inventor offers to demonstrate his ray machine on the judge to prove its capabilities. The judge is zapped with the ray and as a result, he orders a rum and ginger ale from one of his officers, and then threatens to have the arresting officer fired. The twelve men of the jury are zapped and break out in song. They are promptly released from duty. After being zapped, the district attorney (Carlton Griffin) is asked his opinion. He suggests that Charley's straight jacket be removed. The judge releases Charley. A man sitting behind Betty in the courtroom manages to throw the switch on the ray machine, infecting Betty who races towards Charley, kisses him repeatedly and proposes to him. Charley and Betty break out in song as he accepts her offer.
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