(The following plot summary is based on
the English-language version of this film, Parlor, Bedroom and
Bath; character names refer to that version.)
Jeffrey Hayward is in love with Virginia
Embrey, but Virginia refuses to marry him until her sister Angelica,
who is four years older than she, finds a husband. Frustrated
by Virginia's stipulation, Jeff threatens to marry Angelica himself.
Meanwhile, outside the Embrey estate, Reginald Irving, a homely
billboard painter, is hit by a car while walking along the road.
The injured pedestrian is rushed to the Embreys', where Jeff decides
to fix him up with Angelica. In order to make Reginald more
appealing to the snobbish Angelica, Jeff tells her that Reggie is
famous and pays women admirers to surround Reggie and make him seem
important. The hapless sign painter, bewildered by all the
activity, tries to escape by climbing out of his window, but he is
spotted by Jeff, who tackles him and brings him back.
Reggie is soon put in charge of managing
Angelica's eight million dollar estate. Jeff orders him to
stay and continue the hoax until marriage arrangements between him
and Angelica are made firm. Believing that Reggie will appear
more desirable to Angelica if he is caught having an affair with
another woman, Jeff enlists the help of gossip columnist Polly
Hathaway, who agrees to meet Reggie at a hotel. Knowing that
the half-witted Reggie is incapable of romancing a woman properly,
Jeff gives him step-by-step instructions to seduce his date when he
gets to the hotel. Jeff's plan goes awry when Reggie mistakes
the dejected Nita, a friend of the Embreys', who has just had a
quarrel with her husband Frederick, for his date and takes her to
the hotel.
On the way to the hotel, Reggie's car
stalls on railroad tracks and is destroyed by a passing train,
forcing the couple to hitchhike in the pouring rain. Drenched,
the two arrive at the hotel, while Angelica and Virginia set out in
search of them. Nita is shocked when Reggie tries to force his
intentions upon her, and she attempts to flee. When Polly
arrives at the hotel, she begins to rehearse Jeff's romancing
instructions with Reggie. While Polly teaches Reggie how to
kiss, Jeff arrives and, realizing that Reggie has bungled the
scheme, warns him that Nita's jealous husband is on his way to kill
him. Again, not knowing that it is Polly with whom he is
supposed to be caught, Reggie turns to Leila Crofton, another of
Angelica's friends, and begins making love to her. Virginia
and Angelica burst into the room in the middle of Reggie's attack,
but before they are able to react, Frederick arrives on the scene
and pulls a gun on Reggie. Jeff manages to save Reggie, but
when a gunshot rings out, Polly falls to the floor and is believed
to be dead. Everyone flees from the scene when the police
arrive, except for Reggie, who tries to hide the body. When
Polly regains consciousness, she urges Reggie to use Jeff's
lovemaking method on Angelica, and it appears that he and Angelica
will become lovers.
Notes
MGM made French and German versions of the 1931 film
Parlor, Bedroom and Bath, which was directed by Edward Sedgwick
and starred
Buster Keaton and
Charlotte Greenwood. The onscreen credits for this French
version were taken from a studio cutting continuity. The
German version, Casanova wider Willen was directed by Edward
Brophy and starred Keaton and Gerda Mann.
According to the Var review, most
of this film was shot on location at
Buster Keaton's Beverly Hills home. A biography of Keaton
notes that when the actor was first shown the working script for
this farce comedy, he took an instant dislike to it and indicated
that it was the type of comedy he did not appreciate. An
earlier film based on the same play was Metro's 1920 production,
also entitled Parlor, Bedroom and Bath, which starred
Eugene Pallette and Ruth Stonehouse, and was directed by Edward
Dillon.