A Kiss for Corliss

Corliss pretends to have amnesia to cover up the truth about her late-night outing. After manipulating Dexter into taking her to the Penguin Club, which was raided by police, she returns home very late and fears her father's reaction. The amnesia story is a desperate lie to avoid punishment and explanation.

Earlier, Corliss had been sneaking out and defying her father's rules, making the cover-up seem like a natural escalation.

Marquis claims every word in Corliss's diary is true because it serves his manipulative agenda. By declaring his love for Corliss and announcing his intention to marry her, he uses the fabricated diary as a legal and social weapon against the Archers, threatening to sue for breach of promise if they break the engagement.

Corliss writes imaginary romantic trysts with Marquis in her diary specifically to make her boyfriend Dexter jealous. She wants to provoke him into feeling possessive and reaffirming his interest in her, using the fabricated entries as a manipulative tactic to test his feelings.

Archer forbids Dexter from dating Corliss after spotting him at the Penguin Club, which he considers a disreputable establishment that doubles as a gambling joint. Archer uses this as justification to protect his daughter from what he perceives as bad influence and unsuitable company.

At the wedding rehearsal, Dexter reveals he has a witness who can corroborate Corliss's version of what happened the night she was out late. This witness directly contradicts Marquis's claims, exposing the lie and providing the evidence needed to prove Corliss truthful.

The timeline shows the Penguin Club raid earlier that night, which provides the basis for what the witness would have observed.

Marquis's desire to make Corliss his fourth wife appears to be driven by manipulation rather than genuine affection. By claiming the diary is true and announcing the engagement publicly, Marquis gains leverage over the Archers and creates a situation where he can threaten a lawsuit for breach of promise if they reject him.

The Penguin Club is a restaurant that doubles as a gambling joint, making it a socially questionable establishment in the context of the film. Its significance lies in multiple plot points: Archer uses Dexter's presence there to justify banning him from dating Corliss, and Corliss manipulates Dexter into taking her there, leading to a police raid that creates the circumstances for her amnesia cover story.

Marquis sends a box of candy to Corliss, which Archer interprets as a deliberate provocation. Since Archer is representing Marquis's third wife in the divorce proceedings, Archer sees the gift as a jab at his settlement demands and an attempt to interfere with his family. The candy becomes a symbol of the growing hostility between the two men.

Marquis announces his engagement to Corliss in the newspaper as a calculated strategic move. By making the engagement public, he creates a situation where the Archers would face legal consequences for breach of promise if they cancel it. This public declaration gives Marquis leverage to pursue his financial and social objectives against the Archer family.

Archer reads Corliss's diary to try to understand what really happened the night she came home late and claimed to have amnesia. Hoping to refresh her memory and get to the truth, he discovers the imaginary romantic entries about Marquis, which together with the candy gift lead him to believe the worst about his daughter's relationship and honesty.

After Dexter reveals the witness who proves Corliss's version is true, Marquis's lie is exposed. The men escort him outside where a physical confrontation erupts. Both Archer and Dexter return bloodied, and Marquis himself staggers past an open window with a blackened eye, sneering at them as he leaves the scene defeated but unrepentant.