Calm Yourself

Col. Allenby catches Preston 'Pat' Patton kissing his daughter, Mary Elizabeth, and fires him from his job. The humiliation becomes the spark that inspires Pat to reinvent himself as the head of a new venture, Confidential Services Incorporated, a business that undertakes every kind of difficult task so that clients may calm themselves. He vows to make his own luck in New York despite the personal setback.

Pat negotiates his new approach by pretending to be a female secretary to handle calls. He inundates the city with letters advertising his services, building a bold, if dubious, reputation. He becomes the sole employee of the company.

On his first assignment, Pat delivers the wrong drunk to a wife's bed, triggering a cascade of comic misadventures. The mistake shows that his unorthodox methods can create more problems than they solve. The chaotic setup foreshadows the ensuing complications.

Kenneth Rockwell summons Pat to his office. He is aware of Pat's deceits, yet he admires the cleverness of the letter and believes Pat can help him maneuver Rosalind.

Rockwell explains that his first wife took their three-month-old daughter Rosalind to California almost twenty years ago. He has since remarried and just received word that Rosalind will arrive by an afternoon train. The family dynamics set the stage for Pat's matchmaking ruse.

Pat meets Rosalind at the train and tells her her father is ready to ship her back to California. He uses a mix of charm and deception to position himself as her guide in New York.

Pat describes her supposed engagement with Mary Elizabeth and takes Rosalind to Col. Allenby's building at 6 p.m. This timing sets up a heated quarrel with Allenby on the street as the colonel exits his office. The scene is the catalyst for Rosalind's growing skepticism about her father.

Rosalind witnesses, but does not overhear, the argument from Pat's car and loses all interest in her father. The deception begins to backfire as she questions her father's role in the plan. The tension between the central players deepens.

With only $25 and a wish to stay in New York, Rosalind agrees to become Pat's secretary to support herself. Pat's eccentric business arrangements become a makeshift family structure around her. This turn cements Pat's central role in Rosalind's life.

Mary Elizabeth grows jealous and their arrangement sparks a quarrel when Pat refuses to fire Rosalind. The tension among the trio edges toward a larger misadventure. Rockwell's desire to control the situation clashes with Pat's unconventional methods.

The trio becomes entangled in a comic misadventure that involves a baby, a Great Dane, and a police chase. The absurdity amplifies the chaos surrounding Pat's service scheme. The episode showcases the film's farcical tone.

Rosalind and her father finally meet, and she is relieved to discover he is not Col. Allenby. The moment softens her skepticism and suggests a possible reconciliation. It heightens the tension as Pat's influence grows.

Rockwell is about to introduce Rosalind to Pat, but the pair share a kiss instead. Pat proclaims they will be married, and Rosalind's reaction is hopeful but cautious.

Pat delivers his signature line, 'Calm yourself!' as the couple embraces. The film closes on a comic, affectionate ending that cements their impending marriage.