Calm Yourself (1935) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Pat is fired by Col. Allenby after being caught kissing his daughter, Mary Elizabeth Allenby. The incident happens in Allenby's office, and the colonel immediately terminates Pat's employment as a result of the transgression.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Pat's tendency to pursue romantic interests regardless of consequences is established, which later leads to complications with both Mary Elizabeth and Rosalind.

• fired
• kissing
• col allenby
• mary elizabeth
• advertising job

Rockwell is aware of Pat's deceits but is impressed by the cleverness of Pat's advertising letter. More importantly, Rockwell needs help managing the complicated situation with his daughter Rosalind arriving in New York, and he believes Pat's unconventional methods could help maneuver the delicate family matter.

Foreshadowing: Rockwell's willingness to overlook Pat's dishonesty hints at his own manipulative nature in dealing with family secrets.

• rockwell
• con artist
• hire
• deception
• cleverness

Pat is hired by Rockwell to handle the situation with his daughter. He meets Rosalind at the train and tells her that her father is ready to ship her back to California and paints Col. Allenby as ill-tempered. Pat's deception is designed to push Rosalind away from Rockwell while also suggesting that Pat himself is engaged to Mary Elizabeth, creating distance between Rosalind and her father.

Foreshadowing: Pat's initial lie creates the foundation for the film's central misunderstanding, which eventually unravels toward reconciliation.

• rosalind
• father
• lies
• california
• rockwell

Mary Elizabeth is romantically interested in Pat and sees Rosalind as a rival for his attention. When Pat refuses to fire Rosalind after hiring her as his secretary, Mary Elizabeth's jealousy intensifies, leading to quarrels between them.

Foreshadowing: Mary Elizabeth's jealousy is established early when she and Pat are caught kissing, showing her emotional investment in the relationship.

• mary elizabeth
• jealousy
• rosalind
• love triangle

Rosalind has been led to believe her father is Col. Allenby, the ill-tempered man Pat described. However, when Rockwell is about to introduce Rosalind to her father, she discovers he is not Col. Allenby at all. This revelation is part of the film's comic confusion, as Pat's deception involved using Allenby's name and building to create a staged confrontation.

Foreshadowing: Pat's elaborate ruse involving Col. Allenby's building and the 6 PM confrontation plants the seed for this misunderstanding.

• rockwell
• allenby
• father
• revelation
• confusion

During the course of Pat's misadventures helping Rockwell, he and Rosalind develop genuine feelings for each other. Rosalind agrees to become his secretary, they work closely together through the chaos involving the baby, Great Dane, and police, and in the final moments, they share a kiss. Pat declares they will be married, and Rosalind accepts despite her initial hesitation.

Foreshadowing: Their partnership develops naturally through the shared misadventures and Pat's decision to keep her employed despite Mary Elizabeth's protests.

• pat
• rosalind
• marriage
• kiss
• romance

Confidential Services Incorporated is Pat's one-man business venture after being fired. He advertises the service as a way to help clients calm themselves in any situation. Pat handles all kinds of unusual and problematic cases with comedic, unconventional solutions. He even pretends to be a female secretary when taking phone calls to give the impression of a larger operation.

Foreshadowing: The business's chaotic first assignment, delivering the wrong drunk to a wife's bed, establishes the farcical tone of his problem-solving methods.

• confidential services
• business
• pat
• problem solving

Rosalind arrives in New York with only $25 and a strong desire to stay in the city rather than return to California. After Pat's deception makes her lose interest in her father, she needs employment to support herself. She agrees to become Pat's secretary, which also keeps her close to the man she's begun to develop feelings for.

Foreshadowing: Rosalind's limited financial resources and her growing connection to Pat set the stage for their eventual romance.

• rosalind
• secretary
• pat
• money
• new york

The film includes a comic misadventure subplot that involves a baby, a Great Dane, and the police. This farcical sequence is part of the wild, tangled web of misadventures that pulls Pat, Rosalind, and the other characters into chaos, showcasing the film's fast-paced, farcical tone.

Foreshadowing: The chaotic escalation reflects Pat's inability to control the consequences of his original deception, spreading beyond the initial father-daughter plot.

• baby
• great dane
• police
• chase
• comedy

"Calm yourself!" is Pat's signature catchphrase and the motto of his business Confidential Services Incorporated. The promise is that his service will help clients calm themselves in any difficult situation. The phrase becomes the film's closing line as Pat delivers it to his romantic partner during their final embrace, cementing the comedic business theme.

Foreshadowing: The business motto is established when Pat invents the company after being fired, and it recurs throughout the misadventures as his personal mantra.

• calm yourself
• motto
• catchphrase
• ending
• signature line