The Petty Girl

In New York City, George tries to persuade B. J. Manton to use attractive women to sell his dreary car. Manton is unimpressed, and the encounter is interrupted by his daughter, Connie Dezlow, who takes an immediate liking to George and becomes his patron. Connie provides him with a lavish apartment and hires Beardsley as a loyal butler, nudging him toward more respectable portrait work instead of cheesecake paintings.

Connie furnishes George with a lavish apartment and financial security, effectively transforming his life. She convinces him to abandon cheesecake paintings in favor of more respectable portraits. The arrangement elevates his status but also places him under Connie's influence as his patron.

Victoria Braymore, the youngest professor at Braymore College, travels to New York to defend the school against charges of obsolescence. She is sheltered and chaperoned by her friend Dr Crutcher, reflecting the institution's strict norms. The scene establishes her conflict between independence and institutional expectations.

George and Victoria cross paths at an art museum; she initially resists his approach but agrees to dinner on one condition—that he finds a date for Dr Crutcher. The premise sets up a playful mismatch between art-world charisma and academic seriousness. The moment also sows seeds for their evolving relationship.

To secure a date for Dr Crutcher, George enlists Beardsley to pose as his uncle Ben. The dinner turns chaotic when Beardsley gets drunk and the ruse is exposed, making Victoria suspicious and distant. The fiasco undercuts George's charm and strains their potential connection.

Following the dinner, Victoria accompanies George to a bustling nightclub. A spilled drink triggers a chaotic escape during a police raid, and Victoria is arrested while wearing only her slip. Her arrest makes the front page, creating instant notoriety for her and complicating her career at Braymore College.

Upon her release, Victoria cuts short her trip and returns to Braymore. George follows and secures a job as a busboy at the faculty residence. He uses the newspaper photograph to blackmail her into agreeing to go out with him, beginning a rough courtship fueled by manipulation.

George and Victoria's early dates are fraught with misunderstandings and friction. The chemistry is there, but their missteps keep undermining their connection, reinforcing the tensions between independence and vulnerability. The misfires foreshadow deeper conflicts in their relationship.

George has Victoria sneak out to pose for a painting in his room, drawing the attention of nosy Professor Whitman. Whitman misinterprets the scene, and while the professors lean toward leniency, Victoria decides to quit Braymore, echoing her growing resentment at being controlled. George sees this as a validation of his view that she is stifled.

Victoria goes to George's apartment and confronts her rival for his affections, Mrs Dezlow. She tries to persuade George that Dezlow is manipulating him in the same way as the professors did, but George remains uncertain and unmoved by the accusation. The confrontation deepens the romantic tension between them.

Victoria sneaks into the art museum and swaps one painting with a portrait she painted of herself in a bathing suit. The resulting publicity launches her into a starring role in the burlesque, bringing fame but also controversy. This event marks a turning point in her public image and their relationship.

George secures an injunction preventing Victoria from performing publicly as the Petty Girl, heightening the stakes of her new celebrity. Undeterred, Victoria crashes Mrs Dezlow's private party with a coordinated number, leading to a spectacle that finally convinces Manton to reconsider his stance toward George's project.

The publicity and the party culminate in a reconciliation: B. J. Manton changes his mind about backing George's campaign, recognizing Victoria's point about breaking conventional molds. The couple share a kiss and make up, embracing a new, more authentic partnership.