Too Many Husbands

Bill Cardew goes missing at sea and is presumed drowned. The disappearance devastates Vicky, who becomes a widow. Henry Lowndes, Bill's best friend and business partner, provides comfort and begins to play a more active role in her life.

Six months after Bill's presumed death, Vicky and Henry marry, hoping to build a stable life together. The marriage brings companionship, but the shadow of Bill's fate lingers. Vicky begins to adapt to life with Henry.

Six months into the marriage, Henry removes Bill's name from his old office as a memorial to the dead husband. Vicky is disappointed by the gesture, feeling that Bill deserves a lasting remembrance. The act signals strain in their relationship and how the past is being kept at a distance.

On the day the office name is removed, Bill returns alive, having been stranded on an uninhabited island and later rescued. He calls home and reassures George that he has indeed come back. His return unsettles the new marriage and reopens questions about his place in Vicky's life.

Bill asks George to arrange for Vicky to meet him at the airport that evening. He wants to tell Henry the news in front of Vicky, through her, rather than by a phone call. Vicky feels anxious about the confrontation and what it will mean for her future.

Vicky, with the help of her father, breaks the news of Bill's return to Henry. Henry accuses Bill of faking his death to bypass a waiting period for a missing-person declaration. Although Henry initially contemplates withdrawing, Vicky resists leaving Bill and the situation unresolved.

With no resolution in sight, the two men move into the same house to compete for Vicky's affection. They sleep in a shared room to guard their chances, while Vicky's father disapproves of the scandal. The arrangement underscores the comic and tense triangle looming over the household.

The men draw lots for a paper marked with an X to decide who stays, but Bill ends up with a losing blank. Henry has cheated by leaving both papers blank and letting Bill draw first. The tense moment intensifies their competition and prompts a reveal of Henry's manipulation.

The men disappear for hours, and Vicky calls the Missing Persons bureau. A slip of the tongue leads her to describe both men as her husbands, creating confusion for the authorities. The police treat the case as a complicated entanglement rather than a straightforward marriage.

The scandal reaches the newspapers and a judge rules that Vicky's bigamy is unintentional. She remains legally married to Bill, which further complicates her situation. Vicky and Bill express sympathy for Henry's disappointment.

Bill takes Vicky to a celebratory dinner that evening, and Henry joins them, determined to stay involved. Bill wants Henry to leave, but Henry insists on remaining part of Vicky's life. The dinner becomes a strange but affectionate moment among the trio.

The film ends with Vicky dancing with both Bill and Henry as a trio, cheerfully declaring that they will have to do this often. The scene emphasizes the unusual, ongoing arrangement rather than a clean resolution. The ending blends comedy with a lingering sense of scandal unresolved.