A test pilot and an insurance agent navigate a million-dollar policy mix-up, romantic entanglements, and a conspiratorial crash plot.
Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
The Million Dollar Mix-Up
A. C. Baker attempts to secure Terry Moore's endorsement while Miss Tracy secretly alters the insurance policy to a million dollars. Moore designates his friends as beneficiaries, setting the stage for corporate and personal conflict.
Key Events
Baker's Proposal — Baker offers Moore a $1000 policy for an endorsement. Characters: A. C. Baker, Terry MooreLocation: Office
Tracy's Revenge — Fired secretary alters the policy amount to $1,000,000. Characters: Miss TracyLocation: Office
Beneficiary Designation — Moore names three friends as policy beneficiaries. Characters: Terry Moore, Avery Jamieson, Harry Gargan, Mother HodgesLocation: Bar
Sanitorium Sabotage
Baker's attempts to cancel the policy lead to a sanitorium scheme and a tragic crash that kills another pilot. The beneficiaries celebrate prematurely until Gargan discovers Moore is actually alive.
Key Events
Beneficiary Designation — Moore names three friends as policy beneficiaries. Characters: Terry Moore, Avery Jamieson, Harry Gargan, Mother HodgesLocation: Bar
The Drink Flung — Baker rejects Moore's advance by throwing a drink. Characters: A. C. Baker, Terry MooreLocation: Bar
Policy Amount Revealed — Moore notices the altered million-dollar value. Characters: Terry MooreLocation: Bar
Boss's Order — Company boss orders Baker to cancel the policy. Characters: A. C. BakerLocation: Office
Crash Course in Love
After a hay wagon accident, Moore and Baker grow closer at a blacksmith shop and decide to marry. They report to the company boss, only to learn the policy cancellation is rejected due to massive profits.
Key Events
Sanitorium Trick — Baker tricks Moore into a forced overnight stay. Characters: A. C. Baker, Terry MooreLocation: Sanitorium
Crash Witnessed — Gargan sees another pilot crash and assumes Moore is dead. Characters: Harry GarganLocation: Airfield
Beneficiaries Notified — Gargan informs the beneficiaries of the supposed death. Characters: Harry Gargan, Avery Jamieson, Mother HodgesLocation: Bar
Alive Discovery — Gargan realizes Moore is alive but injured. Characters: Harry GarganLocation: Hospital
Vegas Conspiracy
Jealous beneficiaries drug Moore to force a crash en route to Las Vegas. Moore activates the autopilot, the friends' radio transmission reveals their plot, and Moore safely lands the plane before the wedding.
Key Events
Alive Discovery — Gargan realizes Moore is alive but injured. Characters: Harry GarganLocation: Hospital
Hay Wagon Crash — Moore speeds away after release and crashes. Characters: Terry MooreLocation: Road
Blacksmith Repair — Frawley repairs Moore's car while they converse. Characters: Terry Moore, Elmer FrawleyLocation: Blacksmith Shop
Engagement Decision — Moore and Baker decide to get married. Characters: Terry Moore, A. C. BakerLocation: Blacksmith Shop
Boss's Rejection — The company rejects cancellation due to massive profits. Characters: A. C. Baker, Terry MooreLocation: Office
Sleeping Powder Plot — Beneficiaries drug Moore to force a crash. Characters: Avery Jamieson, Harry Gargan, Mother HodgesLocation: Airfield
Autopilot Activation — Moore sets autopilot before falling asleep. Characters: Terry MooreLocation: Cockpit
Radio Transmission — Blaming friends talk over the open radio. Characters: Avery Jamieson, Harry Gargan, Mother HodgesLocation: Cockpit
Emergency Landing — Moore wakes up and safely lands the plane. Characters: Terry MooreLocation: Cockpit
Wedding Ceremony — The couple marries with the beneficiaries as witnesses. Characters: Terry Moore, A. C. Baker, Avery Jamieson, Harry Gargan, Mother HodgesLocation: Las Vegas
Post-Wedding Sleep — The newlyweds fall asleep immediately after the ceremony. Characters: Terry Moore, A. C. BakerLocation: Hotel
Policy Cancellation Failed — Baker and Moore learn the policy remains active. Characters: A. C. Baker, Terry MooreLocation: Office
Company Profit Surge — The company gains millions due to Moore's fame. Characters: A. C. Baker, Terry MooreLocation: Office
Story Breakdown
Policy Mix-Up — The inciting incident revolves around a secretary's revenge altering an insurance policy, creating a massive financial discrepancy.
Tracy's Revenge — Miss Tracy changes the policy amount to one million dollars after being fired.
Beneficiary Designation — Moore names three friends as beneficiaries, unaware of the altered value.
Romantic Pursuit — Baker's professional mission clashes with her growing personal interest in Moore, driving the central relationship.
Baker's Proposition — Baker offers a policy for an endorsement, sparking initial tension.
Sanitorium Scheme — Baker tricks Moore into a sanitorium to force policy cancellation.
Crash & Recovery — A tragic plane crash and subsequent rescue sequence shift the narrative tone and character dynamics.
Witnessed Disaster — Gargan witnesses the crash and mistakenly believes Moore perished.
Blacksmith Repair — Moore's car is fixed by Frawley, allowing time for Baker and Moore to bond.
Corporate Greed — The company's financial interests override the original policy cancellation request.
Boss's Rejection — The company refuses to cancel the policy due to massive new business.
Profit Surge — Moore's fame generates millions, making the policy too valuable to void.
Vegas Conspiracy — The beneficiaries' jealousy leads to a desperate plot to eliminate Moore as a rival.
Sleeping Powder Plot — The friends drug Moore to force a fatal crash en route to Las Vegas.
Autopilot Activation — Moore sets the autopilot before succumbing to the sedative.
Climactic Landing — The radio transmission exposes the conspiracy, leading to a tense emergency descent.
Radio Revelation — The blaming friends talk over the open radio, alerting air traffic control.
Emergency Descent — Moore wakes in time and safely lands the plane, thwarting the plot.
Wedding Resolution — The story concludes with the union of the protagonists and the neutralization of the antagonists.
Ceremony Witnesses — Moore kidnaps the beneficiaries to serve as wedding witnesses.
Post-Wedding Slumber — The newlyweds fall asleep immediately, ending the conflict peacefully.
A.C.Baker, advertising executive for an insurance company, approaches test pilot Terry Moore with a proposition that in return for using his picture and endorsement he will get a paid-for-a-year $1000 policy. High-risk Terry agrees. George MacAlister fires his secretary, Miss Tracy, just as she is typing up the policy and she, for spite, changes the amount from a thousand dollars to one million dollars. A.C. delivers the policy, without noticing the difference, to Terry at a party at the Frolics Club, a cheap joint wedged between a burlesque house and a flop house hotel. Three characters, an elderly hat-check "girl" known as Mother Hodges; Avery Jamieson, a broken-down actor; and bartender Harry Gargan are named beneficiaries. When the company discovers the error, A.C. is sent to get back the policy and, pending that, don't let Terry make any test flights.
