This is just awful.
Tom Smith (Harold Lloyd, Jr.) gets off the bus in Monroe, Michigan. While walking down the street with his suitcases, he’s approached by ditzy Mrs.Binger. At first she thinks he’s someone she knows. Then in her own dizzy way she forces him to rent a room from her. He checks out the want ads and heads for the clothing department of the town’s Department store.
He sees Horace Pender (Byron Foulger) and is hired. Not long into his first day he hears a fire siren and sees the trucks go by. He can’t help himself and chases after them. He can’t resist going to fires. At the blazes he runs across a dog and then a stranger who also can’t resist.
The stranger turns out to be the store’s owner Mr. Chalmers (Jonathan Hale). The dog belongs to a nice looking babe, Charlotte (Cathy Downs). As this poor excuse for a movie continues, she gets the hots for Tom.
At the annual store picnic, a small building catches on fire. Tom’s the first one to see it. With his habit of chasing fires, the fire chief thinks Tom’s a firebug. What really makes him think Tom is guilty is that he’s able to correctly identify a magnesium pencil that started the blaze. Other fires have been breaking out and since he’s new in town….you get the idea. So….who is the firebug? Too bad he didn’t burn this movie.
Jonathan Hale had an over thirty year career in movies and TV. Too bad he got stuck in this mess.
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