Harry Leon Wilson's novel made an amusing stage play, but when it was brought to the screen, it lost something in the translation. It changed from a subtly funny character study to mere slapstick, and Matt Moore was too old for the title character, depicted in the book and play as a callow youth. Bunker Bean (Moore) is the meek, mild stenographer to millionaire Jim Breede (George Nichols). When he inherits some money, he goes to a Balthasar (Frank Leigh), a fortune teller who tells him of his noble Egyptian ancestry. This tale, of course, is only meant to squeeze more money out of Bean, and it works -- for five thousand dollars he purchases a mummy, which was supposedly him in a past lifetime. Breede's daughter Marie (Dorothy Devore) is fascinated with all this and convinces Bean to marry her, but when Bean's dog rips the "mummy" to shreds, it is obviously a fake and the disheartened young man can't bring himself to go through with the wedding. Bean's manhood is finally put to the test when his rival for Marie's hand, Bert Hollins (Gayne Whitman), starts causing trouble. The two men duke it out, and Bean emerges victorious. Breede, meanwhile, has put his stamp of approval on the couple because Bean has some stock that will give the old man controlling interest in a company.
by Janiss Garza
synopsis
