Palm Beach Girl on AllMovie

The Palm Beach Girl is Emily Bennett (Bebe Daniels), the poor Iowa relation of wealthy Florida dowager Aunt Jerry (Josephine Drake). Invited to spend the winter with her aunt, Emily boards the southbound train; en route, her face is blackened by a passing tugboat, compelling her to ride in the "Jim Crow" car with the African American passengers (this egregious example of de facto segregation is treated as a joke in this film!) Upon arriving in Palm Beach, Emily is given the cold shoulder by her snooty relatives and doesn't make matters any better with her unintentionally boorish behavior. Ultimately, she gives up high society in favor of handsome motor-boat mechanic Jack Trotter (Lawrence Grey), helping the boy win an important boat race and simultaneously showing up the snobs for the phonies that they are.