Nearly Married

Nearly Married is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Chester Withey and starring Madge Kennedy. It is based on a 1913 stage play of the same name by Edgar Selwyn. It also featured an early film appearance by future gossip columnist Hedda Hopper.

As described in a film magazine, on the evening of Betty Griffons Kennedy scheduled wedding the guests are assembled, the minister is waiting, but no bride appears. Betty is waiting for her brother Dick Barthelmess, who is out celebrating his admission to the bar. When it dawns on him that it is his duty to give his sister away in marriage, he rushes out, steals an automobile, and is arrested. Betty and Harry Lindsey Thomas are married and are about to leave on their honeymoon when word comes of Dicks arrest. Harry is disgusted by Dick and leaves the house. Dick, anxious to secure a legal case, urges his sister to get a divorce. Legal proceedings are instituted but before the granting of the decree the couple find that they still love each other so plan to elope. The arrival of Dick with the divorce decree upsets this plan. They start to make another attempt at marriage but discover that, due to the insertion of a clause in the decree by Betty, they cannot get remarried in New York. The couple then plan to get married in New Jersey, but Betty finds Harrys hired corespondent for the divorce in his room, so Betty refuses to accompany him. Utterly disgusted, Harry is about to leave when Betty denounces her brother and begs Harry to take her with him, which he does.

Source: Wikipedia