Bride by Mistake 1944

Home from the war, Captain Tony Travis, Alan Marshal, eyes an estate in Santa Barbara and wonders what it must feel like to live in such luxury. The property belongs to the fabulously wealthy Nora Hunter, [Laraine Day], who guards her private life tightly and has her secretary and friend Sylvia Lockwood, [Marsha Hunt], impersonate her in public. Longtime guardian Jonathan Connors [Edgar Buchanan] protects his ward’s privacy with a fierce, almost protective devotion. During a ship launch, a press photographer snaps Nora, but Connors notices that the camera film is ruined, a small crash of fate foreshadowing the tangle of identities to come.

Sylvia informs Nora that she’s quitting so she can accompany her husband, Phil Vernon [Allyn Joslyn], whose job sends him to Washington. Nora decides to marry her fiancé Donald [William Post Jr.], enabling Sylvia to serve as Nora’s maid of honor at the wedding. But when Donald returns from military service, he reveals that he has fallen in love with someone else, complicating Nora’s plans and shaking the foundations of the arrangement.

At a tea hosted by Nora, Sylvia pretends once more to be Nora. There, Tony meets Nora and is drawn to her, but his real interest lies with Sylvia. When he vows that love should trump money, Nora and Sylvia devise a weekend at Nora’s beach house so Tony can court Sylvia, hoping that if he truly loves the real Nora, it will be for more than wealth. Friends warn Nora that she’s playing with fire, yet she presses on, believing she can test the depths of his affections.

Chaos erupts as the plan spirals into mischief. While under the influence, Sylvia accepts a marriage proposal from Tony. The next morning, Tony discovers Phil sneaking to Sylvia’s room for a late-night hug, and Nora confesses that she and Sylvia swapped rooms that night. The truth rocks Tony, but it doesn’t break his resolve: he ultimately chooses the person he loves and sweeps Nora into a tentative marriage, carrying her away to begin their life together.

On their honeymoon night in a cheap motel, Nora finally reveals her true identity. Tony, initially taken aback, is touched by the vulnerability he sees and, upon catching a glimpse of Nora in her nightgown, decides to stay instead of walking away. What begins as a sly social experiment ends with a fragile but sincere bond that transcends appearances, a reminder that affection can outlast facades in a world where money and status loom large.