Stowaway 1936

Barbara “Ching-Ching” Stewart is an American orphan living in Sanchow, China with her missionary guardians. When bandits threaten the village, she is sent to Shanghai for safety. Accidentally separated from her guide, Ching-Ching finds herself alone in Shanghai with her dog, Mr. Wu.

She then meets Tommy Randall, a wealthy American playboy who travels the world by ocean liner. He leaves Ching-Ching in his convertible car while he goes into a hotel to see several friends. When Tommy returns, it seems Ching-Ching is gone, though she actually crawled into the car’s trunk as rain began to fall and has fallen asleep. Tommy’s car is loaded into the ship’s cargo hold, and Ching-Ching unexpectedly becomes a stowaway. When she is discovered, Tommy provides for her, helped by Susan Parker, a beautiful young woman traveling aboard the ship with her future mother-in-law, Mrs. Hope. They are bound for Bangkok, where Susan is to marry her fiancé, Richard Hope, who works there.

As Tommy and Susan grow attracted to one another during the voyage, Ching-Ching plays Cupid to ignite a romance between them. Mrs. Hope, alarmed over Susan’s attachment to Tommy, telegraphs Richard to meet them at the next port.

Tommy and Susan learn that Ching-Ching’s guardians were killed by bandits, and that she is to disembark at the next port to go to an orphanage in Shanghai. Tommy wants to stop this by adopting Ching-Ching, but as a bachelor, he cannot. He asks Susan Parker to adopt Ching-Ching when she marries Richard Hope, but only until he can himself marry and then adopt her. The Hopes, especially Mrs. Hope, selfishly reject this plan. Disgusted by Richard’s callous attitude and his overbearing mother’s constant interference, Susan ends her engagement in response. She agrees to marry Tommy in name only so they can adopt Ching-Ching. They plan to divorce upon returning to the US, giving Tommy custody. During the court proceedings, presided over by Judge Booth, they realize they love each other. They remain married and jointly adopt Ching-Ching.