The Fabulous Senorita

In Cuba, businessman Jose Rodriguez finds himself in a dilemma when loan officer Senor Gonzales tells him that he will approve his loan only if Gonzales' son Estaban is permitted to marry his daughter Manuela. Jose reluctantly consents to the arrangement, but soon after, Manuela's boyfriend, Pedro Sanchez, asks him to give his blessing to their marriage. When Manuela learns of her father's arrangement, she and Pedro, with the help of her sister Estelita, try to elope. While hurriedly packing Manuela's belongings, however, Estelita is accidentally knocked unconscious by a flying suitcase. Finding Estelita in distress, Jerry Taylor, an American professor at Whitmore College, takes her in his arms and carries her to safety. Gonzales, angered by the sight of what he thinks is his future daughter-in-law in another man's arms, calls the police. Estelita, who has fallen in love with Jerry, is disappointed when the professor tells her that he is returning to America soon, and tries to prevent him from leaving by telling the police that he kidnapped her. Meanwhile, newspapers report Manuela's engagement to Estaban, but she has already secretly married Pedro. Soon after Jerry is released from jail, he goes to the Rodriguezes' and gives Estelita a spanking. Later, confusion ensues when Estelita, impersonating Manuela, tells Jerry that he spanked her identical sister. Having never met the real Manuela, Jerry believes the lie and apologizes to "Manuela." Continuing her deception, Estelita persuades her father to send Manuela to California to complete her education, and then secures her own passage abroad by convincing her father that Manuela will need her help there. As part of Estelita's plan, Pedro, disguised as a police officer, arrests Estaban for a traffic violation, thus giving Pedro and Manuela the opportunity to elope. Estelita, hoping to find Jerry, and still posing as Manuela, then boards the plane to California without her sister. More complications arise for Estelita at Whitmore College when Jerry shows little interest in her arrival, and when honors student Clifford Van Kunkle falls in love with her. Estelita is eventually expelled from the school when she is caught singing at nearby nightclub and embroiled in a scandal involving Jerry and the dean of the college, Dean Bradshaw. While awaiting the arrival of her father, who has been summoned by the school, Estelita panics and orders Manuela to come to California immediately. The Rodriguez sisters manage to keep up their charade long enough for Estelita and Jerry to take their place at the altar, but just as they are about to be married, Jose, under the impression that it is Manuela who is about to marry Jerry, bursts into the chapel with a gun. After learning the truth, though, Jose accepts Manuela's marriage to Pedro and permits Estelita to stay in California and marry Jerry.