Little Iodine

Businessman Henry Tremble gets home late from a lodge meeting one night and, trying not to wake his wife, trips over a burglar alarm set up by his ten-year-old daughter Diane, better known as "Little Iodine," and her friend Horace. The next morning, her parents threaten to take drastic steps unless Little Iodine stops acting like a hooligan and learns to behave like a sensible child. Later that day, Mrs. Tremble hears a radio commercial for Simkins' School of languages and telephones for a demonstration. While Mr. Tremble is at work at Jonathan Bigdome's real estate office, he is introduced to Marc Andrews. Marc is starting a newspaper in town and wants to write a story on the firm's new housing project. During their discussion, Janis Payne, the town's new dancing teacher, comes to sign the lease on her studio. Marc is immediately smitten, but Janis spurns his pass. Later, Little Iodine and Horace come home from school and hear a recording of a man speaking French. When they see Simkins, who has been giving Mrs. Tremble her first French lesson, they mistakenly believe that there is a romance between the two. Horace convinces Little Iodine to make her mother jealous by making it look as though her father is seeing another woman. That night Mr. Tremble invites Marc home for dinner. Little Iodine manages to slip a perfumed handkerchief into her father's pocket, and when he later pulls it out, Mrs. Tremble questions the bewildered man closely. The interrogation is interrupted when Janis phones to say she cannot find the master switch at her studio, and Mr. Tremble and Marc hurry to her aid. The next morning, Iodine smudges lipstick on her father's shirt, again rousing Mrs. Tremble's suspicions. At the flower shop belonging to Horace's father, Little Iodine and Horace write a love letter to Mr. Tremble. Little Iodine returns home just as Mr. and Mrs. Tremble are making up and hands the letter to her father. Mrs. Tremble reads the letter and orders her husband out of the house. Now Little Iodine is frightened by what she has done, but Horace assures her that Mrs. Tremble will ask Mr. Tremble to return within twenty-four hours. Mr. Tremble finds refuge with Marc, who is on his way to catch the midnight train. He tells Mr. Tremble that he had planned to have dinner with Janis and asks him to send her an explanatory note with flowers. Mr. Tremble does so, but absentmindedly charges the flowers to himself. Then a committee of housewives, outraged by Mr. Tremble's supposed affair, insist that Bigdome fire him. When Little Iodine learns from Horace that Mr. Tremble sent flowers to Janis, she believes that her father is really in love with the teacher. She and Horace confront Janis, and because she does not know the children, Janis assumes that they are talking about Marc. When Marc returns to town, Janis angrily breaks off their relationship. After Mr. Tremble crashes a meeting of the housewives, he is arrested and put in jail. Little Iodine visits him and confesses her meddling. Mr. Tremble now believes that his wife is having an affair and quickly gets released from jail so that he can return home. Marc, who has been visiting Mr. Tremble in jail, suddenly understands why Janis was so cold to him and explains the mixup to her. Eventually, the confusion is cleared up, and Bigdome offers Mr. Tremble a better job with more pay. In their happiness, the Trembles forgive Little Iodine.