One Hysterical Night

William Judd (Reginald Denny) is heir to the family fortune. His jealous aunt and cousins plot to part him from it, feeling they should have received it in the first place. There is a clause that states Judd must be of sound mind to get the inheritance, so they set out to prove he is insane. They convince him they are going to a costume party and give him a Napoleon suit to wear. They tell him there is a big prize involved and they have a good shot at winning if he sticks to the part absolutely. Then they take him to a sanitarium for evaluation. Everyone there thinks he is a historical figure, one of whom feels especially roiled by Napoleon, of which they've had many over the years. Judd plays along famously and gets himself committed. He realizes what is going on too late and must prove his sanity among the insane.

The sanitarium is impressive, and the inmates must be very wealthy because the rooms are impressively large and furnished with historically accurate furniture pieces. There are a few good laughs and shocking lines. The story idea is a clever one, but it would have been much better suited to a two-reel comedy rather than a feature film. The gags run on too long and the story becomes tedious. However, it is very memorable.

This film was screened at Capitolfest in 2017.