Summaries

Synopsis

Paula Powers is a wealthy young woman who is engaged to research major Sam Freeman. This does not sit well with her parents Bigby and Priscilla, as they think it will jeopardize Bigby's chances of running for governor of California. Sam also learns that Paula is already in an arranged engagement to another wealthy young man, Collins Hedgeworth, and is ordered by Bigby to leave the property. Paula stands her ground saying that she will marry Sam in Las Vegas, with Bigby threatening to disinherit her, cutting off all her credit, and takes the keys to her sports car to prevent her from leaving. Paula storms to her room, but climbs out her window and takes off in her father's Rolls-Royce. Bigby witnesses this and prepares to give chase in the sports car, but discovers Paula stripped the front tires off.

Paula sees Sam standing at the end of the driveway and they happily drive off, as a desperate Bigby now enlists the help of private investigator Ned Slinker to stop them and gives strict orders not to have the police and news agencies involved. As Bigby and Priscilla prepare to leave for the airport, Collins calls and Priscilla delivers the bad news to him, who immediately speeds off in his Porsche, which he, soon after, destroys. He then steals a Dodge Charger from a nearby car dealership, forcing the police to call his mother, Vivian, who is in the middle of a therapy session. Because she refuses to let the police harm Collins, she volunteers to go after him herself in a Volkswagen belonging to her neighbor.

Soon after, Collins catches up with Paula and Sam and tries to talk her out of it, but losing control of the Charger and landing upside down. Shortly after, Collins calls into radio station 10 Q to offer a $25,000 reward for the safe return of Paula, which triggers curiousness for mechanics Ace and Sparky, who decide to speed off in an unfinished race car they are working on and Collins eventually steals a farming truck from a gas station. Sam begins to think he and Paula should change their plans and go somewhere else close to marry, but she refuses to let anybody stand in their way. Meanwhile, Vivian is pursued by overzealous police officer Norman Tad. When Vivian slams into a tree, not too far away from a preacher delivering a park sermon, Tad moves in to arrest her, but Tad's squad car is stolen by the preacher when he catches wind of the $25,000 reward she offered for Collins' return. When Vivian speeds off again, Tad is forced to commandeer a church bus full of senior citizens.

Sparky and Ace eventually catch up to Paula and Sam and chase them onto a desert road, but the bumps take its toll on the race car and falls to pieces. They then manage to steal a honeymoon truck from a newlywed couple, who tumble out the back as they speed away. Paula and Sam are also pursued by a helicopter containing Slinker's right-hand man, Eagle 1, as well as 10 Q DJ Curly Q. Brown hovering above in another. Sam is angry to discover that Curly had promoted the whole thing as a contest gimmick for others to stop them and collect the $25,000 reward. Shortly after, three desert workmen hear about it and they give chase in their truck. When the preacher spots Collins, he rolls the truck over in panic and is captured by the preacher, but Collins tells him he will will get $50,000 if he helps Collins stop Paula, which the overjoyed preacher agrees on.

Not along after, the Las Vegas mob are now called in to stop the couple. When tensions reach a breaking point, Sam and Paula pull into an abandoned junkyard, where Sam vents about how Paula was so stubborn to change their original route and he blames Collins by turning the whole thing into a frenzy. Sam also questions Paula if she will miss being wealthy, if she marries him. Hurt and overwhelmed, Paula breaks down and tells him if they do not have any faith in their love, the elopement is off. Sam finally understands where she is coming from and the two make up. On the outskirts of Las Vegas, they run into the main pursuers and are chased into a demolition derby arena, where all vehicles get destroyed, including the Rolls-Royce.

Sam and Paula manage to escape in a waiting taxi, as a squad of officers swarm in to arrest everybody involved. Bigby discovers Collins was the cause of the whole thing and thinks he is not a suitable enough husband, and declares Paula met the right guy, Sam. After he and Paula are married at a chapel, and get into a limo to take them to the hotel, they are pursued again by Curly, now driving a radio station company car. He tries to persuade them to stop for an interview, but is run off the road by an oncoming fire truck, plows through a suburban house, and into its backyard swimming pool. The two laugh at the situation, then kiss.