Despite this, Harold writes a "how to" book for young men entitled The Secret of Making Love, detailing how to woo different types of young women, such as "the vampire" and "the flapper" (in scenes that parodied two other popular films of the time, Trifling Women and Flaming Youth[citation needed]), and takes a train to see a publisher in Los Angeles.

Upon returning home to Buckingham Estate (Harold Lloyd's own mansion which was used as the filming location), Mary rejects the latest in a string of marriage proposals from her shallow-natured and much-older suitor, Ronald DeVore, whom she suspects is merely after her large inheritance.

After telling Mary about the remainder of his book, Harold informs her that he is going to see the publisher, Roger Thornby, in a few days to deliver a new chapter that will be about her.

Meanwhile, back in Little Bend, Ronald runs into a middle-aged woman who asks if he is finally going to introduce her to his family, but he stalls her, then rides away in the tow-vehicle.

Fortunately, his uncle notices that one of the scraps is part of an advance royalty check for $3,000; the accompanying letter states that the book will be published as a comedy.

Harold takes the locket and embarks on a frenzied dash to stop the wedding, a journey involving bootleggers, car chases, and multiple changes of vehicle through the countryside and along the crowded streets of Culver City and Los Angeles.

Unlike the normal style for filmed romances prior to Girl Shy, both Ralston and Lloyd were featured in comedic scenes.

The scene of the protagonist's run to stop the wedding is entirely quoted in the video clip of "Diamond in the Grind", a 2010 song by Cherry Ghost taken from the album Beneath This Burning Shoreline.