Struggling stockbroker Jimmie Shannon learns that, if he gets married by 7 p.m. on his 27th birthday—which is today—he’ll inherit $7 million from an eccentric relative. But, after Mary Jones, whom he’s mooned over for years, turns him down, he has only hours to find a woman who’ll marry him.

It may not be as well known, but this high-concept gem is every bit as packed with ingenuity as Buster Keaton’s most iconic treasures. In a climax that sees hundreds of brick-wielding brides chase our forlorn hero through the streets, Seven Chances serves up a masterclass in comic escalation.