Bedtime for Bonzo

Professor Peter Boyd (Ronald Regan) teaches psychology as Sheridan College and he is currently engaged to Valerie Tillinghast (Lucille Barkley) the dean's daughter. However, Dean Tillinghast (Herbert Heyes) has reservations about Peter when he learns that Peter's father was a habitual criminal. The Dean is a former genetics teacher and believes that Peter may have acquired some of his father's "criminal" genes. Peter thinks that the Dead's theory is way off base. Peter believes that environment, not heredity, is the major influence on a human being. When the Dead breaks off his engagement to Valerie, Peter realizes that he had better prove his own theory to be correct. Without the university's knowledge, Peter borrows the university-owned Bonzo, an unhappy baby chimpanzee, from the friendly Professor Hans Neumann (Walter Slezak). Peter takes Bonzo home with him, planning to raise him as if he were a human child. To make the home setting even more conducive for raising a "child", Peter hires a nanny named Jane (Diana Lynn) to act as a surrogate mother. But since Jane is young and pretty, Peter keeps Valerie away from his house. Jane and Peter clothe Bonzo, let him sleep in a crib, and feed him at the kitchen table. By bringing up Bonzo in an atmosphere of love and kindness, Peter hopes to each the chimp morality and the difference between right and wrong. Over time, Jane slowly falls in love with Peter, despite knowing that he is still technically engaged to Valerie. However, Jane soon becomes upset that Peter considers the happy life of the three of them as papa, mama and child an experiment and plans to give Bonzo back to the university once he has proved his point... and that he still plans to marry Valerie. Valerie walks out on Peter once she discovers Jane is living with him. Jane walks out on Peter once she realizes that she can never feel the way she does about their "family". Bonzo becomes upset that his peaceful house is falling apart. In his distressed state, Bonzo breaks into a jewelry store and steals a valuable necklace. Peter tries to return the necklace, but is caught with it in his pocket. The police do not believe his story that the chimpanzee Bonzo is capable of such a crime. Jane returns when she finds out about Peter's arrest. The college has made a deal to sell Bonzo to Yale for research, but both Jane and Hans refuse to let the chimp be sold. Hans, knowing he will loose his job, says he will buy the chimpanzee for the same high fee that Yale was asking. Jane brings the chimp to the police station where Peter is still being held. She tells Bonzo to return the stolen necklace. While the stunned police watch, Bonzo climbs into the jewelry story and returns the necklace to it's proper place. Peter is cleared and Bonzo and learned the difference between right and wrong. Peter and Bonzo are now heroes around the college.... and Hans is not fired. In the final scene, Peter and Jane get married and drive off on their honeymoon. Bonzo is seen playing in the back seat of their car.