Pickle packing millionaire Oscar Whippet is killed when he crashes
his new "crash proof" airplane. His eccentric cousin in Iowa, Elmer
Whippet, inherits "Whippet's Personality Pickles," much to the
chagrin of Whippet's business partner, James M. Snow and advertising
executive Jules Kinsey, Snow's brother-in-law. Snow sends Elmer a
telegram, offering to buy out the heir for $1,000,000, but Elmer has
as little interest in selling the business as he has in running the
business. One day, however, he learns that Whippet Pickles sponsors
his favorite radio show, "Mary and John," and his curiosity is
piqued.
As Elmer thinks that "Mary and John" are a real married
couple, Snow and Kinsey ask the show's writer, Paul Stevens, for
help, as they are afraid that the new heir will cancel the show if
he learns that the couple are just actors. Paul suggests that they
produce a real-life "Mary and John," and notes that while actor John
Stowe is fine for his role, actress Mary Reynolds is anything but
the demure character she performs on the radio. Snow and Kinsey
decide on the advertising man's secretary, Susan Blair (Anne
Gwynne), even though
Mary is actually engaged to John, and Paul is engaged to Susan.
Elmer arrives in New York and is taken to United Broadcasting by
taxi driver Stanislaus Noodnick, whom he refers to as "Charlie." He
immediately runs into Mary Reynolds, who tells him that John has
left her for another woman. Elmer offers to speak to John, but Mary
warns him that John will try to tell him that the other woman is
her. She then sends Elmer to Snow's apartment, where John and Susan
are setting up house, according to Paul's "script." When Elmer
arrives, however, he mistakes Paul for John, then chastises the
radio writer for leaving his wife.
Meanwhile, after hearing Snow
offer Elmer only $50,000 for his share the pickle business, instead
of the $1,000,000 stated in the telegram, Charlie threatens to
expose the crooked businessman unless he is "cut in." The taxi
driver then agrees to get Elmer to sign the $50,000 contract for
$5,000. Later, Mary arrives at the Snow apartment, where Paul tells
her of Elmer's latest mix-up. Mary then informs him that Elmer knows
that Susan is not the real "Mary." Paul and Mary begin arguing,
which causes Paul's appendicitis to act up. As he refuses to go to
the hospital, she stays with him until the pain subsides, but is
then forced to stay the night when "Uncle Elmer" returns and insists
that "John and Mary" go to bed together.
While Paul and Mary fight,
however, John and Susan get acquainted on a nightclub dance floor.
Later, Mary becomes upset when she mistakenly thinks that Paul has
fallen off the balcony while sleepwalking, and the two come to
realize that their constant sparring masks a hidden attraction.
Meanwhile, John and Susan are also falling in love while on an
outing at the beach. The day of the next "Mary and John" broadcasts
arrives, and even though Charlie drives Elmer to the studio via
Connecticut, Elmer still manages to arrive at the studio in time to
discover who the real "John and Mary" are.
When Paul informs Elmer
that Snow and Kinsey were trying to cheat him, he fires the two
executives, and the two couples finally pair off with their true
partners. Elmer then turns to the camera and says, "You knew it was
going to end that way, didn't you. That's the way it always does in
the movies."
which a couple of
designing execs are trying to purchase for short coin, and that can't get too
personal, if you catch my drift.
