Full Storyline
Charles Handley, vice-president of the radio advertising agency of
Driscoll, Dorsett & Handley, is forced by his wife Fanny to hire
his nephew, the dimwitted Hubert Abercrombie Gumm. Hubert, who
wants to learn the business from the bottom up, is put in charge
of the mimeographing room, with disastrous results, as he mixes up
the scripts of numerous radio programs. Instead of being fired,
Hubert is mistakenly sent to Brooklyn to meet the arriving ship of
noted explorer and author Fred Curtis, whom the advertising agency
desperately wants to sign to an exclusive endorsement contract.
At
the docks, Fred is confronted by reporters, who question him on
his relationship to the divorcing Adelle Parks. As a cover, the
narcissistic Fred states that he is engaged to Kit Bellamy (Anne
Gwynne), the
fiancée of his exploring companion, scientist Dr. Burnside "Burnsy"
Walker. Afterward, Burnsy insists that the reluctant Fred go with
him to Boston, in order to straighten things out with Kit, and
Hubert and Fanny agree to take them there in her chauffeured
limousine.
Along the way, Fred tries to steal the limousine and
head back to New York, but he is caught by Burnsy, who forces him
to continue on to Boston. Hubert and Fanny, who had been left
behind, buy a motor scooter and arrive at the Bellamy home before
the two men. Fanny explains the situation to Kit, and though she
is upset by her predicament, she confirms Fred's claim in front of
a roomful of reporters.
After the reporters leave, however, Kit
fights with Burnsy over his inhibitions, much to the delight of
Fred, who then sets his sites on his new "fiancée." Fred deceives
Hubert into believing that he has signed the endorsement contract,
when he has actually signed a piece of sheet music. Later that
night, Fred pretends to suffer from "jungle fever," so the entire
group is forced to spend the night at the Bellamy home. While
Hubert and Fanny tend to his "medical needs," Fred tells Kit that
Burnsy is really the "Casanova" explorer portrayed in his book.
After Hubert's treatments, however, the explorer begs to be
allowed to give up his deception and return to New York. At the
same time, Kit calls a group of reporters, who arrive at the
Bellamy home at the same time as Adelle. Kit then announces that
she has broken her engagement to Fred, as she has learned that
Burnsy was the real author of Jungle
Nights and the
leader of the expedition. Her story is supported when the weakened
Fred collapses in front of the reporters and a girl claiming to be
Leili, a native girl depicted in the book, rushes into Burnsy's
arms.
The next morning, everyone has left the Bellamy home except
Fred and Kit, and she insists that they elope. Back at the
advertising agency, the partners are thrilled that Fred has not
actually signed the contract. Hubert is then sent to sign Burnsy
to the same contract, and he finds the scientist in the steam room
of the Explorer's Club. After Burnsy signs the contract, Hubert,
with the help of Leili, stops Fred and Kit's wedding, then
reunites the scientist with his intended.
