Essentially, a variety show, with the uniting plot theme of a race between 2 ocean liners: the Colossal, and the newer and bigger Gigantic. The race is from NYC to Cherbourg ,France, in about 2 1/2 days. The first third of the film is dominated by the hijinks of Bob Hope(as Buzz Fielding) and especially W.C. Fields, as both T.F. and S.B. Bellows, who own the Gigantic. S.B. is the younger, goofier, brother. T.F. arranges for him to be on the Colossal, so that he can hopefully pull some stunt that will cause it to lose the race. We see T.F only briefly, at the beginning.
Hope begins in jail on a delinquent alimony charge. He's supposed to be the emcee for the variety show to be held on the Gigantic. His 3 ex-wives, as a group, come to see him in jail, but don't offer to bail him out. However, current girlfriend Dorothy(Lamour) does get him released in time to board the liner and take his position. His wives(Shirley Ross, as Cleo, Grace Bradley, as Grace, and Virginia Vale, as Joan) evidently find out about his release and board the ship to try to discourage him from marrying a fourth, who will cut in on their alimony payments(assuming he can make them). Hope has a $50,000. bet on the Gigantic to win, so the ex-wives want to make sure they get a slice of that, if the Gigantic wins.
Meanwhile, S.B. takes his car to a filling station. A misunderstanding leads to one of his tires overinflating, causing a massive blowout. With just 3 tires, he drives off after tossing his partially used cigar out the window. He knocks over one of the gas pumps on his exit, causing gasoline to spray out on his still lit cigar, resulting in an explosion engulfing the filling station. Ignoring the destruction and probable deaths he has caused, he takes in a round of golf. He has a whole bevy of caddies and irons, and gets around in his specially modified golf bike, with folded wings that stick up from the sides, and a propeller behind. After a series of irregularities in his golf game, he calls it a day, pushes down his folded wings, turns on his propeller and takes off, flying over the ocean toward the 2 liners. He makes a perfect landing on the Gigantic, whether by accident or design. Aboard, S.B. soon causes important mischief when he touches the end of his umbrella to one of the giant coils that powers the radio transmitter, causing a cloud of smoke and sparks.(Why he wasn't killed nor even harmed isn't explained!). This puts the transmitter out of service for a while, which means it can't be used to power the ship(?) past the Colossal, which is well ahead. Later, it's discovered that a piece of the umbrella was touching a coil, shorting out the transmitter. With this removed, the transmitter is again working and begins to greatly accelerate the Gigantic. Later, he would play a game of 'dirty pool', with many irregularities.
At about the half way mark, Martha Raye finally makes an appearance. She is one of several survivors of a sunken yacht, and is S.B.'s daughter, with a similar penchant for accidentally causing problems. She used her legendary big mouth to blow the lifeboat sail toward the Gigantic. Aboard, she immediately starts to shatter windows and mirrors with her supposed ugliness. Her biggest contribution to the ongoings was to sing the spritely romantic ditty "Mama, that Moon is Here Again", initially mainly to her new beloved: Scoop(Lynn Overmann). While still singing it, she was then tossed and swung around by a bevy of sailors. Later, as part of the big production in which the history of dance is sampled, she would lead a group sing and dance of the exuberant 'Truckin'(They're going Hollywood in Harlem). I could have used more songs and skits featuring Martha. She was such a unique talent.
Among the other talents, Shep Fields and his band played a number that included a cartoon segment. Tito Guizar sang a couple of songs, followed by Dorothy Lamour, who serenaded her new found love: Leif Erikson, with the Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin romantic ballad "You Took the Words Right Out of my Heart". Later, she would do an encore. Kirsten Flagstad did an excellent rendition of Wagner's "Brunnhilde's Battle Cry" Patricia Wilder was supposed to do a little comedy and song act, but it was a nothing. Incidentally, Ben Blue's attempts at comedy stank, as usual.
Rainger and Robin composed the most remembered new song "Thanks for the Memories", with Hope and Shirley Ross going back and forth, singing the lyrics, which involve remembering the good times they used to have together....Lastly, a series of old and new songs were sung and danced to in a celebration of various dance forms through history. Pleasant, but unmemorable.
Hope begins in jail on a delinquent alimony charge. He's supposed to be the emcee for the variety show to be held on the Gigantic. His 3 ex-wives, as a group, come to see him in jail, but don't offer to bail him out. However, current girlfriend Dorothy(Lamour) does get him released in time to board the liner and take his position. His wives(Shirley Ross, as Cleo, Grace Bradley, as Grace, and Virginia Vale, as Joan) evidently find out about his release and board the ship to try to discourage him from marrying a fourth, who will cut in on their alimony payments(assuming he can make them). Hope has a $50,000. bet on the Gigantic to win, so the ex-wives want to make sure they get a slice of that, if the Gigantic wins.
Meanwhile, S.B. takes his car to a filling station. A misunderstanding leads to one of his tires overinflating, causing a massive blowout. With just 3 tires, he drives off after tossing his partially used cigar out the window. He knocks over one of the gas pumps on his exit, causing gasoline to spray out on his still lit cigar, resulting in an explosion engulfing the filling station. Ignoring the destruction and probable deaths he has caused, he takes in a round of golf. He has a whole bevy of caddies and irons, and gets around in his specially modified golf bike, with folded wings that stick up from the sides, and a propeller behind. After a series of irregularities in his golf game, he calls it a day, pushes down his folded wings, turns on his propeller and takes off, flying over the ocean toward the 2 liners. He makes a perfect landing on the Gigantic, whether by accident or design. Aboard, S.B. soon causes important mischief when he touches the end of his umbrella to one of the giant coils that powers the radio transmitter, causing a cloud of smoke and sparks.(Why he wasn't killed nor even harmed isn't explained!). This puts the transmitter out of service for a while, which means it can't be used to power the ship(?) past the Colossal, which is well ahead. Later, it's discovered that a piece of the umbrella was touching a coil, shorting out the transmitter. With this removed, the transmitter is again working and begins to greatly accelerate the Gigantic. Later, he would play a game of 'dirty pool', with many irregularities.
At about the half way mark, Martha Raye finally makes an appearance. She is one of several survivors of a sunken yacht, and is S.B.'s daughter, with a similar penchant for accidentally causing problems. She used her legendary big mouth to blow the lifeboat sail toward the Gigantic. Aboard, she immediately starts to shatter windows and mirrors with her supposed ugliness. Her biggest contribution to the ongoings was to sing the spritely romantic ditty "Mama, that Moon is Here Again", initially mainly to her new beloved: Scoop(Lynn Overmann). While still singing it, she was then tossed and swung around by a bevy of sailors. Later, as part of the big production in which the history of dance is sampled, she would lead a group sing and dance of the exuberant 'Truckin'(They're going Hollywood in Harlem). I could have used more songs and skits featuring Martha. She was such a unique talent.
Among the other talents, Shep Fields and his band played a number that included a cartoon segment. Tito Guizar sang a couple of songs, followed by Dorothy Lamour, who serenaded her new found love: Leif Erikson, with the Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin romantic ballad "You Took the Words Right Out of my Heart". Later, she would do an encore. Kirsten Flagstad did an excellent rendition of Wagner's "Brunnhilde's Battle Cry" Patricia Wilder was supposed to do a little comedy and song act, but it was a nothing. Incidentally, Ben Blue's attempts at comedy stank, as usual.
Rainger and Robin composed the most remembered new song "Thanks for the Memories", with Hope and Shirley Ross going back and forth, singing the lyrics, which involve remembering the good times they used to have together....Lastly, a series of old and new songs were sung and danced to in a celebration of various dance forms through history. Pleasant, but unmemorable.