- A filmed version of Phil Silvers' hit Broadway show about a television comic who tried to regain his ratings on TV.
- With the assistance of his head writer, Vic Davis, the egotistical, ex-burlesque comic Jerry Biffle, now a big hit in television, is preparing his first show of the new season, sponsored by Blendo Soap. Jerry leaves to attend an autograph-signing session to promote his new book at a department store, where his girl friend, Sally Peters, works as a model in the gown department. At the store, Sally meets Cliff Lane, a singer on Jerry's show, while Jerry meets Sally's roommate, Betty Dillon. Mr. Parker, a vice president of Blendo Soap, also comes to the book signing, but advises Jerry that his company will cancel the program unless he can deliver more eighteen- to twenty-five-year-old women in his viewing audience. To attract this age group, Parker wants to fabricate a romance between Jerry and an unknown "Miss Blendo" and wants to put her on the show that night. From among the models at the department store, Parker selects Sally, after which they all return to the television studio to revamp the show. During rehearsals, Jerry interferes with everyone and everything in his normal, hectoring manner, but Sally and the show are successful. Three weeks later, Sally and Cliff realize that they are in love, but she is afraid that Cliff will be fired if Jerry finds out. Meanwhile, Jerry continues to court Sally in his own peculiar way, but can only express himself with help from his writers. On the day that the show's renewal option is to be announced, Cliff tells Jerry that he is in love, but never gets a chance to tell him with whom. Jerry encourages him to elope before the show, as this will bring them much-needed publicity, and even offers to help him. Jerry alerts newspaper photographers and, accompanied by his stooges, arrives in front of Sally's house. When Jerry loses his glasses, he fails to recognize Sally and only later discovers that she and Cliff are married. The Blendo Soap Company then decides to cancel Jerry's show and plans to create a new show featuring Cliff and Sally as "Mr. and Mrs. Blendo." Despondent, Jerry and his pals remember the days when he was a top banana in burlesque and reprise several classic burlesque routines. When Cliff and Sally tell Jerry that they want to cancel their show in order to help him, Jerry forbids them to do so. Soon after, Parker arrives to announce that his company now wants two half-hour shows each week. The first, "The Jerry Biffle Show," will feature Jerry and his variety acts and a segment in which Jerry arranges an elopement for a different young couple each week. The second show will be "The Mr. and Mrs. Blendo Show," which will follow the happy married life of Sally and Cliff. After Vic reminds Parker that Jerry's contract will have to be renegotiated, all ends happily.
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