Billy Gilbert

After eight months at sea, sailors Clarence Doolittle and Joseph Brady are granted a four-day shore leave in Hollywood, California. Joe, an incorrigible philanderer, plans to see one of his sweethearts while on leave, and later offers the shy and bookish Clarence advice on how to meet women. Clarence and Joe set out to find their shore leave romances but their plans are soon thwarted by a police sergeant, who demands that they help him with an unusual situation involving a young boy named Donald Martin. The police sergeant explains that Donald has run away from home to join the Navy and refuses to tell the police where he lives. Joe and Clarence easily win Donald's trust and agree to escort him home, where he lives with his widowed aunt, Susan Abbott. While Joe is eager to avoid any further involvement with the young boy, Clarence falls in love with Susan and promises to return the following day. When Joe and Clarence return to Susan's, they meet Bertram Kraler, a man Susan hopes will introduce her to the famous maestro José Iturbi. As Susan dresses for her date, Joe, convinced that Bertram is a new suitor who will only get in the way of Clarence's romantic pursuit of Susan, scares Bertram away by suggesting that Susan is a notorious Navy sweetheart. When Susan learns what Joe has done, she breaks down in tears and believes that her chances at breaking into show business are doomed. Joe tries to comfort Susan but only makes matters worse for himself when he tells her that Clarence and Iturbi are good friends and that he can arrange an audition for her. With her faith in Joe and Clarence restored, Susan takes them to a Mexican restaurant and sings a song for them. While Joe dances with Susan, Clarence meets a friendly waitress, whom he nicknames "Brooklyn," after their hometown. Realizing that he must honor Joe's promise to Susan for an audition with Iturbi, Clarence tries unsuccessfully to meet with Iturbi at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. Meanwhile, Joe, who has become quite fond of Donald and Susan, tells Donald's classmates a story about his experience in a mythical kingdom populated by animals: In the kingdom, Joe discovers that the animals that live there are sad because their mouse king has prohibited them from singing. Determined to help the animals, Joe visits their unhappy king and shows him the beauty of song and dance. Joe's story concludes with the king repealing his edict and allowing the animals to sing. As a new romance develops between Clarence and Brooklyn, Joe falls in love with Susan. One day, Susan has a chance encounter with Iturbi and discovers that Joe and Clarence have been deceiving her and do not really know Iturbi. Feeling embarrassed and betrayed, Susan breaks down in tears. Iturbi, however, understands her situation and arranges a screen test for her. The test is a great success, and Iturbi soon presents Susan at one of his shows. Before returning to his ship, Joe makes amends with Susan, and Clarence and Brooklyn embrace.

During World War I, an anonymous private, (Chaplin) fighting in the army of Tomania, effects the valiant rescue of an officer named Schultz, but suffers loss of memory when the plane in which they are flying crashes into a tree. The little soldier is sent to a hospital where he remains for the next 20 years, unaware of the changes that are taking place around him. He does not know, for instance, that Hynkel (also played by Chaplin) has become Dictator of Tomania, and is ruthlessly persecuting the jews with the help of his two ministers, Garbitsch and Herring. Dismissed at last from the hospital, the amnesia victim returns to his barber-shop in the Ghetto, expecting to find everything as he left it 20 years before, because he does not realize that he has been away for so long. He is surprised and hurt, therefore, when Hynkel`s storm-troopers smash his store windows and make his new life miserable. He finds a friend in Hannah, a beautiful daughter of the Ghetto, and before long their friendship ripens into love. For a while they enjoy comparative peace firstly when Schultz, who has risen to a position of prominence in the new regime, recognizes the barber as his friend and orders the storm troopers to leave him alone, and secondly when Hynkel needs a financial loan from a Jewish financier and ceases temporarily his persecution of the Jews. The financier refuses the loan, so Hynkel takes up his antisemitic activities again, with a vengeance. He is planning an invasion of the neighboring country of Osterlich, and when Schultz questions the judgement of this move, the Dictator condemns him to a concentration camp. Schultz manages to escape to the ghetto, where he attempts to incite a revolution against the government. But before he can carry out this plan he and the barber are both captured and interned in prison camp. Pursuing his project of invading Osterlich, Hynkel invites to his palace Napaloni, Dictator of Bacteria, and after a few comic misunderstandings is able to enlist him as an ally. The invasion is successfully completed and Hannah, who has fled with her friends to Osterlich, again finds herself under the domination of Hynkel`s cruel regime. While The Great Dictator is celebrating his latest conquest by taking a vacation in the country, Schultz and the barber escape from the concentration camp. In the search that follows, Hynkel is arrested by his own soldiers, who think he is the barber, and Schultz sees that the barber is mistaken for the Dictator. Realising the importance of his new position the barber carries out the masquerade and in a speech before the assembled crowds of Tomania, denounces everything that Hynkel stands for and makes a rousing plea for democracy.

Perky young Nanette attempts to save the marriage of her uncle and aunt by untangling Uncle Jimmy from several innocent but ensnaring flirtations. Attempting one such unentanglement, Nanette enlists the help of theatrical producer Bill Trainor, who promptly falls in love with her. The same thing happens when artist Tom Gillespie is called on for help. But soon Uncle Jimmy's flirtations become too numerous, and Nanette's romances with Tom and Bill run into trouble. Will Uncle Jimmy's marriage survive, and will Nanette find happiness with Tom, Bill, or somebody else? —Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>

A widow and her daughter are threatened with eviction by an unscrupulous lawyer. The widow Wilson and her daughter Mary have just learned that old Mr. Middleton, who held the mortgage on their home, has passed away. They are now visited by Middleton's lawyer, Cribbs, who informs them that Middleton's son and heir Edward plans to foreclose and take possession of their home. When Mary goes to plead with Edward, she soon discovers that it is really the unscrupulous Cribbs who wants to drive them out of their home. When Mary and Edward become engaged to be married, it looks as if all is well. But the calculating Cribbs has a new plan, which begins with luring young Edward into a lifestyle of drinking and dissipation. —Snow Leopard

Destry rides again! Thomas Jefferson Destry, Jr. (Jimmy Stewart) is the deputy sheriff without a gun. He believes the law and public opinion is the answer to outlaws and gunfights. Bottleneck is a lawless town run by bad guys and gunslingers. Kent (Brian Donlevy), a host of gunslingers, the corrupt Judge Slade (Samuel S. Hinds), crooked gamblers and dishonest saloon gal Frenchy (Marlene Dietrich) were cheating, stealing, and forcing farmers to sell them their land against their will in order to have control of all the land when the railroad comes through the territory. The outlaws kill the old sheriff because he is wise to their game. In order to keep law and order out of Bottleneck, Judge Slade appoints the town drunk and apparently incompetent Washington Dimsdale (Charles Winninger) to be the new sheriff. Charles sobers up and is shocked by the news, but steps up to the challenge. Before he was a drunk he had been deputy for Sheriff Tom Destry Sr., who was the roughest, toughest sheriff of all time. Destry Sr. used his fists and his guns to clean up the lawless town, and was Sheriff there until gutless outlaws shot him in the back. Sheriff Dimsdale wires for the younger Destry, the most crack-shot Sheriff of Bottleneck since Destry, Sr. The towns villains hear about Destrys reputation and decide to meet his stagecoach in Bottleneck, and give him a not-quite-warm welcome. When the stage arrives, to everyones surprise, Destry is carrying a birdcage and parasol because he is helping a female passenger - a sweet Bottleneck girl he fancies - debark from the stage. The entire town roars with laughter at the sight of the new deputy who appears to fall short of the lawman ideal. The new sheriff is agreeable and unconcerned about the mocking. Later, he goes to the saloon and attends unarmed: I dont believe in guns, he tells the astounded locals. This prompts more ridiculing from the outlaws. Destry then meets Frenchy, who has a cat fight with a Russians wife who has come to claim her husbands pants after Frenchy won them in a fixed poker game earlier. Destry stops the fight, pouring a bucket of water on Frenchy. Naturally, this enrages the theatrical lady, but her scrap with the new sheriff sparks a romantic interest between Destry and Frenchy. Destry then makes the Russian a deputy; Bottlenecks new triumvirate then decide to trick the outlaws to find out who killed the previous sheriff and why. They make an arrest. The outlaws and people of Bottleneck soon learn that there is more to their laughable deputy sheriff than friendly talk, especially after his friend Dimsdale gets shot in the back while guarding the new prisoner. It is revealed that Frenchy was implicit in Dimsdales death, and she deliberately distracted Destry whilst Dimsdale is murdered and the imprisoned outlaw is freed. Destry straps on his guns and goes looking for those responsible. A large brawl erupts, and Frenchy changes her allegiances once more, catching a bullet for the otherwise doomed deputy. Destry, as formidable as his father, vanquishes the outlaws and cleans up Bottleneck. The Russian finally gets his pants, Destry falls in love with a girl from the stage, Bottleneck is saved, and Destry rides again!

Trouble-prone Billy Peck and his gang descend on a traveling circus that has just hit town, and before long their antics are causing the circus owner all kinds of problems. Bill Peck (Tommy Kelly) receives ten dollars from his parents for railroad fare to summer camp where he is to defend his trophy cup in a cross-country obstacle race. But he is forced to spend his money for tickets to a circus that comes to town. In revenge, he feed his mother's sleeping pills to the circus lions. Arthur Bailey (Edgar Kennedy, the lion tamer, swears vengeance on the one responsible. His money gone, Bill hitch-hikes a ride to the camp with the circus. A puppy-love romance develops between Bill and Fleurette de Cava, ten-year old bareback rider. During rehearsals, Fleurette sprains an an ankle, and she must appear for the next performance or have her contract cancelled. Bailey suggests that Bill wear a wig and substitute for Fleurette. Bailey volunteers to guide Bill with a wire---one end fastened around Bill's waist and the other strung through a revolving pulley controlled by Bailey. Just as the act begins, Bailey learns that Bill ruined his lion-act. He gets his revenge manipulating the wire so that Bill spins through the air in a series of ludicrous poses, which causes the audience to howl with laughter and make Bill a comedy success. Bailey, really soft-hearted, finally forgives Bill. But, Bill is still miles from the summer camp and has only thirty minutes to get there. Baily and Bill requisition a circus racing chariot and take a thrilling short-cut over the mountains. —Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>