Edward Everett Horton

Boxer Joe Pendleton (Robert Montgomery), who is affectionately known as "the Flying Pug", because of his interests in flying and playing the saxophone, crashes his plane while piloting to a match in New York. The dead boxer's spirit is escorted by Messenger 7013 (Edward Everett Horton) to meet Mr. Jordan (Claude Raines), the celestial registrar. When they arrive in Heaven, however, Mr. Jordan is horrified to discover that the over-eager messenger has plucked Joe's spirit from his body before the plane hit the ground and ascertains that the boxer's name does not appear on his list for another 50 years. Intending to reunite Joe with his body, the messenger accompanies him to the site of the crash, but when they discover that Joe's manager, Max Corkle, has cremated the body, they return to Heaven to confer with Mr. Jordan. Jordan agrees to compensate Joe with another body "in the pink," but after a tour of the world fails to yield the perfect specimen, Jordan transports Joe to the Farnsworth mansion, where millionaire Bruce Farnsworth is scheduled to be murdered by his wife Julia and her paramour and Farnsworth's secretary, Tony Abbott. When Jordan offers him Farnsworth's body, the boxer refuses until he sees Bette Logan (Evelyn Keyes) arrive at the house to ask the millionaire's help in clearing her father's name. When Joe learns that Farnsworth has sold worthless securities using Logan's name, the boxer, who is bewitched by Bette, consents to assume temporarily the millionaire's identity so that he can help her. Before leaving his charge, Jordan explains that although others will see him as Farnsworth, Joe will retain his own personality. Certain that they have drowned Farnsworth, Julia and Abbott are dumbfounded when Joe strolls into the room and greets Bette. At first unsure of himself, Joe regains his self-confidence when Sisk, his valet, hands him the saxophone. After ordering Abbott to get Logan out of jail and buy back all the bad investments, Joe's attention returns to pugilism when he reads a newspaper story announcing that his opponent, fighter K.O. Murdock, is scheduled to face the world champion. Sending for Mr. Jordan, Joe demands that he be accorded his rightful place in the championship bout. Having discovered that Joe's destiny is to be the world champion, Jordan is about to free Joe from Farnsworth's body when Bette comes to thank him for helping her father. Electing to remain as Farnsworth in order to court Bette, Joe decides to condition the millionaire's body for the bout. Joe sends for Max to help with his training, but when Max hears Farnsworth explain that he is really Joe, the manager thinks that the man has lost his mind. After Joe wins him over by playing his favorite tune on the saxophone, Max agrees to approach Murdock's manager with a lucrative financial offer to set up the match. As Abbott and Julia scheme to eliminate her husband again, Bette arrives with some papers for Joe to sign. Soon after, Messenger 7013 delivers the news that Joe can no longer inhabit Farnsworth's body. Fearful of losing Bette forever, Joe asks her promise never to forget him and rambles on that if someday, someone, possibly a fighter, approaches her and acts like he's seen her before, she should look into his eyes and give him a "break." After Bette departs, Jordan appears and Joe pleads for more time as Farnsworth. When Jordan denies his request, Joe angrily struts into the foyer and is gunned down by Abbott. Joe rises out of Farnsworth's dead body and returns to Heaven with Mr. Jordan. When Max learns that Farnsworth has "disappeared," he becomes suspicious and files a report with the bureau of missing persons. On the night that Murdock is to fight for the championship title, Joe insists on returning to the Farnsworth mansion to retrieve his saxophone and arrives just as Inspector Williams is questioning Bette, Max, Julia and Abbott. When Max accuses Julia and Abbott of murdering Farnsworth, the inspector demands the body as proof. Joe, who is now only a spirit and therefore invisible, concentrates on Max to get him to turn on the radio broadcast of the fight. When Murdock is shot in the ring for refusing to throw the fight, Jordan offers to let Joe take his place and Joe grabs his saxophone and awakens in Murdock's body lying on the floor of the ring. Climbing to his feet, Joe defeats his opponent and wins the title of world champ. Still tuned to the broadcast, Max hears the announcer exclaim that Murdock is carrying a saxophone from the ring and when he notices that Joe's saxophone is missing, Max realizes that Joe has entered Murdock's body. Rushing to the boxer's dressing room, Max is welcomed by Joe who has just fired Murdock's manager for dishonesty. After showing Max the bullet hole in his chest, Joe tells him that Farnsworth's body is hidden in the basement refrigerator, and when Max passes the information to the inspector, Julia and Abbott are arrested for murder. Mr. Jordan then appears and informs Joe that Murdock is his destiny. Protesting, Joe steps into the shower, but Jordan permanently transplants his soul into Murdock's body and erases all memory of Joe Pendleton. After Joe steps out of the shower, Max is totally bewildered when the boxer claims to be Murdock and offers him a job as his manager. Now dressed, Joe/Murdock walks out into the corridor, and when he passes Bette, who has come to look for Max, she seems familiar to him. Recognizing something about this stranger's eyes, Bette finds herself strongly attracted to Joe/Murdock, and when he invites her to dinner, she recalls Joe's words about meeting a fighter one day and accepts.

After learning her multi-millionaire fiancé has already been married seven times, the daughter of a penniless marquis decides to tame him. US multi-millionaire Michael Barndon marries his eight wife, Nicole, the daughter of a broken French Marquis. But she doesn't want to be only a number in the row of his ex-wives and starts her own strategy to "tame" him. —Stephan Eichenberg <eichenbe@fak-cbg.tu-muenchen.de>

A young man in love with a girl from a rich family finds his unorthodox plan to go on holiday for the early years of his life met with skepticism by everyone except for his fiancée's eccentric sister and long-suffering brother. Free-thinking Johnny Case finds himself betrothed to a millionaire's daughter. When her family, with the exception of black-sheep Linda and drunken Ned, want Johnny to settle down to big business, he rebels, wishing instead to spend the early years of his life on "holiday." With the help of his friends Nick and Susan Potter, he makes up his mind as to which is the better course, and the better mate. —Terri A. Mabry <tamabry@uci.edu> While each is on a respective vacation in Lake Placid, New Yorkers Johnny Case and Julia Seton meet, fall in love and decide to get married as soon as possible. Johnny, a happy-go-lucky working stiff who has worked most of his life to gain modest financial success, had no idea that Julia came from an extremely wealthy banking family, which ends up being solely an unexpected surprise, no more, no less. For them to get married, they will have to work hard to get the blessing of Julia's father, Edward Seton, who ultimately does give his approval, as he sees in Johnny what Julia sees: a man with potential. Johnny doesn't need to work hard to impress Julia's free-thinking sister, Linda Seton, who sees Johnny as a breath of fresh air into the Seton home and into Julia's life. Linda is truly happy for Julia to have met Johnny. What Linda is aware of but which Johnny has yet to tell Julia is that Johnny, who doesn't want to live on the Seton's money, plans on quitting work when he is financially able to do so, so that he can take a holiday to find out where he fits in life. Linda admires both his plan and his conviction in what he wants. He may be able to achieve his goal sooner than planned as a financial deal pays off. Julia, who doesn't agree with or understand this plan, doesn't believe Johnny will go through with it, but Linda tries to convince her that he will and should and that she should go with him. Johnny may come to his own realizations concerning if and if so where he really does fit within the Seton family. —Huggo Jonathan "Johnny" Case is a self-made man who has spend much of his life at work. He dreams of taking an extended holiday to search for the meaning of life. During a short vacation in Lake Placid, New York, Johnny meets Julia Seton, and falls in love with her. The two are soon engaged, despite Johnny knowing nothing about her family and background. To his surprise, Julia is the youngest daughter of the banker Edward Seton, and her family is extremely wealthy. Julia introduces him to her family, and Johnny is somewhat impressed with her vivacious sister Linda. Julia and Johnny have an elaborate New Year's Eve engagement party, but Johnny leaves the party to comfort an upset Linda at "the playroom". Johnny has a more intimate party with Linda and a few close friends. On New Year's Day, Johnny attempts to kiss Linda. She rejects his advances, and reminds him that she is his future sister-in-law. Johnny leaves without greeting the family. While Johnny plans on going on a European vacation, Julia pressures him to take a new position in her father's bank. Edward already has plans for his son-in-law's professional live, future residence, and even the servants that will work in this residence. Johnny refuses to let his father-in-law gain full control over his life, and plans to travel to Europe with or without Julia. Julia gives up on their relationship, but Linda is genuinely in love with him and decides to join him for his trip to Europe. The new couple have their first passionate kiss. —Dimos I

When a revered diplomat's plane is diverted and crashes in the peaks of Tibet, he and the other survivors are guided to an isolated monastery at Shangri-La, where they wrestle with the invitation to stay. British diplomat Robert Conway and a small group of civilians crash land in the Himalayas, and are rescued by the people of the mysterious, Eden-like valley of Shangri-la. Protected by the mountains from the world outside, where the clouds of World War II are gathering, Shangri-la provides a seductive escape for the world-weary Conway. —Marg Baskin <marg@asd.raytheon.ca> In 1935, seasoned diplomat Robert Conway is sent to rescue a group of British nationals who find themselves in China the midst of a rebellion. Conway manages to get them all out and also to escape with his brother George and several others on the last airplane only to find that they are being flown far into the Himalayas. They eventually find themselves in Shangri-La, a Tibetan monastery in a beautiful mountain valley. It soon becomes clear that they are not there by chance and that were in fact kidnapped. Conway and his fellow travelers are keen on leaving but slowly, they all come to appreciate their new surroundings. Everyone that is except George Conway who is desperate to leave. As Robert learns the true secret of Shangri-La and his reason for being there, he is faced with having to leave in order to protect his brother who will be setting off with or without him. —garykmcd Brit Robert Conway is a writer, humanitarian, diplomat, and former military man, all of which have made him a public hero. But he is remarkably unfulfilled in his life, something he does not tell anyone. On March 10, 1935, he is in Baskul, China, where a violent revolution is taking place. It is his job to evacuate the ninety British subjects in the area, before he himself heads back to London to become British Foreign Secretary. He is able to complete the evacuation, with him, his overly pragmatic brother George Conway, paleontologist Alexander Lovett (a fussbudget of a man), secretive Henry Barnard (who later states why he is so secretive about himself), and terminally ill American Gloria Stone his fellow passengers on the last flight out. What they are initially unaware of is that the plane has been hijacked, and eventually crash lands high in the Himalayas, killing the hijacking pilot. But instead of what seems a probable death for them, they are rescued by a band of men who take them back to their community hidden behind the mountains, a seemingly Utopian community named Shangrila, where the overall belief is to be kind. Aging is also a seemingly unknown concept. Each of the five has different feelings about their new sanctuary, where they eventually learn they were not brought by accident. On one end of the spectrum is George, who does whatever he can to get back to civilization as he knows it, despite the probable hardship of doing so, especially since there is no means of communication in and out. He believes what they have been told are all lies and that they are being held prisoners against their will. On the other end is Bob, who believes that Shangrila is exactly what he's been looking for in life. With no proof one way or another, the five have differing views of staying in Shangrila forever or trying to make their way out. It may be not until they receive that "proof" that a definitive decision can be made, but by that time it may be too late for some. —Huggo On 10 March 1935, the pacifist British diplomat and future Foreign Secretary Robert Conway helps a group of ninety Westerns white people to escape from the Chinese city of Baskul after the beginning of a revolution. He leaves the airport in the last plane with his brother George, the geologist Alexander P. Lovett, the rogue trader Henry Barnard and the sick and bitter Gloria Stone. However, the plane is skyjacked and crashes in a remote area in Tibet. When they have no further hope of surviving, they are rescued and brought to the utopistic paradise Shangri-La, a peaceful and plentiful place without illness, war or any type of dispute. Their first sensation is that they are prisoners but along the days, each survivor loves and has no intention to leave the place except George that tries to convince the group to leave Shangri-la. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A lonely husband whose wife has been away hires a lookalike impersonator to fill his place and fool his mother-in-law while he plays around with a pretty coquette. Confusion prevails when his wife returns that evening.