Plot summary

For their heroic deeds while carrying out their duties aboard the USS Knoxville, naval seamen Joe Brady and Clarence Doolittle are awarded the Silver Star, presented to them at a ceremony aboard an aircraft carrier docked in San Diego with José Iturbi the guest conductor at the event. Also for their deeds, they and the rest of the Knoxville crew are granted a four day leave, their first leave in eight months. Joe, a ladies' man who doesn't want to be tied down to any one woman, plans to spend it in Hollywood with Lola Laverne, the type of woman who also does not want to be tied down to any one man. It isn't until Joe catches him following that he learns that less experienced Clarence also wants to spend it in Hollywood with him, for him to show him the ropes of picking up girls. Their Hollywood stay takes a detour when they are commandeered by the police who want them to assist in getting an infant boy home, he who ran away to join the navy. The boy is orphaned Donald Martin, whose father was a naval officer killed in battle, and who now lives with his single Aunt Susie, Susan Abbott. Susan works as a movie extra, but she really wants to become a singer in films, she not yet given a break. Upon meeting Susan, Clarence decides she is the girl he wants. Joe reluctantly helps Clarence as he himself tries to connect with Lola, which is more difficult than Joe had hoped. When Susan states that she'd love to work under Iturbi, Joe comes up with the idea that Clarence can impress her by saying that he has set up an audition for her with Iturbi. That may be a difficult task as they have not met with Iturbi, who probably does not even remember them. As Joe and Clarence get into one misadventure after another in trying to track down and meet Iturbi who is probably locked behind the walls of the movie studio, they and Susan get a clearer picture of what they want for their romantic lives, more specifically who.—Huggo