Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:28 — 12.9MB)
Dan Emmet is a local crooner, and town fire marshal. He loses his job when his girlfriend’s house burns down, and it’s his fault. He sets out to make it big, and return with enough cash to convince his future father in law to let him marry his daughter. On the riverboat, he falls in with a con man who takes him for all the money he had to his name. The two pair up to entertain in blackface in a theater. They become a big enough hit to play for a run, but is there a new girl in Dan’s future?
The minstrel show is catching on, and Dan’s success is growing. If only he can think of words to go with his new banjo tune. He stays loyal to his girl back home, and a jealous Nellie lays claim to his partner, Mr Bones. The show is a triumph, Nellie finds herself engaged to two men, and the theater has burned down. It seems its time for Dan to move on again. Back home, he learns the real reason that Jean didn’t want to see him. She has become paralyzed, and is in a wheelchair. He marries Jean anyway, and is encouraged to take his songs to the top. After a hard time in New York, Jean convinces Dan to go back to New Orleans where she knows he can make it big singing.
Settling back into his old act, success follows. Dan manages to keep peace when Bones faces a dual. Nellie had been jealous with Dan, but soon after meeting Jean becomes understanding. His new song still has no buyers, and nobody likes to sing it. Will he take Jeans advice and speed it up? Songs begin to reprise, so you know the show is nearly over. When a fire breaks out, there isn’t time, so his song, Dixieland, is played at double time and has rave reviews.
Note: Standingg in for a commercial, we are introduced to the latest government plan to involve folks at home in supporting the war. Sally is a nurse who had been at Pearl Harbor. She pitches the new idea of having housewives to save their daily cooking fat. The glisterines in it will help in making common battlefield medicines.
