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A letter comes in the mail for Phil, but Alice tries to tell him that it’s the wrong address, and for some other guy named Phil Harris. Phil’s curiosity is getting to him, and thinks it could be something good, like a check in the mail or something.
Phil sneaks off to the kitchen but Alice trusts him, although Willie thinks Phil is up to something. When Frankie arrives, hegives good lipservice to his friend, but his practical side draws him to the kitchen to see what’s up.
Phil ends up opening the letter. Should that really be a surprise? Phil gets a big surprise of his own when the letter turns out to be a draft notice. Phil is taken aback, they can’t draft him can they? He gives a mixed fictional, and real account of his past military service. He was in the Merchant Marine in WW2, but the rest is just show biz.
As Phil daydreams about the possibility of being in the Army, he breaks out into song with, The General and His Horse.
Remley talks sense to Phil, and suggests he go to the draft board to make sure. Phil tries to break the news to Alice gently, but since Willie was eaves dropping she is clued in on the letter, and reacts to give him a hard time over his reporting for duty. After the joking settles down, and truth comes out, it’s Alice’s turn to sing, I Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.
As Phil and Frankie set out to clear things up at the draft board, it’s Julius turn to renew the jokes about the mix up, and Phils physical condition. Julius says he has a friend at the draft board who can hook Phil up with a soft job in the Army. Instead, after parting on harsh words, Julius calls his friend to give Phil a hard time, and goe through the motions of accepting Phil just to give him a scare.
Phil talks his way out of the draft by claiming to be a sick man. At home, he tells Alice a slightly different story, and a slightly different kind of service that he has volunteered for. Let’s just say that the Boy Scouts will be prepared by being forewarned.
