Look Who's Laughing (1941)

Edgar Bergan and Charlie McCarthy are doing their show with Lucille Ball (in her pre-comedy glamour days) as Bergan's assistant. He has forgotten that he planned a party in her honor. Lee Bonnell, Bergen's financial planner, shows up. Bergen complains that he cannot get along without her, but she says Dorothy Lovett can handle it. Bergen announces Bonnell's and Ball's engagement. Lovett runs out of the run crying. Bergan and Charlie start out flying on their vacation, but become lost and land in Wistful Vista, the home of Fibber and Molly McGee.

We get to see the famous hall closet in action. McGee is President of the Chamber of Commerce and they have an important meeting. Throgmorton Gildersleeve suggests that the city sell a piece of property, but McGee objects because the Horton Airplane Company is planning to build a factory and they need the land for a commitment. Wistful Vista is competing with Ironton, and Gildy says the other town already has a commitment. Abigail Uppington agrees with him. McGee adjourns the meeting, and as they leave the building, Bergen lands on the field in question. Bergen knows Horton, and agrees to speak on Wistful Vista's behalf.McGee has rewired the house, and everything is going wrong because it is cross-wired.

We learn that Charles Halton, President of the Ironton Realty Company, has hired Gildy to buy the Wistful Vista flying field. He rakes Gildy over the coals for not closing the deal for the land. He has advanced Gildy money and threatens him with prison for practicing real estate without a license. Bergan gets a telegram from Ball calling him back to New York. McGee throws a party in support of Wistful Vista's airport. (Harlow Wilcox and Doc Gamble both have bit parts.) Because Bergan has left, McGee's connection with Horton is scuttled and he comes under fire. Ball is mourning because Bergan has not called her on her wedding day. He comes in, finds that Ball is not sick because the telegram was a phoney, grabs her and hurries back to Wistful Vista to help the McGees. So, though she is in love with Bergan, Ball is angry because she is spending her wedding night in a barn.

McGee resigns as C of C president, and the bank forecloses on his house on the assumption that if he can throw a big party, he should make his payments. Then Bergan arrives again. Lovett and Bonnell are driving down to get even with Bergan. Ball finds out that Charlie send the phoney telegram at Gildy's instigation. Ball begins to understand the funny business going on. She convinces Halton that Horton really wants some worthless property that Gildy sold to Fibber. Bergan calls Horton and gets him to fly in. Ball admits she is in love with Bergen. Lovett and Bonnell get together. Wistful Vista gets the factory, and everyone is happy.




Bergan and McCarthy