1h 37min. // Two down-on-their-luck fortune tellers, the pompous Prof. Cunningham and his jittery sidekick Sparrow, hustle readings at a slightly seedy resort just south of the Mexican border. Their crystal ball is pure bunk, their predictions improvised on the spot, and their pockets are as empty as their prophecies. When a runaway heiress, Ruth Chester, arrives in flight from her domineering aunt and an unwanted suitor, the faux mystics spy a chance to turn their phony psychic act into a ticket out of poverty.
Ruth is in love with a handsome but penniless young man, while her aunt schemes to marry her off to a wealthy, oily aristocrat. Cunningham and Sparrow bumble their way into the middle of this romantic tangle, pretending to summon spirits and foresee destinies while mostly trying to dodge creditors and stay one step ahead of exposure. Their antics collide with the resort’s colorful crowd of vacationers, gypsies, and opportunists, leading to a swirl of misunderstandings, disguises, and close calls.
As the resort becomes a playground for mistaken identities, the charlatan mediums find themselves unexpectedly championing true love. Musical numbers break out in the midst of the chaos, with dancers and chorus girls adding spectacle to the sun-drenched setting and the duo’s frantic schemes. Between song-and-dance interludes, chases, and near-revelations, the pair stumbles toward an accidental heroism, helping the young couple defy social expectations and outwit the schemers who would keep them apart.
By the time the final fortunes are told, the bogus predictions have come true in the most roundabout way possible. The con men may not have any real psychic powers, but their comic blundering clears the path for romance, restores order to the resort, and hints that even the most transparent fakes can sometimes conjure a happy ending.
Directed by: Paul Sloane
Writing Credits: Guy Bolton, Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby
Starring: Robert Woolsey, June Clyde, Wheeler & Woolsey, Ivan Lebedeff, Jobyna Howland
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