After playing a concert, violinist
Arthur Williams and his business manager, Earl Wells, are injured in
an automobile accident. As a result of the accident, Arthur's
fingers become paralyzed and he is unable to play the violin, which
leads him to become a music instructor. Arthur's favorite
student, Dickie Morley, aspires to classical music, while John,
Arthur's twelve-year-old son, prefers "wild" swing music.
Arthur's daughter Grace, who works as a
secretary for James Stilton hair products, is in love with Gus
Stevens, a fellow employee at the company. When Grace arranges
an appointment for her father with Dr. Charles Matson, a famous
nerve specialist visiting the city, Matson agrees to forgo his usual
$1,000 fee and allow Johnny to raise the money at a later date.
Meanwhile, Stilton's son Sam, who is
jealous of Gus's romance with Grace, refuses to give her an advance
and then tries to frame Gus and get him fired for mishandling a cash
deposit. After the two men fight, both Gus and Grace quit.
Johnny becomes a hit playing at the
Miller Café, a nightclub. Arthur, however, is furious when he
finds out and, as punishment, forces his son to play until he drops
from exhaustion. Arthur soon learns from Grace that Johnny was
only trying to raise money for the operation and to supplement the
family income during her unemployment. Johnny and Grace enter
a radio talent contest, and their act is scheduled to follow banjo
player Stringbeans Johnson and the Stevens Sisters, who dance and
sing "Kentucky Babe." Johnny takes the stage, but his act is a
disaster when first one violin string, then another, snaps.
Johnny realizes that with only two strings remaining on the violin,
he can only play a swing number and the entire orchestra joins in.
Johnny wins the contest, and in his enthusiasm, Arthur is able to
applaud his son, regaining the use of his fingers. Dickie then
confesses to sabotaging the violin and apologizes, and Arthur
resumes his career as a premier violinist.
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