Although both coatroom attendant Louis
Blore and songwriter and emcee Alec Howe are in love with Club
Petite singer May Daly, she claims to be interested only in rich
men, such as her devout admirer Willie. After Alec sings her a
touching love song he has just written, however, May admits that she
loves him, sending him into a joyous frenzy. Alec's happiness
is short-lived as, moments later, May tells him that she is still
marrying for money to avoid ending up like her poor, broken parents.
Alec condemns May's stubborn pragmatism and storms out of her
dressing room, aware that she is going out with Willie.
To help his friend, fortune-teller Rami
the Swami causes Cheezy, a waiter at the nightclub, to dump salad on
Willie's head. May sends the drenched Willie home and leaves
the club by herself, but is soon joined by the love-struck Louis.
On the way home, Louis fawns over May, but she is too confused about
her romantic situation to be flattered by his attentions.
Later, at the club, dimwitted telegraph
messenger Charlie gives Louis a telegram informing him that he is
the winner of the $150,000 Irish sweepstakes. Once over his
initial shock, Louis goes on a spending spree and declares to a
radio reporter that he is marrying "DuBarry," the character May
portrays in her nightclub act. Louis' statement is also
reported in the newspapers, and when May sees it, she is surprised
and flustered. Alec, too, sees the announcement and challenges
May to accept Louis' proposal. To spite Alec, May tells Louis,
who has rented the club for the night in order to celebrate his
windfall, that she will marry him, but makes sure he understands
that she is only interested in his money. When Alec learns
about May's engagement, he accuses Louis of being a fool, prompting
May to slap him and run off.
Charlie, who has taken over Louis' cloak
room job, suggests that Louis slip Alec a "mickey" to disable him
for a few days. Louis relucantly agrees, but accidentally
drinks the drugged cocktail and collapses on the club floor.
While he is unconscious, Louis dreams that he is seventeenth century
French king Louis XV, and that May is his lover, Madame Du Barry.
Although he is aided in his pursuit of Madame Du Barry by Charlie,
who has been transformed into his son, the Dauphin, Louis soon
discovers that she is attracted to The Black Arrow, Alec's dream
persona, a rebel leader. The Black Arrow has condemned Madame
Du Barry for encouraging Louis to plunder the treasury in order to
buy her extravagant gifts, but she is nonetheless smitten with him.
The Black Arrow's rebel army is thwarted
when the Prime Minister, the Duc de Rigor, who resembles Willie and
has been jealously spying on Du Barry, orders the King's soldiers to
intercept them near Louis' palace. Over protests from the
Duke, Louis insists that The Black Arrow be given a fair trial, then
condemns his rival to death in court.
As The Black Arrow is being led to the
guillotine, Madame Du Barry begs Louis to spare him, vowing never to
see the rebel again if he does. Louis agrees, but before the
execution can be stopped, the Duke reveals that he is in love with
Mme. Du Barry and engages Louis in a sword fight. A
superior swordsman, the Duke chases the King around the palace and
is about to deliver the fatal stab when Louis wakes from his dream.
Once recovered, Louis tells Alec that he deserves May more than he
and offers them $10,000 as a wedding gift. After the reformed
May turns down the money, declaring that she and Alec are "starting
from scratch," Mr. Jones, the tax collector, demands that
Louis hand over $80,000, and Louis is a poor man once again.
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