Romanian-French gigolo Georges Iscovescu wishes to enter the USA. Stopped in Mexico by the quota system, he decides to marry an American, then desert her and join his old partner Anita, who's done likewise. But after sweeping teacher Emmy Brown off her feet, he finds her so sweet that love and jealousy endanger his plans.

Dozens of star and character-actor cameos and a message about the Variety Club (show-business charity) are woven into a framework about two hopeful young ladies who come to Hollywood, exchange identities, and cause comic confusion (with slapstick interludes) throughout the Paramount studio.

Danny O'Neill (Fred Astaire), and Hank Taylor (Burgess Meredith) are friends and rival trumpeters, with "O'Neill's Perennials", a college band. Both of them have managed to prolong their college career by failing seven years in a row. At a performance, Ellen Miller (Paulette Goddard) catches Danny and Hank's eye. She serves them a collection notice for her boss, a debt collector, but the fast talking O'Neill and Taylor soon have her working for them as their manager.
Tired of losing gigs to the Perennials, Artie Shaw, playing himself, comes to woo Ellen away to be his booking manager. She tries to get Danny and Hank an audition for Shaw's band, but their jealous hi-jinks get them both fired.
Ellen talks Shaw into letting rich wannabee musician J. Lester Chisholm (Charles Butterworth) back a concert. It looks like the jig is up when Hank pretends to be Ellen's jealous husband, and then her brother. But, talking fast, Danny and Hank get Chisholm back on board, and are able to get Shaw to agree to put Danny's song into the show. All they have to do is keep Chisholm and his mandolin, which he wants to play in the concert, away from Shaw until after the show; the solution is sleeping pills to knock Chisolm, and incidentally Hank, out.
To Ellen's relief, Danny finally acts professionally, arranging his number for the show, which Shaw says "has really grown up into something special". He hands the baton to Danny, and he successfully dance-conducts his own composition.

Celestine, the chambermaid, has a new job in the country, at the Lanlaires. She has decided to use her beauty to seduce a wealthy man. But Mr Lanlaire is not a right choice: all the house is firmly controlled by Mme Lanlaire, helped by the strange valet Joseph. Then she tries the neighbour, ex-officer Mauger. This seems to work. But soon the son of the Lanlaires comes back. He is young, attractive, and does not share his mother's anti-republicans opinions. So Celestine's beauty attracts Captain Mauger, young Georges Lanlaire, and also Joseph. Three men, from three different social classes, with three different conceptions of life. Will Celestine be able to convince Georges of her sincerity ? Will sinister and inflexible Joseph let his views upon Celestine be ruined ? A quite disillusioned depiction of humanity.

A happily married woman lets her catty friends talk her into divorce when her husband strays.

Leo (Rod Steiger) is an aristocrat whose family fortunes have plummeted in this downbeat melodrama. He seeks to reverse his money problems by courting the wealthy Mariagrazia (Paulette Goddard), throwing over his former lover Lisa (Shelley Winters) in his quest to continue his posh lifestyle. Mariagrazia is too caught up in the attention of the charming, conniving Leo to notice that he also makes a play for her daughter Carla (Claudia Cardinale). Mariagarzia continues to want Leo even after he gains control of family fortune and property. Meanwhile, Carla's brother Michele (Tomas Milian) takes up with the jilted Lisa. Finally, in a most poignant scene, the ailing matron finally realizes she has been used by Leo. Excellent performances all around.
~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

A bumbling tramp desires to build a home with a young woman, yet is thwarted time and time again by his lack of experience and habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time..

Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.