Professor Potts is one of a group of encyclopedists who are spending much effort over many years to produce the ultimate encyclopedia. Potts is a lexicographer, and at the time is interested in slang. A garbage collector uses some unfamiliar slang in his presence, and Potts is determined to circulate in the contemporary world to bring his terminology up to date.
In the process, he visits many different places, ending up in a nightclub where the lead singer, "Sugarpuss" O'Shea sings a song, "Drum Boogie," the title of which Professor Potts copies down as a slang term. He figures that Ms. O'Shea would be a goldmine of slang terms, and tries to interview her, but is rebuffed. Then, "Sugarpuss" learns that the police are looking for her, so she invades the professorial sanctorum to hide out, agreeing to be a source of information to Potts.
In time, Potts and Ms. O'Shea are drawn together, though she's engaged to her gangster boyfriend. He wants to marry her so that she can't testify against him if she's caught by the police; how romantic.
The film has nice touches, including the hero and his entourage riding to the rescue in a garbage truck and accompanying car.
Major spoiler: near the end of the picture, the crooks are dumped into the garbage truck's trash compartment, and it's extraordinarily clean. That alone was worth a chuckle.
Also, the film may appeal more to older viewers, because much of the "modern" slang is quite outdated. (Mae West, teaching schoolkids in My Little Chickadee, had much the same problem with her slang.) Worth a view, indeed.
In the process, he visits many different places, ending up in a nightclub where the lead singer, "Sugarpuss" O'Shea sings a song, "Drum Boogie," the title of which Professor Potts copies down as a slang term. He figures that Ms. O'Shea would be a goldmine of slang terms, and tries to interview her, but is rebuffed. Then, "Sugarpuss" learns that the police are looking for her, so she invades the professorial sanctorum to hide out, agreeing to be a source of information to Potts.
In time, Potts and Ms. O'Shea are drawn together, though she's engaged to her gangster boyfriend. He wants to marry her so that she can't testify against him if she's caught by the police; how romantic.
The film has nice touches, including the hero and his entourage riding to the rescue in a garbage truck and accompanying car.
Major spoiler: near the end of the picture, the crooks are dumped into the garbage truck's trash compartment, and it's extraordinarily clean. That alone was worth a chuckle.
Also, the film may appeal more to older viewers, because much of the "modern" slang is quite outdated. (Mae West, teaching schoolkids in My Little Chickadee, had much the same problem with her slang.) Worth a view, indeed.