June Tyme [Ann Sothern] and Joe Tyme [Jack Carson] lead a tired song-and-dance act, a routine that has dulled for years even as audiences in other cities still cheer. When their son, Buster Tyme [Robert Ellis], returns from boarding school and begs to join the act, June reluctantly relents, remembering with a heavy sigh that she once hoped her son would never follow in their vaudeville footsteps. The family’s early spark returns as Buster’s natural talent shines, and soon they become a crowd favorite across towns, reviving the old showmanship that had kept the family going for so long.
A life-changing opportunity arrives in New York: a Broadway booking that gives Joe a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream. But the Big Apple has its own rulebook, including a ban on child labor. Backstage, Buster pretends to be an adult midget to stay in the act, a ruse that collapses when the ruse is discovered, and the family is forced to perform without him. The city’s lights tempt them, but the setback is crushing: the act flops, and the family heads home with the memory of what could have been.
Back home, bitterness simmers. Bitterly disappointed, Joe drinks too much and misses a performance, and theater managers grow wary of hiring him again. To keep the act alive, he suggests Billy Shay [Robert Alda] replace him so that Buster and June can keep performing. June Tyme [Ann Sothern] had once worked with Billy Shay before marrying Joe, and that history makes her wary—she does not trust Billy, even as the act continues to gain traction with him in the lineup. The tension between Joe, June, and Billy deepens, and Joe’s pride starts to crumble as he lashes out, hinting at divorce and a future with Billy that would tear the family apart. Billy, for his part, echoes that sentiment in his own way, nudging June toward a future that might not include Joe.
After a period of travel and juggling gigs, Buster discovers that his father is barely getting by, and Joe fabricates promises of upcoming work. He even sends his son away at times, a decision that weighs heavily on everyone in the Tyme clan. Yet the trio—Joe, June, and Billy—are invited to join a major musical comedy, a new chance for the act to break through once more. The director, however, sees the act as too similar to others, and there’s talk of cutting it from the show. Buster, ever resourceful, proposes a comic dance routine that he once did with Joe, hoping it will give the act its heart again.
Billy is quick to scope out the routine, but the moment of truth arrives when the director asks if he knows it. Billy fibs, claiming that he taught the move to Joe and simply needs a day to brush up. The plan falters as Billy cannot perform the routine cleanly, and frustration mounts. A tense moment arises when Buster tries to leave; at that exact moment, Joe arrives with intentions of making peace and perhaps encouraging Billy to marry June. The scene erupts as Billy strikes at Buster, and Joe leaps in to protect his son, throwing himself into a confrontation that tests every thread of the family’s bond.
The next day, the director finally hears what happened and grants Joe the chance to perform with Buster and June once more. The act returns to its former warmth and timing, drawing big laughs and restoring the family’s unity. What began as a precarious venture ends with a renewed sense of purpose for the Tyme family, proving that even when dreams wobble and pride clashes, love and a shared stage can bring them back together.
