Hollywood Hotel

Ronnie Bowers is on his way to Hollywood after being signed to a ten-week contract by All Star Pictures. At the airport, his former employer Benny Goodman and his band give him a spirited sendoff, performing Hooray for Hollywood. The trip marks the start of a showbiz journey that will soon be shaped by studio machinations and stars.

In Hollywood, temperamental star Mona Marshall learns that another actress has landed the role she desperately wanted. She becomes furious and refuses to attend the premiere of her latest movie. The studio is left scrambling as plans hinge on her involvement.

Publicist Bernie Walton convinces studio boss B. L. Faulkin to substitute a double for Mona; Virginia Stanton, Mona's stand-in, is chosen. Bernie also assigns Ronnie as Mona's escort for the premiere, hoping the deception will go smoothly. The arrangement sets the stage for mistaken identities and romantic complications.

Ronnie and Virginia attend the premiere, presenting themselves as Mona and her escort. The ruse works, fooling fans and journalists alike. Even the famous gossip columnist Louella Parsons is deceived, letting the pretense carry on.

The situation turns romantic when Ronnie and Virginia begin to fall for each other. They wade into a fountain pond and sing together, unwittingly blurring the line between performance and real feeling. The romance threatens to derail the deception.

The next day, Bernie takes Ronnie to lunch at the restaurant where Virginia works to reveal Virginia's real identity. Ronnie and Virginia begin dating for real, complicating Ronnie's professional position. The studio's publicist watches with a mix of concern and optimism.

Mona reads in the newspaper that she was seen at the premiere with Ronnie, prompting Faulkin to buy Ronnie out of his contract. The publicity backlash accelerates the plan to secure Ronnie's services once more. The studio pivots from the ruse toward an actual talent push.

Photographer Fuzzy Boyle appoints himself Ronnie's agent, and they hit the road trying to land Ronnie acting work. Their efforts lead them to a low-key gig at a drive-in, where Ronnie begins to show his singing chops. The job becomes a stepping stone to bigger opportunities.

Ronnie sings at the drive-in and catches the eye of director Walter Kelton, who offers him a job. He is told he will not act but will dub the singing for Mona's longtime partner, Alex Dupre. Ronnie accepts the chance as a test of his voice and ambition.

Dupre's singing begins to generate buzz, and Louella Parsons invites him to perform on her radio program. Ronnie agrees, though he soon realizes the arrangement involves performing as Dupre rather than as himself. The publicity lift foreshadows a real career.

Virginia, posing as Mona, arranges a plan by picking up Dupre in a limousine driven by Fuzzy and driving him to the countryside so he misses the program. The audacious maneuver puts Ronnie in a position to step in at the last moment. The stakes rise as the clock ticks toward broadcast time.

Ronnie substitutes for Dupre on the radio program and becomes a hit. The performance earns him a larger salary as Faulkin re-signs him to a new contract. What began as a staged deception unexpectedly launches Ronnie's singing career.