A band of entertainers between engagements is summoned to Centerville when their manager, Wallingham M. 'Wally' Jones, dispatches telegrams to the group. The members are scattered in odd jobs: Earl Gordon blows a bugle at a race track, Linda Farrell sells tickets at a movie theater, and Michelle O'Toole works as a hat-check girl, with other musicians shooting golf between gigs. This eclectic crew is drawn together by a chance opportunity to audition for the president of Titan Tire Company, who wants fresh talent for a radio show. But the hopefuls arrive to learn that the job has already gone to Benny Goodman, and they’re left with little cash and empty stomachs until a political rally offers a workaround.
On the day they arrive, Magonnagle’s campaign introduces him as the front man for a populist message, and the band becomes an unexpected instrument in the political machine. The candidate, Darius J. Magonnagle, runs on the slogan “A Vote for Magonnagle Is a Vote for the Common Man,” yet faces a powerful incumbent influence led by Quilby. Among the campaign’s players is Jed Conklin, Magonnagle’s longtime Campaign Manager, who watches the crowd and plans the next move. A seasoned composer, Allen Clark arrives at a rally with a song he hopes the band will perform, and his arrival shifts the dynamic of the group in surprising ways.
Wally sees opportunity in the song and Linda’s voice, purchasing the tune for her to perform, while Allen himself seeks a more permanent place in the band. The arrangement grows when Wally takes on Allen, partly to help carry Michelle O'Toole’s harp, and the group begins to outgrow its earlier, purely practical arrangements. At another rally, Magonnagle is too drunk to speak, and Allen steps in with a brief, effective pitch that earns him attention. Yet the political machine is not done; a scheming official contemplates dropping Magonnagle and replacing him with Allen to dodge accusations of fraudulent appointments, and the idea gains traction as Allen is drawn deeper into the machinations.
The romance between Allen and Linda intensifies, and Titan Tire’s offer reappears: a lengthy radio show contract, worth a staggering sum, keeps the band in the orbit of a rising star. But the prospect of victory for Allen unsettles the delicate balance; the crony-filled circle behind Quilby pressures him to stay committed to the political game. To protect everyone, Allen reluctantly dismisses the band, and Magonnagle returns to tell Linda the truth about the crooked backers. Believing Allen has joined the machine, Linda leaves with the rest of the troupe.
In a climactic moment, Allen delivers a brave denunciation of the corruption on a public platform, exposing the schemes of Dwyer and his cronies. On a bus with the group’s radios, Linda and the band hear the speech, and they hurry to support him. The ensuing pursuit by the police culminates in a dramatic catch-up, but Quilby concedes the race to Allen. With the election resolved, those who stood with him realize there’s room for both public service and a career in entertainment, and the band treks on with a renewed sense of purpose, united by a showman’s heart and a fighter’s spirit.
