Betty Grable as Lorry Jones is working as a hostess and singer at the local USO canteen in Missoula, Missouri, where she signs photographs for the soldiers and keeps their spirits high with a steady stream of charm and song. Her job comes with a steady flow of attention and a tendency to entertain almost every marriage proposal that lands in her path, even though she has no real intention of tying the knot. Among the admirers is Marine Sergeant George Davis, a hopeful suitor who doesn’t quite grasp that Lorry’s heart isn’t in wedding bells.
Dorothea Kent as Kay Pritchett is Lorry’s best friend and partner in mischief, sharing the dream of a brighter future. The two have accepted stenography jobs in Washington, D.C., but they spin the story for the soldiers they’re about to depart with: they’re headed on a USO tour. It’s a light deception that masks their real aim of turning a new page in their lives, and it sets the stage for a string of comic misunderstandings and romantic entanglements.
The night before departure, the two friends celebrate in New York City, and their arrival is marked by the presence of John Harvey as Tommy Dooley, a Navy hero who earned his stripes at Guadalcanal. The trio’s plan to slip into the glamorous Club Chartreuse hinges on escort arrangements, and Lorry fabricates a connection to Tommy and his friend Dud Miller to gain entry. Unbeknownst to them, Eddie Hall, played by Joe E. Brown, is the club’s owner, and he is quick to shower the newcomers with champagne when he learns they’re “escorting” Tommy and Dud. The situation grows hazy as the truth about the dates comes closer to surface.
Tommy and Dud mistake the evening for a pair of blind appointments or perhaps actresses stepping into their world, while Molly McKay, the club’s star singer portrayed by Martha Raye, suspects the girls’ stories. It isn’t until Lorry, adopting the stage name Laura Lorraine, takes the stage and delivers a flawless number that Molly’s doubts start to fade. The performance convinces the club that these women are more than just pretty faces, and Lorry and Kay end up spending the night dancing with Tommy and Dud, only to wake up the next morning with the memory of their fleeting New York escapade and the tangled details that followed. They depart for Washington the next day, but the men promptly lose track of their addresses.
Back in Washington, Lorry finds herself bored with her stenographer routine, while Tommy and Dud unexpectedly show up in town. Lorry is assigned as Tommy’s stenographer, but she is determined that he not discover her true career and identity. To safeguard her secret, she crafts a plan to date Tommy under the guise of a fictional “Laura” while continuing to present herself as the capable Lorry. On a date, Tommy confesses that he adores dating an actress, a sentiment that stings Lorry and fuels her decision to pursue a more stable life away from the stage—until a breakthrough moment offers her a chance to strike a balance between both identities.
Tommy’s interest in Laura grows, and Lorry grapples with the idea of walking away from show business entirely. When Molly learns of Lorry’s real life, she sees an opportunity to shake things up by introducing George to Tommy, hoping to derail the complicated romance. The truth surfaces, and Tommy is affronted when he learns the full story. Lorry finally clarifies that she has no intention of marrying him, and the storm regarding their hidden lives intensifies.
In a daring turn, Laura returns to the scene as a blend of both Lorry and Laura, hoping to salvage the budding romance. She confronts Tommy with the revelation of her true self, and the two eventually find forgiveness, choosing to navigate their relationship with honesty and a renewed sense of possibility. The story closes on a note of reconciliation, with Lorry embracing a future that blends her love of performance with the life she’s chosen, and Tommy learning to value the woman who has spent so long balancing two worlds.
