Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

Sing, Baby, Sing (1936) movie poster

Plot Summary

Sing, Baby, Sing (1936) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
1936 · 90 mins · English
Directed by
Sidney Lanfield
Starring
Paul McVey, Gregory Ratoff, Adolphe Menjou, DeWitt Jennings, Patsy Kelly, George Chandler

A mad, merry musical spoofing the famous “Caliban‑Ariel” romance, with Adolphe Menjou as a boozy, womanizing former star and Alice Faye as a publicity‑hungry nightclub singer. Her scheming agent (Gregory Ratoff) engineers a fake romance with Menjou, but she eventually pairs with Michael Whalen, leaving Menjou to enjoy his carefree, wine‑filled bachelor life. The film marks the Ritz Brothers’ feature debut, showcasing their comic numbers and a curtain‑call encore after the credits.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Sing, Baby, Sing
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Sing, Baby, Sing (1936)

Where can you watch Sing, Baby, Sing? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Google Play Movies: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

Streaming availability powered by JustWatch

Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Sing, Baby, Sing: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Sing, Baby, Sing (1936) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

After Joan Warren is fired from her singing job at the Ritz Club, where she performs with the Ritz Brothers, she seeks help from theatrical agent Nicky Alexander. Nicky, however, is in the process of being evicted from his office suite, so he tells her to find another agent. When she insists that he represent her, he takes her to Mr. Brewster, president of the Federal Broadcasting Company, and she auditions, but Brewster refuses to hire her because she is not of the upper class.

Back at the club, the singer packs her bags, while in the street, a crowd gathers around drunken actor Farraday. Nicky leads Farraday into the club, where Farraday orders a huge feast and hears the singer perform her last song. After more wine, Farraday passes out, and they take him to a hospital, where he babbles lines of Shakespeare. To create some publicity, Nicky tells the singer to play "Juliet" to Farraday's "Romeo." While Al Craven, the brother of Fitz, searches for alcohol to keep Farraday from sobering up, Nicky calls the newspapers, saying that Farraday is on his deathbed. When the doctor arrives and forbids visitors, Al pretends to be Farraday's personal physician and relieves him of the case. Nicky sneaks in to see Farraday, while the cynical reporter Ted Blake and Joe, a photographer, climb onto the fire escape and photograph them.

Later, Al accompanies Farraday home, and the puzzled Farraday wonders why he can't remember hiring a personal physician. The newspapers print the story, and Brewster decides that he wants to hire the singer on the condition that Farraday will perform as well. At their new home at the Madison Towers, the group learns that Farraday is about to return to Hollywood at the behest of his cousin and business manager, Robert Wilson, who is furious over the publicity. Nicky goes to Farraday and suggests that he show a head for business by getting the lucrative radio contract. Robert arrives, tells the newspapers that the singer is a gold digger and escorts Farraday onto the train leaving for California. As a result of the new story, Brewster no longer wants to sign the singer. Ted explains that to be the first to print a retraction of Robert's statement, his newspaper will fly the singer out to Farraday. They fly to Kansas City to meet Farraday's train and trick Robert into leaving without Farraday. Then, they arrange with Brewster to broadcast that evening from Kansas City. They round up some performers for the show, including the Ritz Brothers.

As Farraday prepares to go on the air, Robert returns and locks himself in the hotel room with Farraday, but Farraday escapes. He arrives at the station in the nick of time and exonerates the singer, securing for her the radio contract with Brewster.

Last updated: October 05, 2025 at 12:02

Was this helpful?

Plot questions answered

Sing, Baby, Sing Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Sing, Baby, Sing (1936): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why was Joan rejected by Mr. Brewster after her audition?

Mr. Brewster, president of the Federal Broadcasting Company, refused to hire Joan because she was not from the upper class. This class-based rejection establishes the initial barrier to her career and motivates Nicky to create the publicity scheme with Farraday to prove Joan's value.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Nicky mentioned being evicted from his office, showing the precarious financial situation of people in Joan's professional circle.

  • joan warren
  • mr brewster
  • federal broadcasting
  • class
  • rejection
  • audition
Q2

Why did Nicky create the hospital publicity plan with Farraday?

After Joan was fired and rejected by Brewster, Nicky saw an opportunity in the drunken actor. By staging a dramatic scenario where Joan played Juliet to Farraday's Romeo, Nicky created newspaper headlines that would draw public interest and pressure Brewster to reconsider hiring Joan.

Foreshadowing: Nicky was already facing eviction and had no success finding Joan another agent, making desperate measures appealing.

  • nicky alexander
  • farraday
  • publicity
  • hospital
  • juliet
  • romeo
  • scheme
Q3

Why did Mr. Brewster decide to hire Joan after the hospital story?

The newspapers published the story of Joan visiting the dying Farraday, which created a sensation. Brewster realized that Joan's involvement with Farraday generated massive publicity, so he agreed to hire her on the condition that Farraday would also perform. He wanted their combined star power for his radio contract.

Foreshadowing: The hospital scheme was specifically designed to create newspaper coverage that would attract sponsors.

  • mr brewster
  • joan warren
  • publicity
  • radio contract
  • farraday
Q4

Why did Robert Wilson try to stop Farraday from helping Joan?

Robert Wilson was Farraday's cousin and business manager who was furious over the negative publicity. He called Joan a gold digger and escorted Farraday onto a train to California to remove him from the situation, fearing it would damage his career and reputation.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Robert was described as furious over the newspapers printing stories about Farraday's alleged deathbed.

  • robert wilson
  • farraday
  • gold digger
  • cousin
  • manager
  • california
Q5

How did Joan end up flying to Kansas City to meet Farraday?

After Robert called Joan a gold digger in the newspapers, Ted Blake (a reporter) told her that his newspaper would fly her to Kansas City to be the first to print a retraction. They arrived on a plane, caught Farraday's train, and tricked Robert into leaving without Farraday so they could arrange the radio broadcast.

Foreshadowing: The plan involved coordinating with Brewster to broadcast from Kansas City that evening.

  • kansas city
  • ted blake
  • joan warren
  • train
  • plane
  • retraction
  • broadcast
Q6

How did Farraday escape Robert and get to the radio station in time?

Robert locked himself in a hotel room with Farraday to prevent him from leaving, but Farraday managed to escape. He arrived at the radio station in Kansas City at the critical moment and publicly exonerated Joan, stating she was not a gold digger, which secured her radio contract with Brewster.

Foreshadowing: Nicky had earlier told Farraday to show a head for business by getting the lucrative radio contract.

  • farraday
  • robert wilson
  • escape
  • radio station
  • exonerate
  • contract
Q7

Why did Nicky tell newspapers that Farraday was on his deathbed?

Nicky orchestrated a fake story about Farraday being on his deathbed to generate sensational newspaper coverage. This was part of his publicity scheme to create interest in Joan and force Brewster to reconsider hiring her. The lie worked and drove public curiosity about the Romeo-Juliet scenario Nicky staged.

Foreshadowing: Al Craven was also searching for alcohol to keep Farraday from sobering up and revealing the truth.

  • farraday
  • deathbed
  • newspapers
  • nicky
  • publicity
  • lie
Q8

How did Joan and Ted Blake end up as a couple?

Ted Blake, a cynical newspaper reporter assigned to cover the Farraday hospital story, eventually became romantically interested in Joan. After working together to travel to Kansas City and clear her name, they paired off. The film ends with Joan successful in her radio career while Ted enjoys his carefree bachelor life nearby.

Foreshadowing: Ted and photographer Joe climbed the fire escape to photograph Joan visiting Farraday, showing his initial professional interest in her story.

  • ted blake
  • joan warren
  • romance
  • reporter
  • couple
Q9

Why was Joan fired from her singing job at the Ritz Club?

The summary simply states Joan was fired from her singing job at the Ritz Club where she performed with the Ritz Brothers. The reason for her firing isn't specified in the provided text, but it sets her on the path to seek help from agent Nicky Alexander and eventually pursue the radio opportunity.

Foreshadowing: After being fired, Joan immediately sought help from theatrical agent Nicky Alexander.

  • joan warren
  • ritz club
  • fired
  • singer
  • ritz brothers
Q10

Why was Al Craven trying to find alcohol at the hospital?

Al Craven (Fitz's brother) was tasked with keeping Farraday from sobering up so he would continue babbling Shakespeare and remain unconscious long enough for the publicity scheme to work. If Farraday woke up and became sober, the fake deathbed story would be exposed as a lie.

Foreshadowing: This directly served Nicky's plan to keep the newspapers interested in the story.

  • al craven
  • alcohol
  • hospital
  • farraday
  • sober
  • shakespeare

Movie threads

More Movies Like Sing, Baby, Sing, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Sing, Baby, Sing tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Madcap Showbiz Comedies like Sing, Baby, Sing

Fast-paced comedies where ambitious characters chase fame through hilarious publicity stunts. If you liked the fast-paced, mischievous energy of Sing, Baby, Sing, you'll enjoy these movies. This list features hilarious stories of fame-hungry characters in the world of show business, orchestrating wild publicity stunts and navigating romantic deceptions for a shot at the spotlight.

  • fast-paced
  • comedic
  • energetic
  • mischievous
  • carefree
  • ambitious
  • Tone: light, comedic, mischievous
  • Pacing: fast, energetic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread typically follow ambitious performers, agents, or publicists who concoct an elaborate scheme—often a fake relationship or a manufactured scandal—to boost their careers. The plot unfolds at a breakneck speed as the deception spirals, leading to a series of comedic complications before everything is resolved happily, often with the characters finding genuine success and love.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped together because they share a specific combination of a light, farcical tone, fast pacing driven by professional ambition, and a setting deeply embedded in the entertainment industry. The central narrative of a clever, often morally flexible, plan to achieve fame creates a cohesive and highly entertaining viewing pattern.

Zany Musical Comedies similar to Sing, Baby, Sing

Lighthearted and fast-paced musicals where comedy and romance drive the playful plot. Fans of the energetic and carefree spirit of Sing, Baby, Sing will find more to love here. This collection highlights classic musical comedies known for their fast pace, witty dialogue, playful romantic plots, and memorable comic performances that keep the mood bright and cheerful.

  • energetic
  • comedic
  • romantic
  • carefree
  • playful
  • uplifting
  • Tone: light, playful, celebratory
  • Pacing: fast, lively
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a simple, often professionally-focused goal that leads characters on a whirlwind adventure. Romance is present but tends to be a secondary, low-stakes element that adds to the fun. The structure is linear, punctuated by musical numbers and comedic interruptions from supporting characters, building effortlessly towards a celebratory conclusion where everyone gets their happy ending.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their primary goal to entertain through a specific recipe: a foundation of music, a heavy dose of comedy, a brisk pace, and an overall feeling of lighthearted exuberance. They share a DNA of cheerful escapism where the journey is just as important as the destination.

If you liked this

Movies Like Sing, Baby, Sing

Similar movies to Sing, Baby, Sing: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

Browse all movie summaries

Every angle

Sing, Baby, Sing (1936) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Sing, Baby, Sing in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app