We’re Not Dressing

Doris Worthington [Carole Lombard] is a spoiled socialite who sails the Pacific with her friend Edith [Ethel Merman] and her Uncle Hubert [Leon Errol], while she is courted by Prince Michael [Ray Milland] and Prince Alexander [Jay Henry]. She finds the voyage dull and channels her wit into playful, often sharp exchanges with one of the crew, Stephen Jones [Bing Crosby]. Their verbal sparring reaches a peak when Doris slaps Stephen, who retaliates with a kiss and promptly gets fired.

A drunken mishap sends Uncle Hubert’s yacht onto a reef in the fog, but Stephen manages a dramatic rescue of the unconscious Doris as the rest scramble to safety. The group makes it to a tropical island, though the princes slyly take credit for Doris’s rescue. On land, Stephen turns out to be the only one with real survival know‑how, and the socialites quickly press him into service to collect food and construct shelter. Stephen tries to organize the group, but the passengers snub his leadership, forcing him to fend for himself. The scent of his simple dinner—mussels and coconuts—draws the others to forage as well, with Doris conspicuously trying to game the system by deceiving Stephen to keep his food for herself, earning another slap in the process. The cast is compelled to cooperate under the strain, even as Doris remains prideful and irritated.

Doris soon encounters other island residents when she falls into a lion trap and meets Gracie [Gracie Allen] and her scientific husband George [George Burns], who live across the not‑so‑deserted isle. She clings to her plan of getting even with Stephen and refuses their offer to stay, choosing instead to press on with her vendetta. In a playful twist, Doris arranges for tools and clothes to drift past Stephen, who enthusiastically assumes a new discovery and quickly builds a house. That evening, the two share a moment of affection, though they sense a mismatch between their temperaments and expectations.

Two rescue boats arrive amid the commotion. Stephen discovers that the floating tools and clothes came from Doris and feels humiliated to have been the butt of her joke. He decides to take a different boat than Doris, who watches as the princes resume their former womanizing ways aboard the returning ships. In a turning realization, she understands she misses Stephen.

Ultimately, Doris makes a bold choice: she changes ships to join Stephen, embracing an uncertain future together—“for better or for worse.”

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 10:44