It is 1932, the depth of the Depression, and noted Broadway producers Jones (Robert McWade) and Barry (Ned Sparks) are putting on Pretty Lady, a musical starring Dorothy Brock (Bebe Daniels). She is involved with wealthy Abner Dillon (Guy Kibbee), the show's "angel" (financial backer), but while she is busy keeping him both hooked and at arm's length, she is secretly seeing her old vaudeville partner, out-of-work Pat Denning (George Brent).
Anna, fleuriste, et Jean, chauffeur de taxi, se font des serments un soir de bal du 14 juillet à Paris. Jean succombe malgré tout à l'enjôleuse Pola, qui le délaissera vite elle-même. Sans amour, Jean sombre dans la délinquance.
Deux rouge-gorges se réjouissent de leur couvée de trois œufs. Les oisillons grandissent et apprennent à chanter et voler mais l'un d'eux tombe du nid. Cet oisillon, nommé Otto , va la rencontre d'un criquet, puis d'un oiseau-mouche, qu'il tout à tour essayera d'imiter. Mais un crotale tente de l'hypnotiser pour le manger. À peine sorti de cette embuche, Otto tombe sur un nid de frelons. Cette nouvelle poursuite finit heureusement par le mener dans son nid.
Un brave homme, Boubouroche, entretient depuis huit ans sa petite amie Adèle qu'il adore. Un vieil homme, voisin d'Adèle, lui apprend qu'elle le trompe. Incrédule, Boubouroche se rend chez son amie et surprend l'amant de celle-ci, André, caché dans une armoire. Furieux d'avoir été trompé, il congédie André ; mais Adèle parvient à faire croire à Boubouroche qu'elle est innocente, et il se laisse peu à peu fléchir, trop heureux qu'elle lui pardonne de l'avoir soupçonnée. Il va alors reporter sa colère sur le voisin qui l'a dénoncée.
Composer Roger Bond (Gene Raymond) and his orchestra are appearing in Miami, with vocalist Honey Hales (Rogers). Despite the warnings of accordionist and assistant band leader Fred Ayres (Astaire), Roger is attracted to the beautiful and flirtatious Belinha (Dolores del Río) in the audience, he leaves the bandstand to pursue her.
The "gold diggers" are four aspiring actresses: Polly the ingenue (Ruby Keeler), Carol the torch singer (Joan Blondell), Trixie the comedienne (Aline MacMahon), and Fay the glamour puss (Ginger Rogers).
Dans un village de l'Arkansas, Hannah Jessop, une vieille femme s'occupe de sa ferme avec l'aide de son fils, Jim. Mais ce dernier tombe amoureux d'une jeune fille réprouvée par la mère. Afin d'empêcher leur union, elle enrôle son fils dans l'armée pour combattre en France. Retrouvant sa fiancée lors d'une courte étape dans une gare, le jeune soldat apprend qu'elle est enceinte. Il refuse alors de rejoindre ses camarades avant de l'avoir épousé mais il est tout de même contraint de reprendre le convoi en partance pour le front. La guerre lui sera fatale.
Amid vignettes involving a philandering husband who fakes amnesia, a child prodigy who yearns to live a normal life, an aging bachelor whose housekeeper has disappeared, and an old lady whose daughter has run away, the primary plot line focuses on brash detective Butch Saunders, who is assigned to find missing Chicago banker Therme Roberts. Butch finds himself attracted to the man's wife Norma, despite the fact they're both married, so when his superior, Captain Webb, tells him she really is Norma Phillips and the man she claims is missing is not her husband but the person she has been accused of murdering, he doesn't believe her. Norma fakes her suicide by drowning and disappears, but can't resist returning when Butch stages her funeral in the hope she'll surface. Not only she but the missing Roberts, as well, turn up at the services. Norma tells Butch she once was Roberts' secretary, and he killed his mentally disturbed twin brother and assumed his identity in order to avoid embezzlement charges. Roberts denies her accusations, but Webb tricks him into admitting his guilt. Norma is cleared and, when Butch learns his wife Belle never divorced her first husband, the two are free to wed.
The film begins at a meeting of the Sons of the Desert, a fraternal lodge (styled to resemble the Shriners) of which both Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are members. The organization will be holding its annual convention in Chicago in a week and all members have to take an oath to attend. Stan is reluctant to take the oath, but Oliver goads him into it. Later, on the way home, Stan explains to Oliver his reluctance to take the oath; he is worried that his wife will not let him go to the convention. Oliver tries to reassure Stan his wife has no choice but to let him go because he took a sacred oath. When they get home and Stan accidentally brings up the subject of the convention, however, it turns out Oliver's wife will not let him go as they had already arranged a mountain trip together (which Oliver had forgotten about). Oliver's attempts to exert his authority over his wife only results in him getting several pieces of crockery thrown at him.
Oliver Hardy plays a character who is preparing for his wedding day to the daughter of a wealthy oil magnate, Peter Cucumber. His friend, played by Stan Laurel, is the best man. While visiting Ollie in the morning, Stan reveals his wedding present – a jigsaw puzzle. The boys soon become preoccupied with the puzzle, as do other people – a taxi driver, Ollie's butler, a telegram delivery boy, even a cop. Cucumber is enraged at the delay at his daughter's wedding (especially after Stan has a wreath delivered to the reception), and makes his way to Ollie's house. The jigsaw puzzle is almost completed except for one elusive missing piece; the cop insists that no-one can leave the house until it is found, including Cucumber ("I don't care if he's Mr. Dill Pickle", sneers the cop, unimpressed). A fight breaks out, leading to a police raid in which all are arrested except Stan and Ollie, who manage to hide themselves. The puzzle gets knocked over in the mayhem; Ollie's telegram is from his broker, advising him to quickly sell his shares in "The Great International Horsecollar Corporation" (in which all of Ollie's fortune is invested in), but a radio newsflash says the company took a "tremendous crash and failed". Despite Stan's assurance that "prosperity is just around the corner", Ollie angrily tells him to leave. As he leaves, Stan actually manages to find the jigsaw's missing piece, but before he can do anything more, a furious Ollie throws him out of the house.
Dans une petite ville de la Nouvelle-Angleterre, le docteur George Bull se démène auprès des habitants, mais devient vite une source de commérages. On lui reproche notamment sa présence régulière dans la maison d'une jeune veuve, Mrs Cardmaker, à la tête de la ferme qui approvisionne le village, mais aussi ses façons débonnaires. Médecin de l'ancienne école, il prescrit plus qu'à son tour de l'huile de ricin pour les petits maux dont il ne se soucie guère mais passe chaque jour de longs instants au chevet d'un homme paralysé des jambes qu'il tente de faire remarcher…
Un fermier de l'Iowa et sa famille se rendent à la foire annuelle de Des Moines, la capitale de l'Iowa. Ses enfants y trouveront l'amour, avec plus ou moins de bonheur.