Summaries

Synopsis

At an army cantonment in the U.S. in 1917, Sergeant Robert Gray (James Ellison), upon hearing reveille, blows a whistle to awaken the other sergeants before falling back asleep himself. At the home of General Markley (Paul Harvey) dresses for the day and forgets to put on his shirt. The general's daughter Peggy (Terry Walker), who returned from school two days earlier, brings home a new car, which the general tells his subordinate Tommy (Morgan Hill), who is in love with Peggy, to return. After Bob is reprimanded for oversleeping, he offers his fellow officers, who have stolen all his wheat cakes, which they call "pattycakes," two-to-one odds that he will eat pattycakes at breakfast with the general within one month. Because of his reputation for winning outrageous bets, no one takes him on. On pay day, Bob collects his bets, but in chasing down one debtor, Bob manages to get the general thrown from his horse.Just after Bob decides that he should marry Mabel, a neighbor with whom he grew up, before shipping out overseas, he receives a wire that she got married to someone else. Although he is desolate, Bob does not mention the news to the others. After the men are granted twenty-three and a half hours' leave before they are to go overseas, the general receives a report that enemy agents in the vicinity have been obtaining information regarding troop embarkments. When Peggy offers Bob, who does not realize her identity, a ride into town, he brags that he is very close with the general. He picks up a tailor-made uniform to wear for a photograph to send to his mother. After Bob insists on driving back to the base, he makes a date with Peggy the next morning, at the start of his leave, to take him to the photographer's studio.The next day, when the other sergeants razz Bob about Mabel's marriage, he starts a food fight, and a tomato thrown by Bob hits the general. After Bob is reprimanded, the others accept his bet about eating pattycakes with the general. Meanwhile, Tommy proposes marriage to Peggy but she defers preferring a romantic dinner and dancing for such an event. When Bob's room is inspected, the captain confiscates his tailor-made uniform, which is against regulations. Tubbs (John Kelly), a dim-witted sergeant, is sent with all the food-stained uniforms to get new issues, but he loses the written order for them, and he is then arrested for walking around in his underwear. Bob escapes through a window and arrives at Peggy's car wearing a slicker over his underwear. He tells her that he is wearing the slicker to hide his tailor-made uniform.The photographer and his assistant, having deduced the soldiers' sailing date from the great demand for pictures, send a message to their spy headquarters. After Bob gets his picture taken, he meets Peggy at the Trivoli Club. The other sergeants, determined to get revenge on Bob for losing their uniforms, ride into town in an ice wagon. Just as Bob is about to sing a song in the club, the other sergeants, also dressed in slickers over underwear, join him on stage. Then they demand that Bob step outside. In an alley, they take his slicker.Bob sneaks into the photographer's office, and when the spies find him hiding, they pull a gun. Bob subdues them, but he is himself also arrested. The next day, the general learns enemy agents have been apprehended. He goes with Peggy to the jail and congratulates Bob. He invites Bob to breakfast and, having heard about Bob's bet, orders pattycakes. Upon their return to the base, the general relates the breakfast to the soldiers, who are dismayed at losing once more to Bob. After Peggy promises to write Bob every day, she drives off. Although Bob is arrested for being out of uniform and A.W.O.L, he happily offers to lay five-to-one odds that the general will come to his wedding.