A girl is engaged to the local rich man, but meanwhile she has dreams about the legendary pirate Macoco. A traveling singer falls in love with her and to impress her he poses as the pirate.
It is the year 1830. In the Spanish Main, local beauty Manuela Alva, is living on the island of Calvados and dreams of falling in love with the legendary Caribbean pirate known as "Macoco", sometimes called "the black Macoco" due to his fearsome buccaneering and looting. However, her guardians, her aunt and uncle, aiming to get rich, insist that she marry Don Pedro, the town mayor, an arrogant and bullying much older man. She resigns herself to her fate but before the wedding, in nearby Port Sebastian, she meets by chance a troupe of traveling circus actors, led by the handsome Serafin. Attracted to each another but, while Serafin wants to woo Manuela, she refuses his advances claiming to be promised in marriage to Don Pedro. At the circus show, during a hypnosis act, Serafin learns that Manuela is secretly enamored of Macoco. This revelation persuades Serafin to resort to a trick to woo her. He pretends to be the famous pirate Macoco and he plays the part well, assisted by the complicity of his troupe. His performance is so well-executed that it convinces everyone, including Manuela, that he truly is Macoco the pirate. Unfortunately, it also convinces the local authorities and the visiting Spanish Viceroy that he is a wanted pirate. Serafin, masquerading as Macoco, is arrested by the Spanish troops. Despite his pleas that he only is a circus actor impersonating a pirate, he is found guilty of piracy, partly on fake evidence supplied by a fearful and jealous Don Pedro. Serafin, aka Macoco the pirate, is sentenced to death by hanging. Only a miracle can save his neck but Serafin and Manuela manage to arrange one.—nufs68
Young Manuela (Judy Garland) is pledged by her Aunt Inez (Gladys Cooper) to be married to the town mayor (Walter Slezak). He's much older and "round as a pumpkin," but very rich, much to the delight of greedy Aunt Inez. In the meantime, Manuela dreams of being swept away by the infamous Macoco, "Mack the Black of the Caribbean Sea."
Meanwhile, Serafin (Gene Kelly) and his troupe of traveling actors arrive in town to perform. Serafin meets Manuela and makes a romantic play for her, but she'll have nothing to do with the lowly actor. Later that night during the performance, Serafin hypnotises Manuela. While under his mesmerizing spell she reveals her Macoco fantasy to him and the audience.
Serafin finds out that the mayor is actually Macoco, attempting to retire quietly with his lifetime's worth of plunder. Serafin tries to blackmail the mayor into giving up Manuela. Having no success with that, he announces to the villagers that he, Serafin, is Macoco. He threatens to burn down the town unless they give up Manuela to him in ten minutes' time. The townspeople plead with Manuela to sacrifice herself for the sake of the village. She grudgingly agrees to this "sacrifice," while actually being quite eager to run off with the man she thinks is Macoco. Then Manuela finds out that Serafin is just an actor, not really Macoco. A hilarious scene ensues in which she throws every vase in the room at him.
The Mayor, eager to have the impostor executed as Macoco, thereby ensuring a permanent new identity for himself and a beautiful new wife, arranges with the Viceroy for a trial and execution. Just before the execution, Serafin pleads for one last performance for the Viceroy. During the performance, Manuela discovers that the Mayor is the real Macoco, and she helps Serafin bait him into revealing himself as the real pirate.
In the final scene, Manuela and Serafin perform "Be A Clown" in some new town, with the real Macoco presumably executed, and the two actors happily in love.
