... from Paramount Pictures and director Theodore Reed. When an eccentric millionaire dies, his will instructs his executors to plants purses and wallets containing $100 around the city. Anyone who returns the items to the address enclosed gets to participate in the next aspect of the will. They are each given $5000 in cash and have one month to double the amount through any reputable means (which excludes "gambling and speculation"). The first one to do so inherits the entirety of the deceased's estate, valued at over $1 million. If none of the people can double their money, then the deceased's cynical brother inherits it all. Only 4 people return the initial $100: singer Lefty (Bing Crosby), businessman John (William Frawley), layabout Half-Pint (Andy Devine), and obnoxious showgirl Liza Lou (Martha Raye). While the four try to double their money, the brother (Samuel S. Hinds) and his family try to stop them from succeeding. Also featuring Mary Carlisle, Benny Baker, William Henry, Fay Holden, Bert Hanlon, Gilber Emery, William Kingsford, and John Gallaudet.
Bing sings several songs, Martha Raye sings a couple, and there's a lengthy nightclub act sequence near the end, including a humorous slapstick dance from Ames & Arno. The cast is appealing, although Raye can be like nails on a chalkboard, which I know is intentional, but at times she's too successful. This is a pleasant time-waster, but nothing memorable.
