After noted violinist Arthur Williams suffers a hand injury which ends his playing career, his hopes are transferred to his son, who prefers swing music to classical.
Arthur Williams is a well-known violinist but he has an accident that injures his left-hand fingers and he can no longer play. Being a devotee of the classics, swing music grates his ears. His son, William, also has the soul of a true artist, and while he does well on classical music, his heart is into swing. Needing money, William, enters a contest in which he plans on playing classical music, but his violin has been tampered with by another contestant and when two of his violin strings break, he is forced to play swing.—Les Adams <[email protected]>
After playing a concert, violinist Arthur Williams and his business manager, Earl Wells, are injured in an automobile accident. As a result of the accident, Arthur's fingers become paralyzed and he is unable to play the violin, which leads him to become a music instructor. Arthur's favorite student, Dickie Morley, aspires to classical music, while John, Arthur's twelve-year-old son, prefers "wild" swing music. Arthur's daughter Grace, who works as a secretary for James Stilton hair products, is in love with Gus Stevens, a fellow employee at the company. When Grace arranges an appointment for her father with Dr. Charles Matson, a famous nerve specialist visiting the city, Matson agrees to forgo his usual $1,000 fee and allow Johnny to raise the money at a later date. Meanwhile, Stilton's son Sam, who is jealous of Gus's romance with Grace, refuses to give her an advance and then tries to frame Gus and get him fired for mishandling a cash deposit. After the two men fight, both Gus and Grace quit. Meanwhile, Johnny becomes a hit playing at the Miller Café, a nightclub. Arthur, however, is furious when he finds out and, as punishment, forces his son to play until he drops from exhaustion. Arthur soon learns from Grace that Johnny was only trying to raise money for the operation and to supplement the family income during her unemployment. Johnny and Grace enter a radio talent contest, and their act is scheduled to follow banjo player Stringbeans Johnson and the Stevens Sisters, who dance and sing "Kentucky Babe." Johnny takes the stage, but his act is a disaster when first one violin string, then another, snaps. Johnny realizes that with only two strings remaining on the violin, he can only play a swing number and the entire orchestra joins in. Johnny wins the contest, and in his enthusiasm, Arthur is able to applaud his son, regaining the use of his fingers. Dickie then confesses to sabotaging the violin and apologizes, and Arthur resumes his career as a premier violinist.
