Willie, as an assistant window-dresser, is the lowest man on the totem pole at a department store. To add insult-to-injury Willie is also the store's designated 'Fired Man."; when a disgruntled customer demands that somebody-must-be-fired, Willie is summoned and summarily fired, only to be rehired when the now-satisfied customer has departed. Willie inadvertently adopts a four-year-old orphan at a cost of ten-dollars a week, and things go from bad to worse since Willie doesn't make ten-dollars a week. But, with the help of Mary, a beautiful young nurse, Willie manages to turn some corners and improve his lot in life, albeit with some skids along the way.
Acting
Eddie Quillan's elastic physical comedy carries every scene.
Writing
Bizarre premise played absolutely straight for maximum absurdity.
Director
Russell Mack
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Pre-Code Hollywood let comedies treat poverty as actual stakes rather than punchline—Willie's ten-dollar desperation hits different in 2024.
Eddie Quillan was a silent film veteran struggling to transition; this role's verbal speed was his proving ground for talkies.
US
