Plot

With her gangster boyfriend under investigation by the police, a nightclub singer hides out in a musical research institution staffed by bachelor professors - one of whom begins to fall for her.

Gangster's moll Honey Swanson goes into hiding when her boyfriend is under investigation by the police. Where better to hide than a musical research institute staffed entirely by lonely bachelors? She gets more than she bargained for when the head of the institute Professor Hobart Frisbee starts to fall for her.—Col Needham <col@imdb.com>

Shy introverted Professor Hobart Frisbee (Danny Kaye) runs a musical research institute. Along with his a team of music professors, among them Professor Magenbruch (Benny Goodman), they are writing a musical encyclopedia. Two window washers Buck and Bubbles make them aware that there is several new musical styles - jazz,, swing, boogie woogie and bebop. Arriving on the scene is Honey Swanson (Virginia Mayo), a night club singer and the girlfriend of gangster Tony Crow (Steve Cochran). She needs to hide out for awhile so that she can't be made to testify against him. When the housekeeper decides that Honey is too disruptive and must leave, Honey decides to get Frisbee to fall for her. But it backfires when he does and proposes to her. Her gangster boyfriend decides to use this as a cover, and claiming to be her father he tells the professor to drive to New Jersey with her to have the wedding right away. His true plan is that Frisbee will be Honey's transportation to get her to him where he himself will marry her - making it impossible for Honey to testify against him. But before she gets to New Jersey she falls in love with Frisbee and can no longer marry her boyfriend.—Selah priscilla_savary@yahoo.com

A remake of 1941's Ball of Fire with very few changes. The names of characters have been changed, with the exceptions of Professor Oddly, Miss Bragg and Miss Totten. Mary Field played Miss Totten in both films. The think tank is compiling a history of music, not the encyclopedia as in the original.

A group of professors are compiling a history of music in an old mansion in New York thanks to a grant from Miss Totten (Mary Field). After listening to the window washers do a jazz performance, Professor Hobart Frisbee (Danny Kaye) realizes that he is not knowledgeable of the current music trends. He goes out on the town where he observes various musical groups and invites them to assist him in his research. After observing Honey Swansons (Virgina Mayo) performance, he invites her to join the research group. Honey uses the invitation to hide out at the research institute to avoid the District Attorneys subpoena to testify against her boyfriend, Tony Crow (Steve Cochran). After the modern music scene, featuring a jam session featuring Lionel Hampton on vibraphone, Mel Powell on piano and Professor Magenbruch (Benny Goodman on clarinet), Honey crosses the hall to the room where the other professors are feeling left out. Using the daily racing form for lyrics and classical compositions for the music, they have a classical jam session. This results in a drum falling off of the shelf over the door. Tony Crow is hiding out in New Jersey and sends his men to Honeys hideout to give her an engagement ring. If she marries him, she cannot be forced to testify against him. They have had a marriage license for almost a year. To stay at the institute over the objections of Miss Bragg, the caretaker, Honey gets close to Hobart and teaches him Yum Yum. He becomes smitten and decides to ask Honey to marry him. After being informed of the situation, Tony decides that a marriage party consisting of all the professors will provide the perfect cover to smuggle Honey to New Jersey. Miss Bragg, discovering the true identity of Honey, tries to force her to leave without the professors. Honey locks her in a closet and goes with the professors to New Jersey. They have an accident on the way to the inn where she planned to meet Tony. At the motel close to the accident scene, the group has an engagement dinner/bachelor party. Honey contacts Tony and informs him of her location. Hobart leaves the bachelor party and accidentally enters Honeys room, thinking it is Professor Oddlys room. He confesses his love for Honey. In the meantime, Miss Bragg has escaped the closet and called the police. When Tony arrives, Honey leaves with him and the professors return to New York. The whole New Jersey affair is published in the newspapers. Miss Totten arrives at the institute and threatens to cancel their funding. Honey has changed her mind and refuses to marry Tony. Tony and his three goons show up at the institute and take the professors, Miss Totten and Miss Bragg hostage in order to force Honey to marry him. Two of the goons hold the hostages in the classical music room. More and more musicians show up, are taken hostage and held in the classical music room. In the modern music room, Tony tries to marry Honey with the help of a hard of hearing minister and his third goon. The window washers enter the classical music room and ask what battle was won with music. The Walls of Jericho inspires Hobart to organize the musicians to jam. One of Tonys men is sitting below the drum and the other is resting on a piano bench on the oriental rug. The band jams, the drum falls and the rug is pulled. The professors take the goons guns, break up the marriage ceremony and Hobart knocks out Tony. Hobart gets Honey and the police get Tony and the goons.