The Girl from Manhattan 1948

New York actress and fashion model Carol Maynard Dorothy Lamour arrives to stay with her uncle Homer Purdy Ernest Truex in his aging boarding house, tucked away in the mid-western town of Pittsfield.

Meanwhile, ex-football player Tom Walker George Montgomery appears in the same state to chat with The Bishop Charles Laughton about his becoming a minister in the town. It is decided that the church could use new heroes, and Tom’s background as a football star is seen as a potential asset rather than a hindrance. The bishop has arranged for him to stay at Purdy’s boarding house. On arrival he meets Carol and they recognise each other. Tom remains cryptic about his plans.

Tom meets the church council, who introduce a local benefactor, Mr Birch, who intends to buy the 150-year-old church and build a new one closer to the town center; the proposed site happens to be Purdy’s boarding house.

Uncle Homer Purdy [Ernest Truex] is revealed to be giving most of his rooms free in hopes that the residents will strike it rich, and he becomes involved in many of their madcap schemes. He struggles to turn a profit, and the old house itself is slowly crumbling. Carol and Homer rearrange one of the rooms to serve as Tom’s study until the new church is built, not realizing that the chosen site is the very house they occupy.

The bishop calls in Tom to discuss how his reputation might be affected by being seen with a fashion model. Oscar Newsome [Frank Orth], one of the more eccentric guests, is allowed to build a miniature railway in Purdy’s basement, adding to the building’s quirky atmosphere. Mr Birch appears at the boarding house to assess its demolition, while everyone else keeps the plan secret from Carol. Homer has already squandered the $3,000 Carol sent him on funding his guests’ wild ventures, leaving the house financially precarious.

The train engine blows up, and Homer is injured in the incident. Tom and Carol join forces to save the boarding house, while several guests begin to raise money to help. In the end, Rev Tom Walker uses his own $3,000 to pay off Homer’s debts, and Mr Birch’s supposed generosity for the old church is revealed as a scam. Although they must continue using the old church for the time being, the bishop approves the arrangement, allowing the community to persevere together.