What’s Cookin’? 1942

Mrs. Murphy Esther Dale’s theatrical boarding house is a bustling home for a troupe of young performers who dream big. When they discover they can’t cover the rent, they quietly plan to slip away, hoping to dodge the obligation. Their attempt is cut short when the landlady catches them, and in the ensuing scramble, fellow resident Marvo the Great [Leo Carrillo] is forced to sell his clothes to raise the funds needed to keep the group from being brushed aside.

With their spirits still lively, the troupe heads to WECA, the radio network, to visit singer Anne Payne [Jane Frazee], a former boarder who now works at the station alongside the Andrews Sisters and Woody Herman and His Orchestra. At Anne’s apartment, Marvo and the others cross paths with her wealthy neighbour, Sue Courtney [Gloria Jean], who drops in and wonders if she could join the group, adding a touch of glamour and possibility to the growing plans.

Across town at the Courtney estate, Sue’s uncle and aunt, J.P. Courtney [Charles Butterworth] and Agatha Courtney [Billie Burke], meet with their advertising counselor Bob Riley [Robert Paige]. Agatha laments that the radio station mostly plays classical tunes, and Sue sees a chance to shake things up by inviting her new friends to contribute swinging music for the station. Bob takes the invitation as an opportunity and begins to envision the makeover.

As the musicians begin to swing things up, Bob notices Anne, the former boarding-house lady now on the airwaves, and a romance quickly starts to blossom. Meanwhile, Sue finds herself drawn to the young talent Tommy [Donald O’Connor], a bright performer who embodies the hopeful energy of the group. The story unfolds through music, ambition, and the budding relationships as the boarding house crowd, the Courtney family, and the radio world intersect in a search for a bigger stage and a brighter future.