Yolanda and the Thief 1945

In the pastoral country of Patria, 18-year-old Yolanda Acquaviva Lucille Bremer celebrates her birthday in a convent among fellow students. She is poised to take over the family fortune, a duty once managed by her Aunt Amarilla [Mildred Natwick], but she feels unprepared. The Mother Superior [Jane Green] reassures Yolanda that her guardian angel will watch over her, offering steady guidance as she steps into adult responsibility.

Two American con men, Johnny Riggs [Fred Astaire] and Victor Trout [Frank Morgan], have come to Patria because it has no extradition laws, and they quickly learn of the immense Acquaviva fortune. On the train and later through a newspaper account, they glimpse the young heiress and begin to sketch a plan to exploit the opportunity for themselves.

Yolanda is greeted at her estate by Aunt Amarilla and a crowd of servants. Later, in the garden, she prays to her guardian angel for direction, a moment Johnny overhears from an unseen vantage, setting the stage for a fateful intersection of dreams and deceit.

Johnny phones Yolanda, presenting himself as her guardian angel. He explains that he will help her, but cannot appear in angelic form and will instead meet her in human disguise, instructing her to call him Mr. Brown. The naive young woman agrees, envisioning a simpler way to bear the burden of wealth.

Johnny dreams about Yolanda, an image that unsettles him, yet he remains committed to the plan with his partner. They manage to steal valuable bonds from Yolanda, but the escape proves difficult, and a shared circumstance pulls Johnny, Victor, and a third figure into the tale: Mr. Candle [Leon Ames], who claims to want what is best for Yolanda.

Mr. Candle’s demeanor and assurances increasingly muddy the lines between guardian and trickster, prompting Johnny to question his choices. Yolanda grows fond of Johnny in the process, while he wrestles with feelings of unworthiness and guilt. The situation culminates as Mr. Candle reveals himself to be Yolanda’s true guardian angel, urging Johnny to return to her as a reformed man. Faced with truth and transformation, Johnny embraces a new path, and the story ends with Johnny and Yolanda choosing to marry, signaling a hopeful turn after a journey marked by manipulation, longing, and redemption.