Variety Time

After master of ceremonies Jack Paar introduces himself to the audience, pianist and composer Frankie Carle plays an original jazz number with his band. Paar then jokes about the post-war housing shortage and sets up an extended excerpt from an Edgar Kennedy short: Convinced that all contractors are crooks, Edgar decides to build an addition to his house without the aid of experts. Enlisting help from his wife Florence, brother-in-law Bert and their mother, the short-tempered Edgar begins construction full of confidence but is soon plagued by mishaps. In addition, he dismisses a state building inspector, thinking that he is another greedy contractor. After many weeks, the addition is still unfinished, and Edgar has accidentally destroyed his brick fireplace a number of times. Despite these setbacks, the stubborn Edgar perseveres, plastering the ceiling while Bert lays insulation above him. When Bert crashes through the ceiling and causes Edgar to fall into a vat of wet plaster, however, Edgar is beside himself with frustration. Before he can throttle Bert, however, Florence announces that the building inspector has returned. Recognizing the visitor from before, Edgar assumes he is really a contractor trying to pass himself off as the inspector and throws him into a trough of plaster. The plaster-covered Edgar then learns that the man in the trough is the inspector. Back in the studio, Paar introduces the film audience to a traditional tap dance number performed by vaudevillian Pat Rooney, which is followed by a contemporary number executed by black tap dancers Jesse and James. Paar then presents excerpts from three silent films--a melodrama, a fashion newsreel and a western--and adds his own comic voice-over narration to them. The films are followed by a short featuring Leon Errol: Upon returning home from work one day, Leon learns that his wife Dorothy has told her rich aunt Jessie, who is about to arrive for a visit, that she is still married to her first husband, because she fears that Jessie, who disapproves of divorce, will disinherit her. At Dorothy's insistence, Leon agrees to pose as the family butler during Jessie's visit, while Dorothy's ex-husband, Jack Drinkwater, poses as her spouse. Unaware of Leon's impersonation, Jack, a longtime drunk, inadvertently reveals to him his intention to win Dorothy back and collect Jessie's money. Outraged by Jack's boldness around Dorothy, Leon struggles to maintain his composure in front of the bossy Jessie