Bars and Stripes

Bill Forrest and his orchestra, the Melodaires, are preparing for what they consider their big break, a local radio broadcast which, if well received, means they will get a long term advertising contract. They need as much practice time as they can get. A wrench is thrown into their rehearsal time when Bill is arrested and jailed for five days, five crucial practice days. The orchestra can't rehearse without Bill. Betty, the lead singer, comes up with a plan: the orchestra get arrested too so that they can all rehearse in jail with Bill. The plan goes off without a hitch, except that Johnny, Betty's boyfriend and the orchestra's tuba player, misses the incident in which everyone else got arrested. As hard as Johnny tries, he can't seem to get arrested. Just as everyone else is released from jail, Johnny finally gets arrested, his jail term which runs into the scheduled radio broadcast. They can't perform without Johnny, so they have to figure a way to get him out, or conversely bring the radio broadcast to him.