Boxing manager Honest Skip Davis (Walter Catlett) is desperate when his latest prospect turns out to be more of a mug than a pug. While drowning his sorrows, he makes his latest discovery - singing waiter Steve Nelson (John Payne) - after the singer knocks out some hecklers. Promising Steve lessons from the great opera coach Rudolfo Terrassi (Harry Burns), Skip convinces him to sign on as a fighter. Steve fails to impress big-league boxing promotor Mike Jordan (Ed Brophy), but he does make quite the impression on the ladies, including Judy Craig (Jane Wyman). Mikes main competition, Charles Paxton (Charles D. Brown), notices and hatches a scheme with Skip. They'll use Steves burly good looks and beautiful baritone to land some ladies in the seats while building the rep of King Nightingale, thanks to a series of rigged fights. And to keep Steve happy, they'll have wrestler Strangler Colombo (Harry Burns) impersonate Terrassi!