Take It or Leave It (1944)

• 47%
• 1944
• Benjamin Stoloff
• Phil Baker
• Madge Meredith
• Nana Bryant

Young sailors Eddie Collins and Herb Gordon eagerly begin their shore leave in New York City, where they are greeted at the dock by Eddie's wife Kate. Kate, who is pregnant for the first time, is fearful about her condition, as her mother had problems in childbirth, and she tearfully tells Eddie that her regular doctor has joined the Army. Kate wants to be seen by noted doctor Edward Preston, but when Eddie goes to Preston's office, he is told by the secretary that Preston, who commands fees of up to one thousand dollars, is too busy to see new patients. Hoping that if he can obtain the fee, Preston will see Kate, Eddie tells his worried wife that Preston has already agreed to deliver their baby. Eddie, Kate and Herb then attend an airing of Phil Baker's famous Take It or Leave It radio show, in which contestants answer questions in an attempt to win sixty-four dollars. Eddie is chosen as a contestant, and after two other players drop out, gets his turn. He chooses "scenes from motion picture hits of the past" as his category and as the film clips are projected, correctly answers the first question about Shirley Temple. Baker quickly takes to the nervous young sailor, who reveals that he has a pregnant wife. As Eddie continues to answer questions about such films as Tin Pan Alley , Orchestra Wives and One in a Million , Baker gives him broad hints to help him and allows him to go above the usual limit on winnings. When Baker asks Eddie about his wife's doctor, Preston, who is listening with his wife, is stunned to hear his name, as his secretary did not inform him of Eddie's visit. Mrs. Preston chastises her husband for charging a serviceman so much money, but Preston insists that the radio program is fixed and that the Collinses are not real people. Eddie, who is about to answer a question for $384, is forced to stop when Kate goes into labor. Before leaving for the hospital, Eddie confesses to Baker that Preston is not really Kate's doctor, but that he lied to keep her from being frightened. Mrs. Preston asks her husband to attend Kate, but he instead leaves for a previously planned vacation. Mrs. Preston then calls Baker's show and states that she does not know where her husband is. Baker urges Preston to help the young couple, and Preston, who is listening to the show in a taxi, tells the driver to take him to the hospital. Preston arrives after the uncomplicated birth of Kate and Eddie's healthy son, but promises Eddie that he will look in on Kate. Baker announces to his audience that Eddie and Kate's son is doing well, then goes to the hospital to visit them. There, he learns that the infant has been named "Phil Baker Collins" in his honor. Herb then arrives and tells them that he and his girl friend, touched by Kate and Eddie's story, have decided to get married, and Baker laughingly tells him to have his babies on the radio show too.