Rubber-faced clown Joe E. Brown was in his element as a salesman with more enthusiasm than expertise. When his trade in novelty items proves too trivial for fiancée Carol Hughes, he tries to land a job selling Earthworm Tractors (a play on the well-known Caterpillar model. His attempts to impress the wrong client (Guy Kibbee), an irascible businessman with a hatred of all things mechanical, lead to a series of disasters that could cost him his future. But they also throw him together with the man's spirited daughter, June Travis. Brown was one of Warner's top stars in the '30s, and his short, fast-paced comedies landed him in the box-office top ten more than once. For this film, Warner's bought the rights to William Hazlett Upson's popular short stories about gung-ho tractor salesman Alexander Botts. Far from being upset at the film, Caterpillar's management signed on for a series of ads featuring Brown that touted the film and their product in an early example of cross-promotion. The film would be Brown's next to last for the studio. In search of a bigger payday, he left Warner's to work with independent producer David L. Loew, a move that pretty much ended his days as a top star.

By Frank Miller