Act II finds the successful couples returning the day Garside comes back from jail, only for the ball, which Ma has kept safe, to make another prediction.

Jeannie celebrates her newfound happiness at a party, singing the title song, only to have it all dashed again when Brooks, who misinterpreted the ball's prediction as referring to a business deal, tells her they're broke; he's even sold the Wonder Wheel on her.

I Had a Ball was similar to earlier projects designed to showcase the talents of a comic, short on plot and overloaded with vaudeville-like comedy routines and musical numbers.

In addition to Hackett as Garside, the cast included Richard Kiley as Stan, Karen Morrow as Jeannie, Steve Roland as Brooks, Luba Lisa as Addie, Rosetta LeNoire as Ma Maloney, and Ted Thurston as Officer Millhauser.

[citation needed] Despite mixed reviews, positive word-of-mouth, linked with one-night cameos made by several of Hackett's friends (such as Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, and Steve Lawrence) during a tunnel of love sequence, caused an increase in the box office.

A reviewer of the recording wrote: "There are a couple of mildly witty numbers, 'Neighborhood,' sung by Rosetta Le Noire, and 'The Affluent Society,' by Kiley and Steve Roland, and the romantic ballad 'Almost' isn't bad.

It features sessions led by Oscar Peterson, Chet Baker, Milt Jackson, Quincy Jones, Art Blakey and Dizzy Gillespie.