Andrew Larabee teaches at a school run by his headmaster father Matthew, a traditional man who disapproves of his son's unconventional methods despite their popularity with the students.

During the school holidays, Andrew bicycles to ancient ruins in Sussex where he believes a statue of Pan (which had been left behind by a Roman legion) can be found.

At the site he encounters the Gallini family traveling circus, which has been ordered to pack up and leave by the local police since the land is now property of dairy farmer Lord Elmwood.

Shortly after he has begun his excavations, Andrew discovers a tunnel on the site and burrows through its ceiling and directly into the middle of the lion act during a performance.

When Antonio and his sons discover them, they accuse Andrew of improper behavior with their Selena and, to save the family honor, insist the two wed on the following Saturday.

Andrew convinces Selena his obligations at school override their wedding plans and he returns home, where he discovers his father has promoted him and Letitia is ready to accept him as her husband — with their marriage having also been set to take place on the following Saturday.

[2] Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called the film "what the doctor ordered to help shake the winter blues" and added, "It isn't the most original or inventive vehicle in which the invariable [sic] cheering Mr. Kaye has come bouncing down the road.

It is, in fact, a rather obvious and narrowly confined piece of comical contrivance for the genial performer to command...Successively, the scriptwriters and director Michael Kidd put Mr. Kaye through various fumbles...Once in a while, the star is needled into doing a pleasant song...Indeed, it would be most gratifying if there were more of this sort of thing in the show.

Against this is the fact that the Sol C. Siegel production for Metro does not always maintain its own set of very high comedy values, nor the pace of its initial scenes...Michael Kidd, who makes his screen debut as a director with "Andrew," still has a lot to learn about comedy set-ups and this unsureness is made the more evident by the contrast of the narrative stretches with the brisk and imaginative manner in which Kidd has choreographed the musical numbers.