Laura, who works for an advertising firm as a designer and has an enterprising, ambitious and independent spirit, wishes o have him endorse a fountain pen her ad agency is promoting - her career rests upon his signature.Immediately after his confession, Neff explains how he became involved with Los Angeles housewife Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck), a conniving, seductive, icy blonde bombshell.Hey, that""s a pretty good idea.I""ll give you the moon, Mary.Mary: I""ll take it.Then what?George: Well, then you could swallow it.And it""ll all dissolve, see.And the moon beams that shoot out of your fingers and your toes and the ends of your hair...Am I talking too much?A bald, overweight neighbor (Dick Elliott) on a nearby back porch hears their romantic, non-sensical conversation and challenges George to do less talking and try more romantic action:Man on Porch: Why don""t you kiss her instead of talking her to death?George: You want me to kiss her, huh?Man on Porch (as he exasperatedly steps inside his house): Ah! Youth is wasted on the wrong people!George: Hey, hey, hold on, hey, mister! Come on back out here! I""ll show you some kiss that""ll put hair back on your head.The nostalgic, shamelessly-patriotic, entertaining film also supported the war effort as it paid tribute in its mostly fictional story to a popular Irish/American entertainer and the grand American gentleman of the theatre in the early 20th century.An image of the audience reacting to the play appears over a hand-held program ofPeck""s Bad Boy- a highlight bar progresses through the acts in the play to denote the passage of ime.