Miss Pacific Fleet (1935)

Gloria Fay and Mae O'Brien, two ex-chorus girls, run a ring toss stand at an amusement park near a Naval port. When sailor "Kewpie" Wiggins comes ashore with the rest of the fleet, he clears the girls out with his preternatural skill for tossing ringers. A frame-up plot by the girls to get Kewpie out of their hair backfires and Gloria is sentenced to thirty days in jail. With Kewpie's help, Gloria is released and given six weeks to come up with her $100 fine, while the girls find themselves owing $60 in back rent and hard-up for cash. Leading businessman J. August Freytag and his Go-Getter Club run a "Miss Pacific Fleet" popularity contest, with votes awarded by vendors for every ten-cent purchase. Kewpie, middleweight champ of the fleet, is set to box for a prize of 5,000 votes for the girl of his choice, and suggests using the votes to help "his girl" Gloria win the contest, which would end the girls' money troubles and allow them to return to New York. Kewpie and the girls get to work promoting votes for Gloria, who rises steadily up the leaderboard. Meanwhile Gloria takes a liking to Tom Foster, Kewpie's handsome Marine friend. Mae warns Gloria not to upset Kewpie before the big boxing match, but Gloria spends more and more time with Tom. The romance might cost Gloria 5,000 votes should Kewpie catch on, and if Gloria doesn't win the popularity contest she and Mae won't be able to get back on Broadway.