This homage to the childhood days of the motion pictures starts in 1910, when the young attorney Leo Harrigan by chance meets a motion picture producer. Immediately he's invited to become a writer for him, which starts a sensational career. Soon he's promoted to director and shoots one silent movie after the other in the tiny desert village of Cucamonga with a small crew of actors. But the competition is hard, and the talent agency sends out Buck Greenway to sabotage them.
After 12 minutes, a man passes the screen juggling three apples. 18 minutes later, Stella Stevens tries out a small diabolo.