The Jackpot

Bill Lawrence (James Stewart) lives in the Midwest with his wife Amy (Barbara Hale) and their children, Phyllis (Natalie Wood) and Tommy (Tommy Rettig). Bill works at a department store, and though he is up for a promotion, feels his life is fairly routine and boring. He receives a phone call that asks him to participate in a live trivia contest. While he initially thinks a friend is playing a joke on him, he is called again later and correctly answers the question after getting a tip from his friend, reporter Harry Summers (James Gleason). Bill wins a jackpot of prizes worth $24,000 that range from useful to absurd. Initially happy with the notoriety, things take a sour turn after he is told he will owe $7,000 worth of income tax on the prizes. Since his yearly salary is barely more than that, he sets out to sell as many of the prizes as he can. Unfortunately, this puts him in compromising situations that threaten his job and his freedom. He also has to deal with Amy believing that something is going on with portrait painter Hilda Jones (Patricia Medina).