Where Do We Go from Here?

Fred MacMurray stars as World War II military reject Bill Morgan, who wants nothing more than to serve his country in uniform so he can successfully court Joan Leslie as Sally Smith, the girl of his dreams. When Morgan encounters Gene Sheldon as Ali, a wise-cracking genie with the power to make his dreams come true, he is sent spiraling backward through time, joining the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War where he talks his way into a blindfold in front of a Hessian firing squad; sailing with Columbus on his maiden voyage to the New World, where he finds his way ashore and swindles a native American out of Manhattan; and to Dutch New Amsterdam, where his sale of the island leads to his arrest for tax evasion. Ultimately, the 2,000 year old scamp puts Bill together with the right service, the right century and the right girl: Lucilla Powell, played by June Haver, who became Mrs. MacMurray as a result of this musical romp directed by Gregory Ratoff and featuring music by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin.