Plot
In San Francisco in the 1910s, the clownish musical band that runs Firehouse 12 often drowns out alarms with their loud music. Smokey Hinkle (Buddy Hackett), a bumbling inventor and scion of a renowned firefighting family, buys retired firehouse horse Emma to pull his buggy, but when Emma hears an alarm, she follows the fire trucks at top speed. Smokey arrives at the fire at the same time as his pal, fireman Smitty (Hugh O'Brian), who points out that the blaze is in Smokey's own house. Smokey uses his new invention, an ingenious fire extinguisher, to put out the flames, prompting Smitty to hire Smokey as a fireman in exchange for half of the profits from the sale of the extinguisher.
Back at the firehouse, Smokey immediately starts a fire and struggles to convince Lt. McGinty (Spike Jones), who is busy leading band rehearsal that they must stop playing and put out the flames. Soon after, Capt. Bill Peters (Tom Brown) demonstrates his new mechanized fire-engine, and although it continually breaks down, he insists to Chief Rorty (George Cleveland) that his truck is the way of the future. Rorty agrees to let him motorize one firehouse, but frustrates Bill by assigning him to Firehouse 12. The squad immediately set to work on the new equipment, and although Smokey proves to be an inept fireman, he excels at Bill's tests because of his dedication to memorizing the manual. To slow Smokey's progress, the other firemen steal his pants, forcing him to repeatedly attend drills in his underwear.
Meanwhile, Smokey sells Emma, and her new owner (Ned Davenport) grows frustrated as she continues to chase fire trucks, and sells her for pennies. During the next weeks, everyone in the firehouse except for Smokey gains skills with the mechanized hoses and ladders. During one drill Smokey falls from the speeding truck into the apartment of Harry (Henry Kulky), a large and jealous husband who assumes Smokey is having an affair with his wife (Adele Jergens). When Smitty gets thrown from the truck into the same apartment days later, Harry promptly decides to move to New York. Commissioner Spencer (Harry Cheshire) then plans a party, for which McGinty's band practices night and day. When Harry later becomes trapped in his Murphy bed and his wife sounds an alarm, Firehouse 12 shows up wearing their silly band outfits, causing Spencer to suspend them all. Bill resigns in defeat, after which Smokey barges into Spencer's office to defend the men.
Realizing Smokey is related to renowned firefighters Hose, Hook and Ladder Hinkle, Spencer reinstates the firehouse, and then urges Smokey to demonstrate his fire extinguisher. The invention is a hit, but Smokey infuriates Smitty by donating it to the city for free. At Spencer's party, McGinty's band plays a number that includes a midget climbing out of the tuba and a grenade explosion. Just before Smokey displays his extinguisher to the crowd, jealous rivals replace the fluid with gasoline, which triggers a bonfire. Deducing the ruse, Smokey, Smitty and McGinty jump in the fire-engine and chase the hoodlums' car, followed closely by Emma and her bewildered new owner. When the hoodlums pull into a garage, Smokey flies off the fire hose and through the garage window, and subdues the men by spraying them with his extinguisher.
By the time Spencer arrives, the fire truck has combusted, but Smokey extinguishes it with ease, impressing the crowd. Smitty is thrilled until Smokey admits that he has forgotten the formula for the extinguisher. Soon after, Smokey, Smitty and McGinty are called to rescue Harry's wife, who thanks them all with kisses, causing Harry to knock out all three. He tosses their unconscious bodies onto Emma, whose owner watches gratefully as she walks away.
Abbott and Costello were an American comedy duo composed of comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, whose work in radio, film, and television made them the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and 1950s, and the highest-paid entertainers in the world during the Second World War. Their patter routine "Who's on First?" is considered one of the greatest comedy routines of all time, a version of which appears in their 1945 film The Naughty Nineties.
Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones was an American musician, bandleader and conductor specializing in spoof arrangements of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment were punctuated with gunshots, whistles, cowbells, hiccups, burps, and outlandish and comedic vocals. Jones and his band recorded under the title Spike Jones and His City Slickers from the early 1940s to the mid-1950s, and they toured the United States and Canada as "The Musical Depreciation Revue".
Buddy Hackett was an American actor and comedian. His best remembered roles include Marcellus Washburn in The Music Man (1962), Benjy Benjamin in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), Tennessee Steinmetz in The Love Bug (1968), and the voice of Scuttle in The Little Mermaid (1989).
Smokey Stover is an American comic strip written and drawn by cartoonist Bill Holman from March 10, 1935, until he retired in 1972 and distributed through the Chicago Tribune. It features the misadventures of the titular fireman.
This is a glossary of firefighting equipment.
A backup band or backing band is a musical ensemble that typically accompanies a single artist who is the featured performer. The situation may be a live performance or in a recording session, and the group may or may not have its own name, such as "The Heartbreakers", or "Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys" in the 1930s. Often, backup bands contain sidemen who are skilled but not known to the public; these musicians may be replaced or substituted at any time without noticeable impact on the performance.
"I'm Getting Sentimental over You" is a song recorded by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra. The words were written by Ned Washington and the music was written by George Bassman. It was first performed in 1932. The original copyright is dated 1933 and issued to Lawrence Music Publishers, Inc. The copyright was assigned to Mills Music, Inc. in 1934. Noni Bernardi, a saxophonist with the Dorsey orchestra arranged this song.
"The Secret Code" is the 117th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the seventh episode of the seventh season. It aired on November 9, 1995. In this episode, George is unwilling to share his ATM code with his fiancée Susan, and finds himself entrapped in awkward social situations after he loses his talent for lying. Meanwhile, Elaine finds herself infatuated with a man because he cannot recall their first meeting, Jerry's plans to appear in a television commercial are repeatedly frustrated by his foot falling asleep, and Kramer tries to help out the local fire department.
Leonard Weinrib was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show H.R. Pufnstuf, Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in Inch High, Private Eye, the original voice of Scrappy-Doo on Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, Hunk and Prince Lotor on Voltron, and Bigmouth on The Smurfs. He also was the voice for Timer in the "Time for Timer" ABC public service announcements in the early 1970s.
The San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) provides firefighting, hazardous materials response services, technical rescue services and emergency medical response services to the City and County of San Francisco, California.
Henry Kulky was an American actor and professional wrestler from Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, probably best remembered as Chief Petty Officer Curly Jones from season 1 of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Bill Holman was an American cartoonist who drew the classic comic strip Smokey Stover from 1935 until he retired in 1973. Distributed through the Chicago Tribune syndicate, it had the longest run of any strip in the screwball genre. Holman signed some strips with the pseudonym Scat H. He once described himself as "always inclined to humor and acting silly."
John Grant was a comedy writer best known for his association with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Costello called him their "chief idea man". Grant contributed to Abbott and Costello's radio, film and live television scripts, as well as the films of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and Ma and Pa Kettle.
Engine House No. 7 is one of the original Fire Station Houses established by the District of Columbia Fire Department in the late 19th century. Built in 1884, Engine House No. 7 was home to Engine Co. No. 7 before the segregation of the Department in 1940 when it then housed the historic first all-black fire squad, Engine Co. No. 4. After Engine Co. No. 4 moved to a new location in 1976, Engine House No. 7 was sold to private owners and turned into a major local art studio.
The American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame, formerly known as the National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame, recognizes musicians. bands, or companies that have made a distinct contribution to banjo performance, education, manufacturing, and towards promotion of the banjo. The hall of fame is a part of the American Banjo Museum located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Ranier Racing with MDM, formerly known as Ranier-Lundy, was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the K&N Pro Series East, and the ARCA Racing Series. The team formerly competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series until 1987, fielding Cale Yarborough during the 1980s late in its operations. The team later became Robert Yates Racing after Yates, an engine builder and crew chief with the operation, bought the team in 1988. The team largely fielded General Motors vehicles for its various drivers until switching to Fords in 1985.
Chicago Fire is an American procedural drama television series created by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, with Dick Wolf as an executive producer. It is the first installment of Wolf Entertainment's Chicago franchise, which deals with different public services in Chicago, Illinois. The show follows the professional and personal lives of firefighters, rescue personnel, and paramedics of the Chicago Fire Department at the fictional Firehouse 51. The series premiered on NBC on October 10, 2012. As of May 1, 2024, the series has aired 249 episodes. In April 2023, the series was renewed for a twelfth season, which premiered on January 17, 2024. In March 2024, the series was renewed for a thirteenth season.
The Briarcliff Manor Fire Department (BMFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York and its hamlet Scarborough. The volunteer fire department also serves unincorporated areas of Ossining and Mount Pleasant. The fire department has three fire companies, two stations, and four fire engines; it also maintains other vehicles, including a heavy rescue vehicle. The Briarcliff Manor Fire Department Ambulance Corps provides emergency medical transport with two ambulances. The fire department is headquartered at the Briarcliff Manor Village Hall, with its other station in Scarborough, on Scarborough Road.
The Vulcan Society, founded in 1940, is a fraternal organization of black firefighters in New York City.
