The Story

Lawrence is a suave, sophisticated con man, working the French Riviera and the bored rich women who spend time there. He is assisted by Andre, the local Chief of Police, and has refined a story in which he is an exiled prince and leader of freedom fighters. He gives these women thrills and excitement and they give him their money. He's very good, but somehow the fun is gone.

On a trip to Switzerland to deposit his latest hall, Lawrence reads that a brash American con man known as The Jackal is moving into the area, and at that moment, Freddy, a brash American appears. After watching Freddy run a quick con on a passenger, Lawrence encourages him to move on past Lawrence's base of operations.

So of course Freddy stops by. Impressed by Lawrence's riches, Freddy decides to stay and learn. Lawrence, sensing something entertaining for the first time in years, agrees to take Freddy on.

Their first job is to scare off an Oklahoma heiress who thinks she and Lawrence are engaged. The boys present Freddy as Lawrence's genetically challenged brother Ruprecht. Horrified, she heads for the hills.

But comradeship leads to rivalry, and the boys get competitive. They set their sights on the newly-arrived American Soap Queen, a sweet (albeit clumsy) woman from Cincinatti named Christine. They make a wager-- the first to extract 50K wins.

Freddy boxes Lawrence out by making an approach as a wheelchair-bound American veteran. If only he could get the money to be treated by the world's pre-eminent expert, Dr. Shuffhausen. Christine is prepared to help out when she discovers that the Dr. is staying that very hotel. Delightedly she brings him back to meet Freddy and, surprise, the Dr. is actually Lawrence.

In Act II, the Dr. subjects Freddy to some pain therapy, but Freddy does not break. Then the Dr. suggests that by dancing and romancing, he and Christine can spur Freddy on to overcome his mental block, so they begin a whirlwind courtship-- but it's no longer entirely clear who is falling for whom.

Meanwhile, one of Lawrence's earlier conquests Muriel is still in town. Andre had almost convinced her to leave earlier "but," she says, "I can't imagine that I won't be of use to someone in the second act." She and Andre strike up a romance of their own, resulting in a very nice song and a subplot present in either of the earlier movie versions.

As Act II progresses, the plot twists come thick and fast. Freddy arranges for Lawrence to be kidnapped, then makes an appeal to Christine to help him overcome his fear. She has almost gotten him to walk-- all the way to her bed-- when Lawrence re-appears.

He changes the bet with Freddy-- Christine turns out to be a contest winner and not a rich heiress-- to whether or not Freddy can get her into bed. Then he puts her on the next train out of town, and Freddy returns to his room, dejected and defeated. Then there's a knock on the door...

From here to the end, there are a series of twists. If you watch the old movie versions, you know what they are, but I'll not give them away here.