Jerry has two stand-up acts scheduled for the same night; due to a delay in one of them, he cannot make both shows. A hopeful comedian, Buckles, hangs around to fill in when somebody drops out. Jerry agrees to lose his moment at the microphone, as he is meeting his friends to see a movie, "CheckMate", at 10:30. On his way to the movie theater, Jerry is grabbed by Buckles, who insists on sharing a taxicab. Buckles irritates Jerry by trying out a new comic routine.