Based very loosely on Nathaniel West's Miss Lonelyhearts, Advice to the Lovelorn is a comedy-drama about a hotshot reporter (Lee Tracy) who is forced to become an advice columnist. Hiding behind a female nom de plume, the cynical Tracy dispenses fatuous advice and becomes quite popular. Ever seeking an extra buck, Tracy agrees to promote a shady line of pharmaceutical products in his column--a move that has tragic consequences when Tracy's mother (Jean Adair) dies thanks to bad medicinal drugs. With the aid of his girlfriend (Sally Blane) and his bucolic "leg man" (Sterling Holloway), a chastened Tracy brings the crooked drug dealers to justice. Beaten to a pulp by the criminals, Tracy nonetheless survives to get married (wrapped in surgical bandages!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi