Grainbelt University has one attraction for Dobie Gillis (Bobby Van) - women, especially Pansy Hammer (Debbie Reynolds). Pansys father (Hanley Stafford), even though and maybe because she says shes in dreamville, does not share her affection for Dobie. An English essay which almost revolutionizes English instruction, and Dobies role in a chemistry lab explosion convinces Mr. Hammer he is right. Pansy is sent off broken-hearted to an Eastern school, but with the help of Happy Stella Kolawskis (Kathleen Freeman) all-girl band, several hundred students and an enraged police force, Dobie secures Pansys return to Grainbelt.
