Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops

Willie Piper is watching the silent melodrama Eliza and the Bloodhounds when he becomes demonstrative in his reactions. His loud behavior earns him a boot-out as the lights come up. The incident sets the tone for his impulsive, cinema-loving character.

Harry shows Willie a newspaper advert seeking investors for a motion picture studio. The offer mentions they can invest exactly the $5,000 they have. They are drawn into thoughts of becoming partners in a promised enterprise, despite it being a swindle in disguise.

They are sold a deed to the West Orange Studio by con man Joe Gorman, who claims to own two studios. He travels on a pretext of legitimacy, but the pair soon realizes the studio is not theirs. They learn that the con man has already sold the studio several times and that it’s actually Edison’s original studio.

Leaving the studio, Willie’s foot gets trapped on a railway line as a train speeds toward him. He struggles to free himself while the danger grows, and he narrowly avoids injury. The moment confirms how reckless their pursuit will become.

The pair accepts a lift from an old man with a wagon headed to California. They soon climb onto a train they choose to ride, but they jump off far too early. Their journey toward the West continues to be a tangled, improvised escape.

A second train arrives loaded with cattle, and the guards throw them off. They survive the rough handling and press on in their pursuit of the con man. The journey adds to the chaotic road to redemption.

Meanwhile, Gorman adopts a new identity as the European film director Sergei Toumanoff. He is traveling by train toward California with his girlfriend Leota Van Cleef, who hopes to become a star. The con man's new persona advances the deception.

Harry and Willie push forward across the country to recover their money, joining a group of hobos who swap clothes with them at a campfire. The disguise allows them to stay close and keep their plan secret. The pursuit becomes a cross-country chase filled with misadventure.

The duo re-encounters the old man and convinces him to give $20 to help them pay for a freight ride. The act shows their continued improvisation and willingness to bend rules for a lead in their own story. They press on toward Los Angeles.

They inadvertently reach a Western film set where Toumanoff is directing. The locals mistake them as threats until a cavalry unit arrives and saves them from perceived attack. The odd proximity to a real production accelerates their luck and exposure.

Leota Van Cleef arrives on horseback in the scene, and Toumanoff is furious at the interruption. Mr. Snavely of the studio decides to hire Harry and Willie because of their stunt abilities, making them part of the production. The duo is also surprised to learn Toumanoff and Gorman’s real identities are connected.

Willie must dress as a woman to serve as Leota's stunt double for a risky biplane maneuver. Toumanoff plots to dispose of Harry and Willie, sabotaging their parachute and loading live bullets into the other plane. The stunt nearly turns deadly, but they survive and improvise.

The studio head, Snavely, recognizes that Toumanoff is actually Gorman and insists the $5,000 be repaid through the men’s wages, while keeping them on a comedy track. Toumanoff agrees, fracturing the con into a reputational but legal agreement. The arrangement forces Gorman to earn back his loss through honest work, at least temporarily.

A burglar breaks into Toumanoff's house while Harry is trying to break in, leading to a police arrest mix-up. Willie bungles the arrest of the real robber, creating confusion. Gorman and Leota then attempt to rob the studio safe of $75,000, only to be pursued by Harry and Willie who call in the Keystone Kops.

Harry and Willie, now masquerading as cops, chase Gorman and Leota to the film set, aided by Keystone Kops who play along. In the end, Gorman's stolen money is blown away by the wind from the airplane propeller as he tries to escape by biplane. The caper concludes with comic misfortune rather than a clean payout.