Animal Crackers

Mrs. Rittenhouse hosts a lavish weekend party at her impressive Long Island mansion. The gathering is held in honor of Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding, a celebrated African explorer who has recently returned from his expeditions.

During the party, art patron Roscoe W. Chandler reveals his latest acquisition, a painting titled 'After The Hunt' by the artist Beaugard. The unveiling serves as one of the highlights of the evening, attracting the guests' admiration and anticipation.

Captain Spaulding arrives at the party in a rather theatrical manner, being carried in a sedan chair. Upon his arrival, he immediately performs the song 'Hello, I Must Be Going,' setting a humorous tone for the evening.

Arabella, Mrs. Rittenhouse's daughter, hatches a plan to boost her fiancé John Parker's artistic career. She proposes that John substitute his nearly perfect reproduction of Beaugard's painting for the original to impress Roscoe Chandler.

To execute their artistic deception, Arabella enlists the help of Signor Emanuel Ravelli. Together, they devise a strategy to switch John's copy with the original painting during the evening's activities, unaware of others plotting similar schemes.

Meanwhile, two other guests, Grace Carpenter and Mrs. Whitehead, concoct a scheme to embarrass Mrs. Rittenhouse by making their own copy of the painting. They intend to swap Grace's inferior artwork in place of the original just like Arabella and John.

Grace and Mrs. Whitehead enlist the help of the butler, Hives, to facilitate their plan. In a twist of fate, they mistakenly remove John's superior copy instead of the original painting intended for the switch.

During the unfolding chaos, Ravelli and the Professor come across Roscoe Chandler and recognize him as 'Abie,' a fish peddler in disguise. This revelation adds another layer of confusion to the already tangled plot of stolen artworks.

A thunderstorm hits the mansion, causing a power outage and plunging the party into darkness. Taking advantage of the situation, Ravelli and the Professor attempt to carry out their own painting switch without being noticed.

As the painting is publicly unveiled, Chandler immediately realizes that the original artwork has been replaced. His recognition of the inferior craftsmanship of Grace's copy leads to chaos among the guests, with John mistakenly believing his work is still in place.

Amid the commotion following the revelation of the theft, a second power outage occurs. When the lights return, all guests are astonished to discover that even the substitute painting has gone missing, intensifying the mystery.

The following day, the police arrive at the mansion to investigate the theft of the valuable artwork. John uncovers Grace's inferior copy and realizes that multiple parties were involved in the deception.

After gathering the involved parties, John and Arabella attempt to piece together the tangled web of deception. They present their findings to Captain Spaulding, leading to the capture of the Professor and the recovery of the stolen artworks.

In a twist of fate, Chandler mistakenly identifies John's skillful copy as the genuine Beaugard painting. Recognizing the young man's artistic talent, he commissions John for a series of portrait paintings, launching his career.

As the festivities wind down, the Professor manages to escape custody and unleashes chaos by spraying a sedative on the assembled guests with a Flit gun. The film comically concludes with all guests, including the Professor, collapsing unconscious on the floor.