One Thrilling Night

Horace and Millie Jason check into Hotel Clarke to spend their first night together as a married couple and the last before Horace ships out to the Army. They celebrate with champagne and plan a quiet evening in their room. The setting establishes the comic tension of their accidental misadventures to come.

While Horace goes to buy champagne, Pete Mooney and Joe Richmond enter through a window and pull the unconscious Duke Keesler from under the bed. They frisk him on the mattress, then decide what to do next. The moment pivots the story toward danger and mistaken identities.

Mooney and Richmond cover the body and hide under the bed to bide their time. After Horace and Millie leave to summon help, the pair stuff Duke's body into Millie's empty trunk and slip out the window. The exchange seeds the farcical chaos that follows.

Horace and Millie return, only to find the body missing and the room in disarray. They rush to enlist Pat Callahan, the hotel detective, but Callahan leaves in a huff when they can't sort out the situation. The couple's attempt to resolve the mystery sets the chase in motion.

Back in the room, Horace opens Millie's trunk and discovers Duke's corpse, which suddenly comes to life and escapes out the window. In the confusion, Horace is mistakenly locked inside the very trunk that contains the body. Callahan and Millie depart to fetch spare keys and an axe to free him.

While Callahan and Millie are away, Mooney and Richmond return and seize the trunk, moving it out of the hotel. The confusion deepens as the criminals transport the incriminating cargo toward their gangster contact. The couple is left behind, unaware of the trunk's destination.

The trunk ends up with Frankie Saxton, a gangster seeking Duke Keesler and the rumored fifty thousand dollars. When the trunk is opened, Horace tries to explain the mistake, but Saxton and his henchmen mistake him for Duke in disguise. The mood shifts from comedy to danger as the gang closes in.

Horace escapes through the streets of New York, only to be arrested for indecency and returned to the hotel. Millie and Horace's predicament intensifies as they are hunted by gangsters who want the money and the body. The chase amplifies the farcical suspense.

The couple is snatched again and coerced into a car, then they hide in a nearby movie theater. Horace manages to win a prize during a contest shown on the theater screen, a small win amid the chaos. Millie is captured by the gang, and the tension peaks.

Dotty and the gang reveal that Horace is not Duke; they bind and gag the couple, trying to force a confession. The situation builds toward a break as neighbors hear the commotion and radio drama blares in the background. The gang's plan begins to unravel.

Horace switches the radio to a gangster program, prompting neighbors to believe the threats are real. The noise triggers a police response, and officers arrive to restore order. The couple is escorted back to their hotel room under guard.

The real Duke Keesler's body is found stuffed in the hotel closet, along with the 50,000 dollars tucked in Horace's robe. The discovery confirms the mistaken identity and explains the earlier chaos. Frankie Saxton and his gang are finally arrested and hauled away.

With the danger resolved, Millie and Horace are left alone in their room, sharing a tense moment of relief. Their 6 AM wakeup call interrupts their attempt to settle in for the night as they must check out on schedule. The couple exits the hotel, still tangled in a ridiculous escapade.