Fact1: New York City businessman James C. Pidgeon is on verge of bankruptcy, Fact2: J. C. 's daughter persuades rest of family to take in charity case for holidays not out of goodness of heart, Fact3: Florie not be found within reasonable amount of time, Fact4: estate reasonable amount of goes to Pidgeons time, Fact5: search ends up on front page of newspaper
Output: New York City businessman James C. Pidgeon Eugene Pallette is on the verge of bankruptcy. His only hope is rich uncle Henry, who is on his deathbed. J. C.s daughter Therese Ruth Terry persuades the rest of the family to take in a charity case for the holidays, not out of the goodness of her heart but to impress her upperclass boyfriend Stephen Bates Robert Livingston and his mother. From a newspaper list, they pick Anthony Marchaund Joseph Schildkraut, an actor injured in a car accident at the height of his career 10 years before, who is now a brokendown drunk. J. C.s son Reggie David Holt returns with bad news: uncle Henry left his 5 million estate to Florie Watson Ona Munson, a showgirl he had once seen perform as a child actress 30 years before in Uncle Toms Cabin. The will stipulates if Florie cannot be found within a reasonable amount of time, the estate goes to the Pidgeons. After bribing the sole executor, J. C. conspires to limit the search to just placing newspapers ads for a week without mentioning the inheritance. Furthermore, the executor believes the woman is in New York City, not Denver, where uncle Henry died. J. C. decides to look for Florie Ona Monsun himself, so he can better keep the news from her. Marchaund awakening from an alcoholic binge overhears the whole scheme and suggests he can probably find her easily through Actors Equity. Reggie worries about a blackmail attempt, but Marchaund makes a seemingly heartfelt speech about honor and his gratitude to the Pidgeons. He then eavesdrops and walks away without his customary limp, but is spotted by Angela Anne Gillis, J. C.s younger daughter. She lets him know that she is amused by his deception and he regains the limp. Marchaund and Willie Crawford Raymond Walburn, J. C.s freeloading brotherinlaw, have little trouble locating Florie. Willie tells her that they are cousins and that the family wants her to spend the holidays with them. Florie recognizes Marchaunds name and confides to him, one trouper to another, that she knows she is not related to the Pidgeons, but as she is broke and behind on her rent, she is eager to play along. After the search ends up on the front page of the newspaper, the Pidgeons hastily relocate to an isolated house in the country to keep Florie in the dark. When they arrive, they discover that all of their servants have quit. J. C., having been raised there, refuses to hire new ones, fearing that they may be people he grew up with. The family, with the exception of Angela, pitch in. Soon, even Angela is helping out. Meanwhile, two private detectives are closing in. When they show up at the house, they are lied to, but the detectives are not fooled and set about getting a search warrant. That night Marchaund alludes to the situation, implicitly comparing the familys deception to Jacob Marleys misdeeds in Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol before passing out from too much drink. All of the Pidgeons are ashamed of themselves and finally confess everything to Florie. Later, Marchaund wakes up and departs, leaving a note explaining his divided loyalties. Florie tracks him down at a bar in the nearest town and tells him she is going to give half the money to the Pidgeons.