The film takes place in the fictional
New York town of Everyville. The title card and technical credits are followed by introductions of the two lead characters: "
F.H.A. (Sherlock) Homes" (a parody of
Sherlock Holmes) as police chief "Flat-Foot Flanigan with a Floy Floy", and "Ed G. Robemsome" (a caricature of
Edward G. Robinson) as gang leader "Killer Diller". After these introductions, Killer and his gang are seen robbing banks whose names run from "1st National Bank" to "112th National Bank" in numerical order (they skip the 13th bank out of superstition) — with the newspaper
Telegraph Post reporting the criminals' every move, and saying that they have robbed 87 banks in a single day. Sight gags include Killer causing one bank to behave like a casino machine, and his pointing his gun into the speaker of a pay phone, causing the operator to shriek in terror and a steam of coins to come from the coin return, the police are unable to arrest them. Flanigan himself gets help from a man in the front of the theatre who has already seen the whole movie; he tells him that Killer is making plans to go to the estate of Mrs. Lotta Jewels at 10:00 in the evening. While Killer and his gang are at the estate, listening to
The Lone Stranger on the radio, Flanigan and his men capture the criminals at gunpoint. Killer is given a long sentence — which is revealed to be a prison term in which he must write "I've been a naughty boy" on a blackboard over and over. The imprisoned Killer blows a raspberry as the cartoon irises out. ==Reception==