The film opens with a vicious killer attacking an innocent woman in her apartment. It soon becomes apparent this murderer is a serial killer. The scene switches to elderly Amos Kyne, a news media mogul, who is on his deathbed (in his office) talking to the men in charge of his company's divisions: wire-service chief Mark Loving, newspaper chief Jon Day Griffith, and television chief "Honest" Harry Kritzer; Edward Mobley, TV anchorman for Kyne Inc., is also present. After Kyne dismisses the others, he talks with Mobley about his concerns regarding his empire after his death; Mobley has refused the top job many times and does so again during this conversation. He is due on the air in four minutes and walks over to turn on Kyne's TV. When he looks back, he sees the old man has died. After Kyne's death, the corporation goes to his son, Walter Kyne, whom his father resented and has never allowed into the business. Due to his lack of knowledge, and not wanting to take on all the work at the top by himself, Walter Kyne decides to create a new second-in-command position of Executive Director. He challenges Loving, Griffith and Kritzer to catch the serial killer who has been dubbed the "Lipstick Killer". The man who does will get the new job. The job is a very lucrative and prestigious prize, and in order to secure it Griffith attempts to ally with his friend Mobley, who agrees to help although not interested in the job himself. Loving manipulates star writer Mildred Donner to cozy up to and get information out of Mobley. Kritzer may have an inside track, as he is having a secret affair with Walter Kyne's wife, Dorothy. She is both his confidante and sweet-talks her husband on his behalf. Their love nest, however, happens to be across the hall from the apartment of Loving's secretary, Nancy Liggett, to whom Mobley becomes engaged. Mobley receives inside information from his police friend, Lt. Kaufman. After a new murder, the two men devise a plan to set a trap by using Nancy as the bait, with Mobley taunting the Lipstick Killer on TV in order to bring him out into the open. Taking the bait, the Lipstick Killer follows Nancy to her apartment to attack her, but fails to get in. Mrs. Kyne happens to arrive just then and enters her apartment. The killer takes advantage of the open door and succeeds in attacking her. She fights him off and runs screaming to Nancy's apartment. The killer runs away, and after a chase that includes Mobley the police catch him. Through Kaufman, Mobley provides the scoop to Griffith, who makes sure to release it first in an
extra-edition newspaper and only then on the Kyne wire service, but still ahead of any competitors. In all the commotion, Dorothy is recognized at the secret apartment and the adulterous affair is exposed. "Honest" Harry Kritzer wins the promotion because of the threat of blackmail against Kyne. As Mobley and Griffith discuss the aftermath of these events in a bar, Mobley announces that he has resigned. Kyne comes in and Mobley tells him what he thinks of him. The movie ends with Mobley and Nancy having married in Florida, and learning from a local paper of an unexpected shakeup in the Kyne organization. Kritzer is out, the promotion has gone to Griffith, and Mobley is to be promoted in turn to replace him. The happy couple kiss, ignoring a ringing telephone. ==Cast==