米勒带着他的演出团在怀特路酒店住了很久了,欠下许多钱,他盼着赞助商支持他的新剧上演,这样就可以偿还债务。酒店经理对他所说的赞助商失去了信心和耐心,让他们离开酒店。新剧作家戴维斯也是个身无分文的穷小子,千里迢迢找到米勒,希望能拿到稿酬,但是非常失望。酒店拒绝为他们提供食物,米勒想尽办法让演员们不流落街头,终于詹金斯先生愿意赞助他们演出了,就在他们兴奋狂欢时,银行得到指令不予兑换支票,米勒他们急疯了。他拿着支票请求瓦格纳先生预付给他们一些钱,让演出得以如期上演,当瓦格纳知道手中的支票一文不值是,惊讶万分,他扣留了米勒一伙,米勒想尽办法与瓦格纳周旋,希望演出取得成功,演员们不负众望,赢得了观众的喝彩……The Marx Brothers try and put on a play before their landlord finds out that they have run out of money. To confuse the landlord they pretend that the play's author has contracted some terrible disease and can't be moved. Originally a stage play, the setting shows it's origins, but this is vintage Marx Brothers.