Elmer attempts to elope with his fiancée, but they escape her parents by driving off in a car that's actually owned by a wanted gangster. When they hear on the radio that the police are looking for them, they dump the car and hide out near a farmhouse. But the farmer's radio also broadcasts the couple's description, so they run away and start hitchhiking, only to be picked up by two policemen. They manage to flee into a railroad yard and hop a train that turns out to be refrigerated. Finally they decide to turn themselves in -- just as they learn that the real crooks have been apprehended.

The boys are stowaways on a train box-car filled with furniture bound for Hollywood where they hope to break into movies and become stars. Arriving at the Carnation Pictures Studios. Fuller Rath, the studio general manager, receives a telegram from the home office telling him that a certain "Mr. Smith and his two assistants" will arrive to take over the supervision of the studios. He mistakes the Stooges as the executives and gives them free reign over the studios, where they proceed to disrupt and destroy the production of a romantic drama.

Lloyd is a serious young middle-class guy on the make who wants to marry the boss’ daughter. The problem is getting in to see the boss so that he can ask for her hand in marriage as the office is guarded by a bunch of comic, clumsy flunkies who throw everyone out who tries to get in.

The stooges are inept deliverymen at a brewery. When they learn about a company golf tournament, they sneak onto a golf course to get some practice. They quickly proceed to bother the other golfers and destroy the course. Forced to escape in their beer truck, more havoc ensues when the load of beer barrels are spilled out down a steep hill.

To escape the police, the stooges pose as plumbers and are hired to fix a leak in a fancy mansion, but they wind up crossing the electrical system with the plumbing and generally ruin the place.

The Stooges are key witnesses at a murder trial. Their friend Gail Tempest, who dances at the Black Bottom cafe where the Stooges are musicians, is accused of killing Kirk Robin.

A shipowner intends to scuttle his ship on its last voyage to get the insurance money. Charlie, a tramp in love with the owner's daughter, is grabbed by the captain and promises to help him shanghai some seamen. The daughter stows away to follow Charlie. Charlie assists in the galley and attempts to serve food during a gale.

Elmer Butts is a contestant in a radio amateur hour show hoping to win the first price... by dancing and juggling!

A tramp steals a girl's handbag, but when he tries to pick Charlie's pocket loses his cigarettes and matches. He rescues a hot dog man from a thug, but takes a few with his walking stick. When the thief tries to take some of Charlie's sausages, Charlie gets the handbag. The handbag makes its way from person to person to its owner, who is angry with her boyfriend who didn't protect her in the first place. The boyfriend decides to throw himself in the lake in despair, so Charlie helps him out.

Arthur Ferguson Jones (Edward G. Robinson) and Wilhelmina Clark (Jean Arthur) work at the same accounting firm. Jones turns out to look exactly like the notorious bank robber "Killer" Mannion (also Robinson) and is apprehended by the police.
After his true identity is confirmed, the district attorney gives Jones a letter identifying him, so that he can avoid the same trouble in future. Jones becomes a local celebrity and, at the behest of his boss (Wallace Ford), begins ghost-writing Mannion's "autobiography", with good-natured but street-wise Wilhelmina voluntarily acting as his "talent agent" to see that he gets paid.
Mannion decides to take advantage of his mild-mannered doppelgänger and, ultimately, leaving Jones "holding the bag" for Mannion's crimes. He kidnaps Wilhelmina, Jones' visiting aunt, and a few others, and takes them back to his hideout. He instructs Jones to make a large deposit for Mannion's mother's benefit at the First National Bank, where police detectives are expecting Mannion to make another robbery attempt. Fortunately for Jones, he forgets to bring the check and unwittingly leads the police back to Mannion's hideout.
Upon his arrival, Jones is mistaken for Mannion by the waiting henchmen and quickly realizes that he is meant to be the fall guy. When Mannion returns unexpectedly, Jones orders the men to shoot Mannion. The police arrive in time to capture the rest of the gang. With Mannion dead, Jones collects a reward and takes a long-desired cruise to Shanghai with Wilhelmina.

某街区发生一起绑架凶杀命案，警方苦于没有罪犯线索。一名城市快报的记者灵感突现，将目标锁定在江洋大盗舒德•麦迪什身上。他和同样供职于报社却哭无出头之日的室友（Buster Keaton 巴斯特•基顿 饰）制定一个周密的计划，由室友假冒麦迪什认罪入狱，因开警方的注意力，而记者则负责追踪麦迪什，最后赢取奖金平分。为前所困的室友答应了这个计划，千方百计成功将自己送入监狱。
某天，他从报纸上看到，记者乘坐的飞机坠毁，机组乘客无一生还，失去依靠的他不得不想办法逃离这里……

当时正值美国经济不景气时期，物价暴涨，失业率上升，工人工资下降，以致罢工潮四起。卓别林扮演针砭时弊、讽刺资本家和统治者的流浪汉，在欢笑和滑稽的背后是人生的凄苦与悲凉.

1918 film by Charlie Chaplin