How to Frame a Figg (1971) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A bumbling accountant becomes a scapegoat for city corruption and uncovers a conspiracy through a giant computer.

Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases

The Corrupt Setup

Hollis Figg lives a quiet life as a city accountant until the Mayor and Mr. Spaulding install a giant computer to cover their financial skimming. Figg is kept on as a patsy operator while his girlfriend Ema Letha waits for him.

Key Events

• Figg's Daily Routine — Figg works as an accountant, dates waitress Ema, and hangs out with his sanitation worker friend. Characters: Ema Letha Kusic Location: City Hall & Diner
• Council's Corruption Scheme — The Mayor and Spaulding skim city funds and fire three accountants to hide the trail. Characters: Mayor Robert Chisholm Location: City Hall
• LEO Computer Installation — They install a giant computer named LEO and keep Figg to operate it despite his lack of comprehension. Characters: Mayor Robert Chisholm Location: City Hall Basement
• Accountant Firings — Three accountants are fired to cover up the financial skimming. Characters: Mayor Robert Chisholm Location: City Hall

The Patsy Trap

Figg accidentally discovers budget discrepancies and is promoted to the third floor, where a manipulative secretary forces him to sign incriminating documents. The Assistant State Attorney General begins investigating, making Figg the perfect scapegoat.

Key Events

• LEO Computer Installation — They install a giant computer named LEO and keep Figg to operate it despite his lack of comprehension. Characters: Mayor Robert Chisholm Location: City Hall Basement
• Budget Discrepancy Discovery — Figg accidentally stumbles upon discrepancies in a road works budget. Location: City Hall Basement
• Third Floor Promotion — Figg is promoted, given a Cadillac, and assigned a manipulative secretary, Yvonne Craig. Characters: Mayor Robert Chisholm Location: City Hall Third Floor
• Forged Signatures — Yvonne manipulates Figg into signing documents he doesn't understand. Location: City Hall Office
• LEO Operation — Figg runs the giant computer despite barely comprehending its functions. Location: City Hall Basement
• Third Floor Move — Figg is moved to the third floor to oversee the computer operation. Characters: Mayor Robert Chisholm Location: City Hall

The Cemetery Heist

To clear his name, Figg disguises himself as a mourning widow to infiltrate City Hall. He discovers the computer's memory bank is hidden in a coffin, leading him and his sanitation worker friend to exhume it in a cemetery.

Key Events

• Forged Signatures — Yvonne manipulates Figg into signing documents he doesn't understand. Location: City Hall Office
• Ema's Jealousy — Ema Letha grows suspicious and jealous of Yvonne's close proximity to Figg. Characters: Ema Letha Kusic Location: Diner
• Attorney General Investigation — The Assistant State Attorney General closes in on the council's activities, targeting Figg as the patsy. Location: City Hall
• Mourning Mother Disguise — Figg disguises himself as Mr. Spaulding's mourning mother to infiltrate City Hall. Location: City Hall
• Missing Memory Bank — Figg finds the computer's memory bank missing and Spaulding's corpse hidden in a closet. Location: City Hall Closet
• Coffin Deduction — Figg deduces the council buried the memory bank inside Spaulding's coffin. Location: City Hall
• Cemetery Heist — Figg and his buddy sneak into the cemetery to exhume the coffin. Location: Cemetery
• LEO Explosion — They plug LEO into the coffin, causing it to explode and scatter encoded IBM cards. Location: Cemetery

Rio Deception

The exploded computer reveals the evidence, and the grateful city funds Figg and Ema's honeymoon. However, the corrupt Mayor and his cronies are secretly fleeing Rio with the corpse, leaving the true criminals at large.

Key Events

• LEO Explosion — They plug LEO into the coffin, causing it to explode and scatter encoded IBM cards. Location: Cemetery
• Evidence Recovered — Figg discovers the scattered cards contain the evidence needed to prove his innocence. Location: Cemetery
• City's Gratitude — The grateful city pays for Figg and Ema's honeymoon in Rio de Janeiro. Characters: Ema Letha Kusic Location: City Hall
• Rio Honeymoon — The newlyweds enjoy their honeymoon but worry the corrupt council escaped justice. Characters: Ema Letha Kusic Location: Rio Hotel Balcony
• Hotel Staff Paranoia — Figg mistakes hotel staff for the Mayor's men, but Ema reassures him it's just stress. Characters: Ema Letha Kusic Location: Rio Hotel
• Corpse Removal — The Mayor and a crony, disguised as staff, wheel Spaulding's corpse out of the hotel room. Characters: Mayor Robert Chisholm Location: Rio Hotel
• Council's Escape — The corrupt officials successfully flee with the evidence and the body. Characters: Mayor Robert Chisholm Location: Rio Hotel

Story Breakdown

• Corrupt City Setup — The Mayor and Spaulding skim funds and install LEO to hide their crimes.
  • Mayor's Skimming Scheme — City officials steal money and fire accountants to cover tracks.
  • LEO Computer Installation — A giant computer is brought in to manage finances automatically.
• Figg's Promotion — Figg discovers discrepancies and is moved to the third floor.
  • Budget Discrepancy Discovery — Figg accidentally finds errors in the road works budget.
  • Secretary Manipulation — Yvonne Craig is assigned to control Figg's signing authority.
• Investigation Trap — Legal authorities close in, making Figg the perfect scapegoat.
  • Attorney General Inquiry — The Assistant State Attorney General investigates the council.
  • Patsy Framing — Figg is targeted because he signed all the fraudulent documents.
• Infiltration Plan — Figg disguises himself to retrieve evidence from City Hall.
  • Mourning Mother Disguise — Figg wears funeral attire to bypass security and access LEO.
  • Closet Corpse Discovery — Figg finds Spaulding's body and realizes the memory bank is missing.
• Cemetery Heist — Figg and his friend dig up the coffin to access the computer.
  • Coffin Exhumation — The duo sneaks into the cemetery and digs up Spaulding's grave.
  • Computer Explosion — Plugging LEO into the coffin causes it to explode, scattering cards.
• Rio Deception — The honeymoon turns into a paranoid chase as villains flee.
  • Hotel Staff Paranoia — Figg mistakes hotel workers for the Mayor's men due to stress.
  • Villain Escape — The Mayor and cronies wheel the corpse out of the hotel room.

Directed by

Alan Rafkin

Key Cast

• Don Knotts — Hollis Alexander Figg
• Elaine Joyce — Ema Letha Kusic
• Joe Flynn — Kermit Sanderson
• Edward Andrews — Mayor Robert Chisholm
• Frank Welker — Prentiss Gates