Stodge City is in the grip of the Rumpo Kid and his gang. Mistaken identity again takes a hand as a "sanitary engineer" (plumber) by the name of Marshal P. Knutt is mistaken for a law marshal! Being the conscientious sort, Marshal tries to help the town get rid of Rumpo, and a showdown is inevitable. Marshal has two aids - revenge-seeking Annie Oakley and his sanitary expertise...
In the American Old West, there is no shooting, fighting, boozing, gambling, etc. in Stodge City on the order of Judge Burke, the mayor, which means there is little work for the extremely nearsighted and deaf Sheriff Albert Earp. That all changes with the arrival into town of Johnny Finger, better known as the Rumpo Kid, a criminal who has a shoot to kill first, ask no questions after mentality, he and his associates who take over the town in he entering into a relationship with Belle Armitage, the hotel operator. In the Judge asking Washington for a peace marshal, they send Marshal P. Knutt, just arrived from England, to "clean up" the town. However, it is case of mistaken identity as the authorities in Washington believed he was *a* marshal and not named Marshal, who in turn thinks he was hired to clean up the town in his profession as a sanitation engineer first class aka a plumber. In his further mistaken belief that he was able to subdue some marauding Indians single-handedly, Marshal, despite being a nervous sort, does accept the job of marshal upon his arrival. He gets some assistance in the matter by his fellow coach passenger into town, a demure, dainty woman by the name of Annie Oakley.—Huggo
Stodge City is in the grip of the Rumpo Kid and his gang. Mistaken identity again takes a hand as a "sanitary engineer" (plumber) by the name of Marshal P. Knutt is mistaken for a law marshal! Being the conscientious sort, Marshal tries to help the town get rid of Rumpo, and a showdown is inevitable. Marshal has two aids - revenge-seeking Annie Oakley and his sanitary expertise...—Simon N. McIntosh-Smith <[email protected]>
Outlaw Johnny Finger, better known as The Rumpo Kid (Sid James), rides into the frontier-town of Stodge City (which has a total population of 204 people), and immediately guns down three complete strangers, and orders alcohol at the saloon. Charlie (Percy Herbert) is the bartender of the saloon. Rumpo's antics horrifies Judge Burke (Kenneth Williams), the teetotaler Mayor of Stodge City. Burke spends all of his time playing cards with his friends at the saloon.
Rumpo has the policy of shooting first and asking questions later. Rumpo tells Burke that he has been on the trail for 6 days non-stop and hence needs a shot of whiskey. Burke allows Rumpo to have the whiskey when he says he shot 3 men as he came into town.
Rumpo then takes over the saloon, courting its former owner, the sharp-shooting Belle (Joan Sims), and turns the town into a base for thieves and cattle-rustlers. Belle convinces Rumpo to check in his guns with Charlie, while she keeps her own gun on her person. Rumpo stays at saloon hotel for which Belle charges him $10 per night. Rumpo hires 2 rooms, one for his horse and one for himself.
Burke runs away from the saloon to get the town Sherrif. Earp was hard of hearing (and people had to use a horn inserted in his ear to get him to hear anything at all) and couldn't see anything without his spectacles. He was useless in defending the town as he was old and even with his spectacles, he was too slow with the draw and his aim was terrible.
Earp finds that Rumpo was in room 12 of the saloon hotel, with Belle. Earp bumbles his way through the saloon and gets to the room.The town's sheriff, Albert Earp (Jon Pertwee) confronts Rumpo, and he kills Earp with Belle's gun. With his dying breath, Earp asks Burke to inform his family and says that his family will avenge his death.
Under Rumpo, booze starts flowing again in Stodge city as criminals take over. Local ranchers complain to Burke that overnight their heads of cattle are being stolen. When confronted by Burke, Rumpo denies all charges of cattle rustling. Burke sends a report to Washington DC asking for a new Sherrif or a peace Marshal, to clean up the city.
In Washington DC, Englishman Marshal P. Knutt (Jim Dale), a "sanitation engineer first class", arrives in America in the hope of revolutionizing the American sewage system. Knutt says that it is a shame that the President of the USA has to come out of the White House and travel all the way to a little shed at the bottom of the garden for his morning routine. Knutt visits the employment office with his credentials and is directed towards the Public Works Department.He accidentally walks into the office of the Commissioner (Alan Gifford), thinking it to be the Public Works Department, and is mistaken for a US Peace Marshal, and is promptly sent out to Stodge City.Knutt is travelling on a coach train with a Lady named Annie (Angela Douglas).
The Rumpo Kid hears of the new Marshal and tries all he can to kill the Marshal without being caught, including sending out a pack of Indians, led by their Chief Big Heap (Charles Hawtrey). Rumpo had convinced the Chief to attack Knutt by bribing him with his favorite whiskey brand.Knutt is saved by the prowess of Annie Oakley, who has arrived in Stodge to avenge Earp's death (Earp was her father) and has taken a liking to Knutt.
Knutt reaches Stodge city with Annie. Annie takes up quarters in the only hotel in town, run by Belle. Judge Burke quickly realizes that Knutt is just a sanitation engineer & not a peace Marshall.Rumpo tells Knutt via Burke about possible castle rustlers at a particular ranch. When Knutt goes to investigate at night, Rumpo informs the owners of the ranch to be prepared for Knutt, whom Rumpo says is the real cattle rustler. The Rumpo Kid then hangs Knutt after framing him for cattle rustling & getting him caught red handed by the owners of the cattle.
Annie once again rescues him from the lynch mob as she scares them off with her gun shooting and makes away with Knutt. Annie is an excellent marksman.
Annie then seduces the Rumpo kid, which infuriates Belle, who has taken a liking to him. Rumpo boasts to Annie that he was the one who killed Sheriff Earp. Annie makes a plan to make Rumpo come to her bedroom & then to shoot him down. But Rumpo keeps getting interrupted. First Chief Big Heap comes around asking for more booze else he will expose Rumpo's role in trying to kill Knutt.
Then Knutt comes with Burke to arrest Rumpo. Knutt says that he found branded cattle skin in Rumpo's cabin. The branch matches the ranch that reported stolen cattle previous evening. Rumpo denies all knowledge and says he was at the saloon all night. Knutt finds Big Heap wandering the streets, drunk and talking about Rumpo being a criminal. Knutt brings him to the station for safe-keeping.As a result, Rumpo's associate enters Annie's room, and she shoots him.
Belle and Annie both approach Knutt with proof of Rumpo's involvement in the castle rustlings and the murders in town. So, Rumpo breaks out Big Heap from the station cell and approaches the Mayor & offers him a 25% cut of all his earnings, if he gets rid of Knutt.
Eventually, Knutt runs Rumpo out of town, but once Rumpo discovers from Burke that Knutt really is a sanitary engineer and not the Peace Marshal as he once thought, he swears revenge, returning to Stodge City for a showdown at high noon. The rest of Stodge city runs away from the upcoming gun battle, but Annie stays back to teach Knutt how to shoot and to attack.
By hiding in the sewers beneath the main street, Knutt kills off Rumpo's gang, but fails to capture Rumpo, who escapes with the aid of Belle.
