In this enjoyable farce starring Red Skelton and Brian Donlevy, a St. Louis bellboy named Aubrey Filmore masquerades as a spy and lands behind enemy lines during the Civil War. By luck, Aubrey plays a fortuitous role in the unexpected capture of the notorious rebel spy Major Jack Drumman (George Coulouris). As a reward for his dubious heroism, Aubrey is enlisted to assume the major's role and is sent South in a bid to recover critical military secrets to which the spy would be privy. Once in the field, Aubrey has a constant struggle to keep from blowing his cover, particularly after he begins courting southern belle Sallyann Weatharby (Arlene Dahl). Many of the side-splitting gag routines were devised by Buster Keaton, most notably the now-famous scene in which Aubrey gingerly walks across the battlefield carrying a two-sided flag--the Northern Stars and Stripes on one side, the Southern Stars and Bars on the other.