The Missing Corpse

Plot summary

The publisher of The Tribune newspaper, Henry Kruger, who is used to ordering his staff around, finds that he is ignored by everyone in his own home. He is shocked when he discovers a scandalous picture of his own daughter, Phyllis, on the front page of the competing paper The Daily Argus. Henry pays a visit to the dubious publisher of the competing paper, Andy McDonald, and warns him to ever publish a picture like that again, or Henry will kill him. Henry is unaware of the fact that a man named "Slippery" Joe Clary has overheard his conversation with Andy, which Joe later reveals to him, threatening to expose him. Henry counters by claiming that Andy was the one who got Joe sentenced with his testimony, and that Andy dated Joe's girlfriend while he was in the slammer.

To avoid further complications, Henry takes a long vacation, following the suggestion of his chaffeur. While Henry is away, without his family, Slippery Joe murders publisher Andy and hides the body in the trunk of Henry's parked car. Slippery Joe also breaks into Andy's safe, trying to get back a written confession of a previous murder, but finds out the document must have been hidden on the Publisher's body. Henry has brought his car on the vacation, and finds Andy's dead body in the teunk when he arrives at his hunting lodge. Panicking, he decides to dump the body to not be accused of murder, but his chauffeur sees the body before he has a chance to realize his plan. The chauffeur, eager to protect his employer, remove the body from the trunk and hides it inside the lodge.

Visitor's come and go at the lodge during the vacation, and the body is moved and hidden several times by the two men to avoid discovery. Soon enough Slippery Joe too comes looking for the body to retrieve the document. When Henry's family one day discovers that he has left on vacation, they also come up to the lodge to visit. After them come additional relatives, and even a news reporter from The Daily Argus, trying to get another scandalous story to publish in the paper.

The body is discovered by every visitor to the lodge at some point, and the chauffeur has to move it constantly to confuse the guests, and Henry convinces them all that they have hallucinated. The local officer of the law, police constable Trigg, discovers Andy's car hidden not far from the cabin, left there by Slippery Joe. Trigg immediately suspects Henry of murdering Andy and arrests him.

James, Henry's relative, falsely claims to have murdered Andy to get Henry out of jail, but then Andy's body is found, with the confession in one of his pockets. Slippery Joe is arrested for the murder. Slippery Joe admits his guilt when he learns that Trigg has the confession, and Henry is cleared of all suspicion. After the commotion, Henry's family promise to not ignore him anymore. Despite this, Henry finds himself sitting alone at breakfast the day after.

Cast