Summary
In the volatile atmosphere of 1918, Andrew Sheldon—a chemist consumed by the patriotic fervor of the Great War—labors in his secluded laboratory to synthesize a revolutionary explosive. His intellectual isolation creates a vacuum of awareness, allowing a quartet of German deep-cover operatives to infiltrate his domestic sanctuary under the guise of a butler, cook, housekeeper, and chauffeur. The film deviates from traditional espionage thrillers by placing the burden of counter-intelligence upon Sheldon’s young daughters, Katherine and Jane. These 'Fox Kiddies' wage a subversive domestic campaign, weaponizing slapstick against the Prussian infiltrators. When Sheldon’s wife reveals her pregnancy, the chemist jokingly suggests he has petitioned for a baby brother via a formal letter. The girls, driven by a comical dread of sibling rivalry, mistake the chemist's top-secret explosive formula for this divine request. Their subsequent heist of the document triggers a high-octane pursuit involving automotive carnage and a maritime skirmish on the Hudson River, ultimately exposing the spies and securing the Sheldon household’s legacy.
Synopsis
Andrew Sheldon is so busy perfecting a new explosive for the United States' effort in the Great War that he fails to realize that his butler, cook, housekeeper, and chauffeur are all German spies. However, his two mischievous daughters Katherine and Jane make life difficult for the spies by throwing pies at the Kaiser's picture and clipping the butler's long, Prussian-style mustache while he sleeps. When Andrew's wife announces that she is pregnant, he tells the girls that he has written a letter requesting a baby brother for them, whereupon they decide to steal the letter, convinced that two children are enough for their family. Breaking into Andrew's laboratory, they take the "letter," actually the secret formula, but after Andrew reveals that his plans are missing, the butler enters the laboratory and seizes the invention itself. Following an automobile chase and then a battle staged in rowboats on the Hudson River, the butler is apprehended by U.S. agents. Although he is the proud father of a new baby boy, Andrew gratefully blesses the impish little girls who saved his formula.
