Jake Harper
How to Frame a Figg is a 1971 comedy film starring Don Knotts as Hollis Figg, a bungling but earnest bookkeeper who is set up as a patsy by a group of crooked politicians. The film is notable for its appearance by legendary voice artist Frank Welker, and for being the last of the Universal film vehicles for comedy star Don Knotts. The film is a farcical comedy, with frenetic energy, and features Knotts' trademark nervous underdog persona. The film also stars Yvonne Craig, Edward Andrews, and Joe Flynn. The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, on the other hand, is a 1966 comedy horror mystery film starring Don Knotts as Luther Heggs, a town dunce who spends a night in a haunted house. The film was a box office success and paved the way for a string of other Knotts-fronted comedy films.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Year | 1971 |
| Main Cast | Don Knotts, Yvonne Craig, Elaine Joyce, Frank Welker, Parker Fennelly, Joe Flynn, Edward Andrews |
| Director | Alan Rafkin |
| Writer(s) | Jim Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum |
| Plot | Hollis Figg, a dimwitted bookkeeper in Dalton City Hall, is framed for embezzlement by a group of crooked politicians. Figg, with the help of his loyal friend, must gather evidence to prove his innocence. |
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What You'll Learn
Hollis Figg, the dumbest bookkeeper in town
Hollis Figg, played by Don Knotts, is the central character of the 1971 comedy film How to Frame a Figg. Figg is a none-too-bright accountant at City Hall in Dalton City, who is manipulated by a group of crooked politicians into becoming their patsy.
Figg is described as the "dumbest bookkeeper in town". He is a bungling assistant who works in the basement of City Hall alongside three other accountants. When the Mayor, his staff, and the richest man in town, Mr. Spaulding, want to cover up their embezzlement, they decide to get rid of the other accountants and bring in a second-hand computer, LEO (Large-Capacity Enumerating Officiator), to handle the books. Figg is deemed the least intelligent of the accountants and is kept on to operate the computer, which he barely understands.
The plan backfires when Figg accidentally discovers the discrepancies in a road works budget. He is promoted to the "third floor" and distracted with a new Cadillac and a sexy assistant, Yvonne Craig, who manipulates him into signing any form or check. However, when the Assistant State Attorney General becomes suspicious, Figg finds himself framed for embezzlement. He manages to avoid arrest by disguising himself and sneaking into City Hall to retrieve evidence of his innocence from LEO.
How to Frame a Figg is noted for its farcical comedy and Knotts' frenetic performance as the nervous and persecuted Figg. The film also features a rare on-screen appearance by voice artist Frank Welker, who plays Figg's slightly dim-witted sidekick, Prentiss Gates.
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Figg's girlfriend, Ema Letha, a pretty waitress
In the 1971 comedy film How to Frame a Figg, Ema Letha is the girlfriend of Hollis Figg, played by Don Knotts. Hollis Figg is a bumbling, dim-witted bookkeeper who works as an accountant at City Hall. Ema, on the other hand, is a pretty waitress at the diner across the street from City Hall. She is described as being equally earnest as her boyfriend Figg.
Ema Letha is played by an actress whose name is not mentioned in the sources. However, another actress, Elaine Joyce, plays a waitress and love interest to the protagonist, Hollis Figg. It is unclear whether Elaine Joyce's character is meant to be the same as Ema Letha.
In the film, Hollis Figg is framed for embezzlement by the Mayor and his staff, who are skimming from the city's coffers. They try to cover up their financial misdeeds by buying a second-hand computer, LEO (Large-Capacity Enumerating Officiator), to handle the city's accounts. They keep Figg on staff to operate the computer, believing him to be too dim-witted to uncover their scheme. However, Figg accidentally discovers discrepancies in a road works budget, and the Mayor promotes him to distract him from the truth.
Ema Letha accompanies Figg on their honeymoon in Rio de Janeiro, where they realise that the Mayor and his cronies have evaded arrest. The newlyweds spot the Mayor and his men removing the corpse of Mr. Spaulding, the richest man in town, from their hotel room. Despite the Mayor's attempts to escape justice, Figg is able to clear his name and expose the corruption in the Dalton City Council.
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Figg's devoted friend, a local sanitation worker
Hollis Figg, played by Don Knotts, is a bungling but earnest bookkeeper in the 1971 comedy film How to Frame a Figg. Figg is framed for embezzlement by the Mayor and his staff, who are skimming from the city's coffers. Figg's devoted friend, a local sanitation worker, is not named in the film. However, we can assume that as Figg works at City Hall, his friend does too.
Figg is not very bright, and the Mayor and his staff take advantage of this by promoting Figg to look after a second-hand computer they have purchased, knowing he will never catch on to their financial misdeeds. They also give him a new Cadillac and a sexy assistant, Yvonne Craig, who manipulates him into signing any form or check.
When the Assistant State Attorney General becomes suspicious of the Dalton City Council, Figg is in danger of arrest as he has signed everything. However, he manages to avoid this by disguising himself and sneaking into City Hall to get the evidence he needs to clear his name. His loyal buddy, the local sanitation worker, helps him to do this. They sneak into the cemetery, exhume a coffin, and plug the computer in, only for it to explode. Figg discovers that the computer's IBM cards are encoded with the evidence he needs to prove his innocence.
The film ends with Figg and his girlfriend, Ema Letha, on their honeymoon in Rio de Janeiro. They spot the Mayor and his cronies removing the corpse of Mr. Spaulding from their hotel room. Despite this, Figg and Ema are unable to arrest the City Council.
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The Mayor and his staff, who skim from the city's coffers
In the 1971 comedy film How to Frame a Figg, Hollis Figg, played by Don Knotts, is a bungling but earnest bookkeeper in the employ of the Dalton City Council. Figg is not the brightest bulb, but he is devoted to his work and his girlfriend, Ema Letha, a pretty waitress at a diner across the street from City Hall.
When the Mayor, his staff, and Mr. Spaulding, the richest man in town, engage in embezzlement, they need a cover-up. They fire three of the four accountants in the basement and replace them with a giant second-hand computer named LEO (Large-Capacity Enumerating Officiator). Figg, deemed the dimmest of the accountants, is kept on to operate the computer, which he barely understands.
The Mayor and his staff believe that Figg will never catch on to their financial shenanigans. However, Figg unexpectedly stumbles upon discrepancies in a road works budget. Instead of addressing his concerns, they promote him to a higher position, distract him with a new Cadillac, and assign him a sexy assistant, Yvonne Craig, who manipulates him into signing any form or check she places before him.
When the Assistant State Attorney General becomes suspicious of the Dalton City Council's activities, Figg, having signed everything, becomes the perfect scapegoat. However, Figg manages to avoid arrest. He disguises himself as the mourning mother of the suddenly deceased Mr. Spaulding and sneaks into city hall to retrieve evidence from LEO to clear his name. He finds the memory bank of the computer missing and Spaulding's dead body in a closet. He deduces that the City Council has buried the memory bank in Spaulding's coffin and, with the help of his loyal friend, exhumes the coffin from the cemetery. However, when they plug in LEO, it explodes, spraying encoded IBM cards everywhere. These cards contain the evidence Figg needs to prove his innocence.
Despite having the evidence to exonerate himself, Figg and Ema are unable to arrest the Mayor and his cronies, who are enjoying a honeymoon in Rio de Janeiro, paid for by the grateful city. The Mayor and his men manage to remove Spaulding's body from their hotel room without being caught.
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Figg's discovery of the plot and his attempt to clear his name
Hollis Figg, played by Don Knotts, is a bungling and dim-witted bookkeeper in the Dalton City Hall. He discovers the plot of the Mayor and his staff, who are skimming from the city's coffers. They try to cover up their financial misdeeds by buying a second-hand computer, LEO (Large-Capacity Enumerating Officiator), to handle the books, hoping that Figg's incompetence will prevent him from uncovering their scheme. However, Figg accidentally stumbles upon discrepancies in a road works budget, leading the Mayor to promote him to the "third floor" and distract him with a new Cadillac and a seductive assistant, Yvonne Craig.
Despite their efforts, Figg discovers their plot and attempts to clear his name. He disguises himself as the mourning mother of the deceased Mr. Spaulding to sneak into City Hall and gather evidence from LEO. Finding the computer's memory bank missing and Spaulding's body in a closet, Figg realizes that the City Council has buried the memory in Spaulding's coffin. With the help of his loyal friend, he exhumes the coffin, plugs in LEO, and uncovers the encoded evidence he needs to prove his innocence.
Although Figg avoids arrest, he is disappointed that the City Council members escape before they can be apprehended. While on his honeymoon with Ema, Figg spots the Mayor and his accomplices removing Spaulding's body from a hotel closet, indicating that they are still evading justice.
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