- Tony is performing on-board of the Queen Mary when masked robbers interrupt his act. His friend, Ed Cassidy, is blamed for the robbery and Tony Blake sets out to prove his innocence.
- With Tony and Max's help, husband and wife Ed and Sandra Cassidy, Tony's long time friends, are hosting a hospital benefit fund-raiser. As Ed is an ex-casino owner and reformed gambler, the fund-raiser, aboard the cruise ship, the Queen Mary, docked in port, is in the form of an Old West gambling den. Fourmen, dressed as masked cowboys, proceed to rob the benefit of the night's take of $500,000. Because of Ed's background, the authorities, based on circumstantial evidence, suspect Ed as the mastermind of the robbery. As Tony follows leads as to the robbers' whereabouts, what he and his friends eventually learn is that someone double crossed the robbers who did not walk away with the money, they also believe that Ed is the culprit. Tony's discoveries on the matter lead to a difficult situation concerning his friendship with the Cassidys, who may have individual thoughts of their own on how they should handle the possible recovery of the money.—Huggo
- At the Castle, a call comes in for Tony. Dominick takes the call and says that Tony is unavailable, and takes a message. Meanwhile, Tony finishes his routine and introduce fellow magician Peter Pit. Backstage, Dominick tells Tony that Ed Cassidy called with his wife Sandra. They told Dominick to tell Tony that a new career has been launched, and asked if Tony would play for the queen the next Sunday. Tony nods in understanding and tells Dominick that he'll be busy the next Sunday.
The next Sunday, Tony goes to the Queen Elizabeth permanently moored at the docks as a hotel. He is advertised as giving a benefit performance there in the grand ballroom. Going aboard, Tony meets Sandra with Max. Sandra shows Tony the guest list, with Max getting some of them there. Once Max leaves, Sandra tells Tony that the lost she saw Ed, he was having a case of the fidgets.
Sandra takes Tony to the couple's cabin, where Jerry is helping Ed with his tie. Tony is surprised that Ed, an ex-gambler, is so nervous since Ed has owned casinos before. Sandra and Ed kiss briefly as she does up his tie.
Ed and Sandra go to the cash room and Ed takes the cash box that the cashier, Borgman, is delivering. He tells Borgman to close the tables when Tony begins his show, and goes to the security room to drop off the money.
Joe Taggart and his three fellow robbers board the ship.
In the casino, Jerry is playing craps and winning.
The robbers put on masks, come in, and chain the door shut.
Max joins Ed, Sandra, and Tony in the casino. They have a test to the benefit's success and Ed's new career as an entrepreneur. Ed says that they've taken in at least $400,000, and they toast to the money raised.
Joe and another of the robbers enter a circuit room and cut the main phone line.
The lights in the casino go out and Max comes out to introduce Tony.
The robbers go to the security room, knock out the guard at the door, and go inside.
As Tony begins, the other two robbers chloroform the guard at the casino door. Meanwhile, Tony borrows a bracelet from an audience member. While Tony covers an assistant with a cloth, puts the bracelet on her wrist, and levitates her, the four robbers secretly chain the doors shut. They then go around taking the cash boxes from the cashiers at gunpoint. Tony pulls the cloth away, making the assistant vanish,
A robber puts a gun in Ed's back and tells him to take another robber to the security room and gather up the cash. Tony produces the assistant from a glass casket. The lights come up and a woman screams when she sees one of the cashiers that the robbers pistol-whipped unconscious. Joe announces that everyone present is going to take place in a robbery, and says that if no one gets clever then no one gets hurt.
The robber with Ed takes him into the security room, knocks out the guard, and tells the money counter not to get heroic. Ed jumps the robber and gets pistol-whipped for his efforts, and the robber locks the counters up in the next room.
Tony makes the bracelet 'vanish" via sleight of hand rather than hand it over. The robbers' helicopter arrive, and the robbers leave rather than recover the bracelet. The three robbers leave. chaining the door shut behind them, Tony gives the bracelet back, and he, Jerry, and Max try to follow the robbers but can't because of the chains. Tony works on the lock through the gap in the doors.
The three robbers join their comrade in the security room and find him unconscious. They figure Ed or the guard knocked him out, gather up the charity cash, and leave. Behind them, Ed wakes up. Meanwhile, the three remaining robbers run along the deck.
Tony picks the lock, and he and the others go to the security room. Ed wakes up and tells them that the robbers just left, and Tony, Max, and Jerry run after them. The robbers go to the highest deck on the ship, where their helicopter with pontoons is waiting. It drops a ladder and they climb aboard, and the helicopter flies away as Tony and the others arrive. The robbers take the money out of the bag and discover that the real money has been replaced with cut paper.
Later at the police station, Lt. Lund questions Ed. He's checked Ed's history and learned that he's an ex-casino owner with underworld connections. Tony speaks up, saying he recommended Ed for the job. Ed insists that he didn't take the money, and Lund points out that no one knows how long Ed was unconscious in the security room. Tony warns Lund that he doesn't have a charge that will stick.
Once Lund leaves, Sandra takes Ed home to recover, and Tony asks Jerry and Max where they go. There were no number on the helicopter so they can't trace it, but points out that the helicopter doesn't have much range. He's confirmed there's a storm front south of their location, which means the helicopter must have landed somewhere north along the coast and then been hidden. Tony asks Max to check the guest list.
At Tony's apartment, Jerry calls his friend in civil air control and learns that there are a thousand helicopters in Southern California. Jerry's friend Rich Camson with the FAA calls Jerry and tells him that there was a complaint filed about a low-flying helicopter near Paradise Cove, with pontoons. Tony drives there and walks up to the only beach house in sight. The helicopter is on the nearby beach, and Tony finds a red sports car with the license plate "MS GINNY" on it.
Inside, Virginia Miles is pacing around nervously looking for cigarettes. Tony knocks at the door and flirts with Virginia, who asks if he has cigarettes. Tony produces one via sleight of hand and then a match to light it, and asks if he can talk to the man of the house about purchasing the property. Virginia lets Tony in and he points out a photo of Virginia with Joe. She says that it's a friend, not her husband, and Tony offers twice what the house is worth.
Tony claims that he's the son of an oil baron and can easily afford it, and asks if Joe leaves her alone often. Virginia says that he has another lady in his life: an ex-girlfriend that he bumped into in Vegas a month ago. Tony says Joe must be crazy to give up the place, including Virginia, and a flattered Virginia invites Tony to have some coffee.
As he looks around, Tony asks Virginia is Joe would be willing to sell the place. She says that they were going south but found themselves short of funds, so they'll be sticking around. There's a telescope in the window, and Tony notes the registration number on the underside of the helicopter. Virginia says they were expecting a windfall that fell through, and he asks about the helicopter. She tells him that it belongs to Joe, and Tony writes down the registration number and then claims he was writing down Virginia's phone number so he could call her.
Joe's two accomplices come in and hear Tony talking, wand Tony tells Virginia not to tell Joe that he was there at all. Virginia kisses Tony, and they go out to the living room and find the two robbers there. One of them, Kobick, draws a gun on Tony.
Tony grabs a nearby umbrella, opens it, and uses it as cover to escape. Outside, Tony runs back to his Corvette and drives off. He then calls Jerry and tells him that he checked the car's registration and confirmed Virginia's name. Tony gives Jerry the registration number, and figures the robbers won't flee because there's nothing connecting them to the robbery and they don't have the money.
Ed gets a call from people that wanted to set up a benefit in San Francisco. They cancel and Sandra figures they read the newspapers about the robbery. She assures Ed that something will come along and assures him that they'll survive the setback. They kiss and Sandra goes to get some groceries. Joe and Kobick are watching the house. Once Sandra leaves, the two men knock at the front door and Kobick punches Ed when he answers.
The two robbers come in and throw Ed on the couch, and Joe says that they figure Ed ripped them off. Ed realizes they don't have the cash and Joe warns Ed that he's going to hurt if he keeps feigning ignorance. They hear police sirens approaching the house and leave, Joe promising that they'll come after Ed late.
Once the robbers leave, Sandra comes in and asks Ed if he's okay. She says that she saw the two men enter the house and called the police. A police car pulls up outside and two officers get out and approach the house.
Tony calls Jerry, who reports that the helicopter belongs to Joe. The beach address belongs to Virginia, and Joe stays at an apartment building. Tony tells Jerry to meet him there in fifteen minutes, and the two men go into Joe's apartment. They've checked with the landlord and confirmed that Joe left a couple of hours ago. There's an expensive customer dress in a suitcase on the bed, and Tony has Jerry wait there for Joe while he goes to the shop that sold the dress.
Afterward, Tony goes to Ed's house and knows about Ed's run-in with Joe earlier from Max. Ed explains that the robbers figure he has the money, and Tony says that they found Joe's apartment but can't have him arrested until they have hard evidence. He explains that he went to the shop and the saleslady confirmed that the woman she sold the dress to was... Sandra.
When Tony mentions how Virginia said Joe met an old girlfriend in Vegas a month ago, a shocked Ed says that he and Sandra haven't been in Vegas in over a year. Tony figures that Sandra called the police in before Ed could convince Joe he didn't have the money, and offers to help Ed by having Sandra cooperate and return the money. Ed tells Tony to get out and Tony leaves.
Once Tony is gone, Ed pours himself a drink. Sandra comes down and he tells her that Tony was there. He then asks his wife about the guy she ran into in the lounge, when they were in Vegas a month ago. Sandra feigns ignorance, and Ed tells her to drop the act and warns that Tony has it all worked out. Sandra invites him to call the police, but Ed says that he wants answers and asks why she did it. Sandra says that she did it so they could have all the good things,
When Ed points out that Tony thinks Sandra told Joe that he has the money, Sandra breaks into tears of denial and Ed hugs her and assures her that he doesn't believe it. He says that they have to return the money and try to pick up the pieces, and Sandra is surprised that Ed with stay with her after what she's done. Sandra tells Ed that she'll call the police, while he takes a motorboat and scuba gear to the Queen Elizabeth and recover the money put in watertight bags just below the hull. Ed leaves and Sandra calls Joe and tells him that Ed confessed to her that he stole the money. She figures that she and Joe can go to South America once they take the money from Ed, and she'll meet Joe at the ship.
Jerry calls Tony and says that Joe showed up. He grabbed a couple of pieces of luggage and left. Tony picks up Jerry and drives to the beach house, and would rather get the money back for Ed's sake then call in the police. The two men go in and see Joe loading fuel cans into Virginia's car. He drives off, and Tony and Jerry wonder why Joe is acting like he'll soon have the money.
Tony knocks at the door and when Virginia answers, advises her to tell them when Joe is. He says that they know Joe's girlfriend, and Virginia invites Tony and Jerry in. They warns her that she could be tied to robbery and Ed's possible murder, and Tony says that Sandra has the money. He tells Virginia that Sandra and Joe have been together for a while behind Virginia's back, and Virginia explains that Joe called Kobick and the other robber, Cole, to move out and that Ed admitted to taking the money.
Tony and Jerry figures that Sandra set Ed up to get back in Joe's good graces, and Virginia says that they're at the Queen and they left about a half hour ago. Jerry flies them via the helicopter, and Virginia watches them go.
Ed takes a motorboat to the Queen and recovers the money.
Tony contact Lund via the radio.
Joe and his accomplices take a motorboat out to the Queen. Meanwhile, Ed returns to his motorboat with the money and heads for shore. The robbers smash their boat through Ed's boat, knocking him into the water. When one of them prepares to shoot Ed, Sandra knocks the gun out of his hand and tells him to just get the money. Tony and Jerry arrive, and Tony drops the rope ladder to Ed and pulls him up before Joe can run Ed over. Jerry then to stop, and the police arrive by boat and arrest the robbers.
Later at the station, as the police take Sandra to a cell. She passes by Tony and Ed, and tells Ed that at first she thought the odds were good for her and Ed, but then she got impatient. Ed shrugs it off and the office lead Sandra away. Tony and Ed watch her go, and Tony suggests that they go out to dinner.
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