Miss Tatlock’s Millions 1948

Tim is hired to impersonate Schuyler Tatlock

Denno Noonan hires Tim Burke for a couple of days to impersonate Schuyler Tatlock and manage the impending inheritance scheme. Tim dyes his hair and studies Schuyler's voice and mannerisms to resemble the real heir as closely as possible. The plan hinges on fooling the family, including Nan, so the fortune stays in Schuyler's control.

Schuyler's tragedy remembered; a will-reading looms

Two years earlier, Noonan watched over Schuyler in Hawaii and, upon returning home, learned that a fire Schuyler had started had left him burned to a crisp. Noonan kept this tragedy secret, content with the steady monthly paycheck. A telegram arrives in the present, ordering him to bring Schuyler home for the reading of his grandparents' will.

Tim completes the impersonation

Tim completes the impersonation by dyeing his hair and mimicking Schuyler's voice and mannerisms. Nearly everyone accepts him as Schuyler, including Schuyler's sister Nan, who is the only member of the family happy to see him. Tim's ruse gives him access to the inheritance and the plot around it.

The will and trustees plot

The vast fortune—nearly six million dollars—appears to be left to Schuyler. Miles, Gifford, and Cassie scheme to become his trustees and control the estate. Cassie offers Nan a deal: a $100,000 annual allowance for Nan, administered by Cassie, to ensure Nan's future while she guides the inheritance.

Tim overhears the scheme

Tim overhears the entire plan among Miles, Gifford, and Cassie. The knowledge reveals how the siblings and aunt intend to keep the fortune within a tight circle. He realizes how precarious Nan's future could be if the deception continues.

Nicky's romance and Tim's jealousy

Under Nan's mother's urging, Nicky—Cassie's son—begins romancing Nan. Tim grows jealous and tries to interfere, leading Cassie to have him locked in his room. The tension tightens as the lovers' fate intertwines with the inheritance scheme.

Tim's escape and fall

Tim escapes his confinement by leaping out a window and falls through a greenhouse roof, leaving him unconscious. Groggy, he later speaks rationally in Nan and Nicky's presence, giving Nan hope that Schuyler's irrationality could be cured. Dr. Mason suggests that it is possible, so Tim resolves to remain lucid and keep up the act.

Tim and Nan's romantic moment

Tim falls in love with Nan; Nan kisses him to show the difference between brotherly and romantic love, complicating their situation. The kiss deepens Tim's conflict between loyalty to the deception and his growing feelings. Nan's awakening complicates Cassie's scheme further.

Cassie doubles down after the truth

Cassie discovers the truth of Tim's impersonation and insists he keep up the act to prevent the inheritance from going to charity. She outlines that after Nan comes of age in two years, a staged death could secure the estate for her family. The plot thickens as greed overtakes propriety.

Noonan heads toward answers in Hawaii

Noonan tells Nan that Schuyler had lucid periods before, but relapse was common, and that Schuyler's rationality may slip again. The two men depart for Hawaii to pursue the truth and end the deception. The plan to rescue the estate from mismanagement unfolds in the shadows.

The real Schuyler is revealed and pursued

Noonan produces the real Schuyler, who is very much alive and married to Kamamamalua, a native Hawaiian. The revelation exposes Tim's impersonation and reshapes the inheritance plot. The authorities finally catch up with Schuyler after a long string of arsons, bringing him to justice.