THE CAT'S-PAW

Ezekiel Cobb, a naïve young man raised by missionaries in China, is sent to the United States to seek a wife. He is promptly enlisted by the corrupt political machine of the fictional city of Stockport, led by the corrupt boss Jake Mayo to run for mayor as phony "reform" politician. He is expected to be the "cat's paw" of the political machine.

Cobb unexpectedly takes his job seriously. Frequently quoting Chinese poet Li Po (pronounced "Ling Po" in the story), he embarks on a campaign to clean his town of its corrupt political machine.

Fighting back, the corrupt politicians frame Cobb. He turns the table on them, however, by enlisting the help of his friends in the local Chinese community, who help him kidnap the corrupt politicians and their hoodlum backers, detaining them in the "cellar of Tien Wang." He tells them that since his attempts to use western methods have not worked, he is going to use the methods of the ancient Chinese: either they confess or they will be executed.

They take a man into a back room – everyone says it's a bluff, but then the man screams in terror and a moment later his decapitated body is brought out with his head set on top of his chest. When the second man is taken to the back room, it is shown that Cobb has enlisted the help of The Great Chang, a famous Chinese magician on his first American tour, and that they are using his tricks to fake the executions.

This tactic works, and Mayor decides to throw his support to Cobb after all. The town is swept of its corruption and Cobb, with the support of local girl Petunia Pratt, abandons plans to return to China and stays in the U.S. to fight corruption in his town. But his new wife insists on him returning to China.

Cobb uses stage magic to fake executions and frighten confessions out of the corrupt politicians, ultimately cleaning up the city. He stays in Stockport with Petunia Pratt, but his new wife insists they return to China.

The film wraps up its satirical journey by letting Cobb's naiveté and resourcefulness outwit the entrenched corruption. The use of theatrical tricks, rather than violence, keeps the tone comic but pointed, emphasizing that reform can come from the most unexpected places. Cobb's decision to stay and fight for his adopted city is undercut by his wife's insistence they return to China, reinforcing the film's comedic take on cultural and personal loyalties.