Bob Hope stars as Milford Farnsworth, a bumbling insurance salesman who unknowingly sells a life policy to notorious outlaw Jesse James (Wendell Corey). When his boss sends him out west to "protect" James, Farnsworth inadvertently becomes the target of several attempts on his life. As he falls in love with Cora Lee Collins (Rhonda Fleming), Farnsworth impersonates a Justice of the Peace and helps her escape from the James Gang, leading to a showdown that features cameos by Western legends such as Wyatt Earp, Roy Rogers, and Bing Crosby.