Ellery Cushing, a veteran newspaper reporter and aspiring humor columnist, gets little respect from his wife and two older children, Ruth and Bob, who nag him constantly to ask his hard-nosed boss for a raise. On the day that Ellery has promised to demand his raise, his editor, who has demoted him to an eye-straining copyreading job, fires him without ceremony. Ellery's humiliation incurs the ire of Phil, Ruth's former boyfriend, and inspires him to quit his reporting job in protest. Confident that he can sell Ellery's "Headline Humor" column, Phil convinces Ellery to keep his dismissal a secret from his family. While pretending to be at work, Ellery and Phil slave over "Headline Humor" on a park bench and finally sell it to a radio station as the "Uncle Dudley" show. Not recognizing Ellery's voice on the radio, Mrs. Cushing and the children join the many fans of the "Uncle Dudley" show, which features amusing insights into the foibles of family life. Although the show makes him a coveted local celebrity, Ellery finds time to counsel Ruth, who had left Phil in favor of a wealthy playboy, about the importance of maintaining a good reputation. Just as the family discovers the truth about Ellery's firing, guillible Bob becomes involved in a Communist labor rally, which Ellery attends and disrupts with his own speech about loyalty and faith in the American way. After he is struck in the head by a labor agitator, Ellery is taken to the hospital, where his surprised but remorseful family begs his forgiveness, and a reformed Ruth reunites with Phil.