Joe McDoakes is employed as the seventh vice-president in a firm that only makes promotions from the employee ranks. The sixth vice-president tries to tutor Joe in how to get ahead with the boss, but all his ideas backfire. Thirty years later, Joe is the only vice-president left to be promoted, but just as the prized promotion is about to be bestowed, the Boss--as usual--forgets Joe's name...and so does Joe.