Delbert Mann's light confection, reminiscent more of the 1930s than the 1960s (when it was made), stars Dick Van Dyke as butler Charles Fitzwilliam aka Fitzwilly. He's employed by formerly wealthy dowager Victoria "Miss Vickie" Woodworth (Edith Evans), who has fallen on hard times. In order to hide this unpleasant situation from her, and allow her to maintain her former level of philanthropic activity, her kindhearted staff, led by Fitzwilly, becomes a gang of thieves. Miss Vickie, compiling a dictionary for people who can't spell, hires Juliet Nowell (Barbara Feldon) as an assistant. The astute woman quickly senses that Fitzwilly is up to something, but by the time she realizes that he's engaged in felonious activities, she's so smitten with him that she has no desire to blow the whistle. When Fitzwilly lets a particularly large charitable donation of Miss Vicky's go unnoticed, he's forced to scramble to cover up the mistake. Enlisting Juliet in the cause, he plans an elaborate Christmas Eve heist of Gimbel's Department Store. The film features Sam Waterston's first screen appearance.