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Der Schmalspurschnüffler

Original title: The Cheap Detective
  • 1978
  • 12
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
5.7K
YOUR RATING
Der Schmalspurschnüffler (1978)
Official Trailer
Play trailer3:02
2 Videos
31 Photos
ComedyCrimeMystery

San Francisco, 1940, detectives, dames, documents, Nazis, and a treasure.San Francisco, 1940, detectives, dames, documents, Nazis, and a treasure.San Francisco, 1940, detectives, dames, documents, Nazis, and a treasure.

  • Director
    • Robert Moore
  • Writer
    • Neil Simon
  • Stars
    • Peter Falk
    • Ann-Margret
    • Eileen Brennan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    5.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Robert Moore
    • Writer
      • Neil Simon
    • Stars
      • Peter Falk
      • Ann-Margret
      • Eileen Brennan
    • 92User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos2

    The Cheap Detective
    Trailer 3:02
    Watch The Cheap Detective
    Clip
    Video 1:17
    Watch Clip

    Photos31

    Peter Falk in Der Schmalspurschnüffler (1978)
    Peter Falk in Der Schmalspurschnüffler (1978)
    Peter Falk and Dom DeLuise in Der Schmalspurschnüffler (1978)
    Louise Fletcher, Fernando Lamas, and Nicol Williamson in Der Schmalspurschnüffler (1978)
    Peter Falk in Der Schmalspurschnüffler (1978)
    Peter Falk in Der Schmalspurschnüffler (1978)
    Peter Falk and Marsha Mason in Der Schmalspurschnüffler (1978)
    Ann-Margret, Stockard Channing, Peter Falk, Louise Fletcher, Madeline Kahn, Eileen Brennan, and Marsha Mason in Der Schmalspurschnüffler (1978)
    James Cromwell, Peter Falk, Scatman Crothers, Louise Fletcher, David Ogden Stiers, John Calvin, James Coco, and Nicol Williamson in Der Schmalspurschnüffler (1978)
    Abe Vigoda, Marsha Mason, and Vic Tayback in Der Schmalspurschnüffler (1978)
    "The Cheap Detective," Ann-Margret
    "The Cheap Detective" Madeline Kahn, John Houseman 1978 Columbia

    Top cast

    Edit
    Peter Falk
    Peter Falk
    • Lou Peckinpaugh
    Ann-Margret
    Ann-Margret
    • Jezebel Dezire
    Eileen Brennan
    Eileen Brennan
    • Betty DeBoop
    Sid Caesar
    Sid Caesar
    • Ezra Dezire
    Stockard Channing
    Stockard Channing
    • Bess
    James Coco
    James Coco
    • Marcel
    Dom DeLuise
    Dom DeLuise
    • Pepe Damascus
    Louise Fletcher
    Louise Fletcher
    • Marlene DuChard
    John Houseman
    John Houseman
    • Jasper Blubber
    Madeline Kahn
    Madeline Kahn
    • Mrs. Montenegro
    Fernando Lamas
    Fernando Lamas
    • Paul DuChard
    Marsha Mason
    Marsha Mason
    • Georgia Merkle
    Phil Silvers
    Phil Silvers
    • Hoppy
    Abe Vigoda
    Abe Vigoda
    • Sgt. Rizzuto
    Paul Williams
    Paul Williams
    • Boy
    Nicol Williamson
    Nicol Williamson
    • Colonel Schlissel
    Emory Bass
    • Butler
    Carmine Caridi
    Carmine Caridi
    • Sgt. Crosseti
    • Director
      • Robert Moore
    • Writer
      • Neil Simon
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The movie was titled "The Cheap Detective", according to screenwriter Neil Simon, "because the detective in those old films never got paid! Who paid Humphrey Bogart for finding all those crooks in Die Spur des Falken (1941)? He arrested Mary Astor and sent her and everyone else to jail. Who paid him? The character is always involved in danger not for the bucks but because it's his lifestyle."
    • Goofs
      Approximately 45 minutes in, Lou meets with the Madeline Kahn character in his office. A male member of the crew is visible, seated on a couch. He is in a pink shirt, wearing eyeglasses and appears to be reading a script. He is only visible for about a second, as the camera pans across the room. From contemporary photos it looks very much like Neil Simon himself.
    • Quotes

      Jezebel Dezire: Won't you join me in a little drinkie? What's your pleasure?

      Lou Peckinpaugh: Uh, what you got there looks good.

      Jezebel Dezire: I know... but I thought you'd like a little drink first.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits prologue: In 1939, the ominous grey clouds of war broke loose over Western Europe and rained down havoc and destruction . . . followed by humidity and gradual clearing.

      In the Philippines, a small band of native guerrillas prepared secretly for the inevitable conflict that would soon engulf the East . . . This has nothing to do with our story.

      Our story is about crime. Not the bad crime we face each day on our streets . . . but the good crime we came to know and love in a time when the world was innocent ... when murder wasn't something you were ashamed of ... when a bullet hole wasn't something disgusting . . . and when a man could betray a woman without feeling guilty. Our story starts in a fictitious city called San Francisco ... seven thousand miles away from Casablanca.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Ann-Margret/Robert Mitchum/Tom Dreesen/Joseph Sorrentino (1978)
    • Soundtracks
      La Vie en Rose
      Music by Louiguy

      Lyrics by Édith Piaf

      Performed by Eileen Brennan and others at Nix Place

    User reviews92

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Smart humor. Almost too smart.
    "The Cheap Detective," as others have observed, is a sendup of two of Bogart's most famous films. The film's opening sequence sets the stage of the humor styleings which acts as both a setup and warning for the casual viewer.

    The humor is smart, but almost too clever for its own good. It's funny, but you almost have to be a Neil Simon fan (or at least in tune with his writing style) to really get the gags. Not entirely true, because if you keep an open mind, and understand all or most of the references, you should have a good time :-)

    Otherwise the film might go over your head, or rather you'll understand that there's supposed to be a joke at a certain moment, but won't get the entire gist because you might be unfamiliar with the material being referenced. Hence the reason why I called the film almost too clever for its own good.

    It helps to be familiar with both "Casablanca" and "The Maltese Falcon" to really get all of the "in-stuff" within Simon's film. Even so there's a good amount of regular humor that should help boost the appeal to those already in the know, and at the same time salvage a film for those not.

    And yeah, Anne Margaret never looked better :-)

    A fairly good watch, but not for everyone.
    helpful•37
    15
    • Blueghost
    • May 4, 2004

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    FAQ17

    • How long is The Cheap Detective?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 14, 1978 (West Germany)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
    • Also known as
      • The Cheap Detective
    • Filming locations
      • Stage 15, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • EMI Films
      • Rastar Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $6,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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