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Title: Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Steve Martin | ... | Rigby Reardon | |
| Rachel Ward | ... | Juliet Forrest | |
| Alan Ladd | ... | The Exterminator (archive footage) | |
| Carl Reiner | ... | Field Marshall VonKluck | |
| Barbara Stanwyck | ... | Leona Hastings-Forrest (archive footage) | |
| Ray Milland | ... | Sam Hastings (in 'Lost Weekend') (archive footage) | |
| Ava Gardner | ... | Kitty Collins (archive footage) | |
| Burt Lancaster | ... | Swede Anderson (archive footage) | |
| Humphrey Bogart | ... | Phillip Marlowe (archive footage) | |
| Cary Grant | ... | 'Handsome' (in 'Suspicion') (archive footage) | |
| Ingrid Bergman | ... | F.X. Huberman (archive footage) | |
| Veronica Lake | ... | Monica Stillpond (archive footage) | |
| Bette Davis | ... | Doris Davermont (archive footage) | |
| Lana Turner | ... | Jimmi-Sue Altfeld (archive footage) | |
| Edward Arnold | ... | Altfeld (archive footage) | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are "The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta." Searching for answers, Rigby encounters assorted low-lifes: dangerous men and women who were the hallmarks of the classic detective movies of the 40's and 50's. Filming in black and white allows scenes from old movies to be cut into this film. It is through this process that Rigby's assistant is none other than Philip Marlowe himself. Written by Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>, Ed. by Peter Victor <thevictor99@yahoo.com>
Taglines:
Laugh... or I'll blow your lips off!Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
21 May 1982 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Dead Men Wear No Plaid See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$9,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$4,289,601, 23 May 1982, Wide ReleaseGross USA:
$18,197,170Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Butler: Yes?
Rigby Reardon: I'd like to see Ms. Forrest.
Butler: Who shall I say is calling?
Rigby Reardon: Rigby Reardon, tell her I've been shot.
Butler: Very good, sir. May I tell her by whom?
Rigby Reardon: No, I don't know myself.
Butler: Are you all right? You look as though you're going to faint.
Rigby Reardon: Faint? Never... Catch me.
[Rigby Reardon falls on the floor, fainting]
[...]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The car accident at the beginning of the movie (the killing of the scientist) is taken from Keeper of the Flame (1942). That movie, however, is not listed in the credits as the source of the footage. See more »Goofs
In the scene with the pigeons after Juliet leaves, Rigby says "after a half bottle of bourbon..." and Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey is pictured. Jack Daniel's is not bourbon - it never has been and never will be. See more »Quotes
[at Juliet's house after Rigby has been shot the first time]Butler: Yes?
Rigby Reardon: I'd like to see Ms. Forrest.
Butler: Who shall I say is calling?
Rigby Reardon: Rigby Reardon, tell her I've been shot.
Butler: Very good, sir. May I tell her by whom?
Rigby Reardon: No, I don't know myself.
Butler: Are you all right? You look as though you're going to faint.
Rigby Reardon: Faint? Never... Catch me.
[Rigby Reardon falls on the floor, fainting]
[...]
See more »
Crazy Credits
After the Cast there comes the dedication: Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid was Edith Head's final film. To her, and to all the brilliant technical and creative people who worked on the films of the 1940's and 1950's, this motion picture is affectionately dedicated. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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I first saw this in the theater with my dad, at the age of 13, when it was first released - he was a huge fan of classic movies and usually suffered through the stuff he took me to. Not this one - we were both in hysterics, and I'd have to say I owe my huge love of classic Hollywood (and global) cinema to this film. CITIZEN KANE it may not be but no matter - I dug the humor and the atmosphere at the time, and even then was aware of how much work this must have been.
I still watch this one on occasion, and it is the rare comedy that has held up very well with the passage of time - critics at the time seemed to write it off as a stunt, but I've noted that at least a little reevaluation of DEAD MEN DON'T WEAR PLAID has occurred over the years. The performances - as both a spoof and a love-letter to film noir - are top notch, with Steve Martin at his best here. The dialog gets deep into Raymond Chandler/Dashiell Hammett hard-boiled private-eye stylishness, serving up gumshoe-with-dame clichés just juiced up enough to give Steve something to run with, while still offering an a solid story. The finale is magnificent, Martin and Carl Reiner jousting their way through an avalanche of every two-bit dime-store whodunnit game-over cliché to ever grace the big screen, cheap alibis falling like drunken angels across the naked city as the big heat descends... Or - ahem -something like that...