The Cheap Detective
| The Cheap Detective | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster |
|
| Directed by | Robert Moore |
| Produced by | Ray Stark Margaret Booth |
| Written by | Neil Simon |
| Starring | Peter Falk Madeline Kahn Dom DeLuise Louise Fletcher Ann-Margret Eileen Brennan Stockard Channing Sid Caesar |
| Music by | Patrick Williams |
| Cinematography | John A. Alonzo |
| Editing by | Sidney Levin Michael A. Stevenson |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | June 23, 1978 |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English German |
| Box office | $19,203,000 (Rentals) |
The Cheap Detective is a 1978 American satirical comedy film written by Neil Simon and directed by Robert Moore as a follow-up to their successful Murder by Death (Columbia, 1976).
It stars Peter Falk as Lou Peckinpaugh, a detective in the Humphrey Bogart mold, and is an affectionate parody of Bogart movies such as Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon.
An ensemble cast includes Madeline Kahn, Louise Fletcher, Ann-Margret, Eileen Brennan, Stockard Channing, Marsha Mason, Sid Caesar, John Houseman, Dom DeLuise, Abe Vigoda, James Coco, Phil Silvers, Fernando Lamas, Nicol Williamson, Scatman Crothers, and Paul Williams.
[edit] Plot
Lou Peckinpaugh (Peter Falk), the Humphrey Bogart-inspired Cheap Detective, has entered a world that is half Casablanca and half Maltese Falcon. A parody of Bogart's films in which Lou goes through a series of scenes from the two films trying to keep ahead of the police, who think he killed his partner, and find the black bird. The film also spoofs Chinatown, A Streetcar Named Desire and To Have and Have Not.
[edit] Cast
- Peter Falk as Lou Peckinpaugh
- Madeline Kahn as Mrs. Montenegro
- Dom DeLuise as Pepe Damascus
- Louise Fletcher as Marlene DuChard
- Ann-Margret as Jezebel Dezire
- Eileen Brennan as Betty DeBoop
- Stockard Channing as Bess
- Sid Caesar as Ezra Dezire
- Marsha Mason as Georgia Merkle
- John Houseman as Jasper Blubber
- Vic Tayback as Lieutenant DiMaggio
- Abe Vigoda as Sgt. Rizzuto
- James Coco as Marcel
- Phil Silvers as Hoppy
- Fernando Lamas as Paul DuChard
- Nicol Williamson as Col. Schlissel
- Scatman Crothers as Tinker
- Paul Williams as Boy
- David Ogden Stiers as Captain
[edit] External links
- American films
- 1978 films
- 1970s comedy films
- 1970s thriller films
- American comedy films
- American criminal comedy films
- American thriller films
- English-language films
- Films directed by Robert Moore
- Criminal comedy films
- Films set in San Francisco, California
- Films set in the 1940s
- Films shot anamorphically
- Films shot in Metrocolor
- Parody films
- Sequel films
- Columbia Pictures films