Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Screening: 4 July , 6:30pm

USA
1982

Director: Carl Reiner
Producers: David V. Picker, William E. McEuen
Screenplay: Carl Reiner, George Gipe, Steve Martin
Cinematography: Michael Chapman
Editor: Bud Molin
Music: Miklûs Rûzsa, Steve Goodman
Rigby Reardon: Steve Martin
Juliet Forrest: Rachel Ward
Carlos Rodriguez: Reni Santoni
Wilfred von Kluck: Carl Reiner
Dr Jon Hay Forrest: George Gaynes
88 mins
Monochrome
16mm (1.85:1)
PG cert

Lensed in black-and-white and outfitted with a "straight" mystery score by Miklos Rozsa and authentic 1940s costumes by Edith Head, this spoof of film noir detective yarns sees Steve Martin interacting with 18 Hollywood greats by way of intercutting of clips from some 17 old pictures.

Thus, when sultry, Rachel Ward enters his seedy LA office to discuss her father's murder, $10-per-day sleuth Martin is able to call Bogart's Philip Marlowe for assistance on the case. And so it goes with such additional tough guys as Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas and Edward Arnold and such dames as Barbara Stanwyck, Ingrid Bergman, Veronica Lake, Bette Davis, Lana Turner and Joan Crawford.

The film is most engaging in its romantic sparring between Martin and his gorgeous client, Ward. The latter looks sensational in period garb and is not above such Martinesque gags as removing bullets from his wounds with her teeth or having her breasts "rearranged" by the hardboiled detective.

Sporting dark hair and facetious confidence, Martin also looks spiffy in trenchcoat and hat. The only other roles of note see Carl Reiner essentially essaying Otto Preminger as a Nazi, and Reni Santoni as a zealous Peruvian offficer.

Variety, 1982

Internet Movie Database listing

Preceded by:

Hardware Wars

USA
1978

Directors: Ernie Fosselius, Michael Wiese
13 mins
16mm

Classic award-winning spoof of the space opera.

Rebel forces led by Fluke Starbucker, Ham Salad, Princess Anne Droid, and the irrepressible blue Wookie Monster battle the evil Darph Nader and his squadrons of flying kitchen appliances.

Rotten Tomatoes.com

Official Site