Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid is the best movie ever! That might not be the case for those not in love with the silver screen, but for us old movie buffs, this modern noir is one of the best modern movies ever. It’s a parody that’s not a parody, filmed exclusively in black-and-white and using every trope made famous in the 1940s. There’s needless narration, a femme fatale who may or may not be tricking the detective, trips to exotic locations, nightclub songs, lots of cigarettes, witnesses, clues, and colorful characters with bit parts. The wonderful thing about this movie is that the supporting cast is composed of beloved silver screen stars. You might have heard that Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid splices in old footage, but until you watch it, you can’t imagine how clever it is. Steve Martin stars as the “trenchcoat” detective, and Rachel Ward is the beautiful seductress who turns to him for help in a murder investigation. Everybody else in the movie, besides Reni Santoni as the stereotypical Mexican policeman and a hilarious cameo by director Carl Reiner who reminds audiences of Otto Preminger, is an actor or actress from the 1940s. Using clips from old movies turns this from a tongue-in-cheek satire to a seriously great, one-of-a-kind classic.
Throughout the movie, Steve Martin has a phone call with a nervous Barbara Stanwyck, follows a lead of sultry nightclub singer Ava Gardner, shares a train compartment with Cary Grant, makes coffee for a sleepy Burt Lancaster, asks a favor from Veronica Lake, gets the favor from Lana Turner, strangles Bette Davis, and brings Edward Arnold a puppy. Kirk Douglas orders his goons to beat Steve up, Joan Crawford promises to leave her husband for him, Ingrid Bergman drugs him, and Alan Ladd, James Cagney, and Vincent Price all try to kill him. Steve’s agency partner is Humphrey Bogart, and throughout the film, they check in with each other through phone calls to solve the case.
Charles Laughton helps him piece together some mysterious clues and asks, “You know who I could be?” Steve answers with a straight face, “The hunchback of Notre Dame?” The script, written by Carl Reiner, George Gipe, and Steve Martin, cleverly ties in important plot points that make sure to directly include later scenes from the classic movies. Rachel supplies a clue of a ripped off corner of a dollar bill; the matching half is supposedly hidden in a sugar bowl. Sound random? It does, until Steve knocks on Ray Milland’s door and convinces him to trade him five dollars for the one-dollar bill in the sugar bowl. “You can buy a lot of booze with that,” he bribes. Another hilarious example is the introduction to Fred MacMurray’s entrance: “He cruises the supermarkets looking for blondes.”
Miklos Rozsa’s perfectly 1940s noir theme adds an additional element of authenticity to the movie, and it was his last film score. Edith Head also lent a hand in her last film, and there’s a touching tribute in the closing credits to her and to all creators of 1940s films. You’ve simply got to watch this movie. It’s fantastic.
DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. After Kirk Douglas orders everyone outside, there’s a canted angle for a few seconds. Also, after Ava cuts the phone cord, Steve’s POV gets blurry for a minute, followed by a closeup of a ceiling fan, and it will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru, and thanks "Classic Cinema Central" for posting!
More Steve Martin movies here!
Throughout the movie, Steve Martin has a phone call with a nervous Barbara Stanwyck, follows a lead of sultry nightclub singer Ava Gardner, shares a train compartment with Cary Grant, makes coffee for a sleepy Burt Lancaster, asks a favor from Veronica Lake, gets the favor from Lana Turner, strangles Bette Davis, and brings Edward Arnold a puppy. Kirk Douglas orders his goons to beat Steve up, Joan Crawford promises to leave her husband for him, Ingrid Bergman drugs him, and Alan Ladd, James Cagney, and Vincent Price all try to kill him. Steve’s agency partner is Humphrey Bogart, and throughout the film, they check in with each other through phone calls to solve the case.
Charles Laughton helps him piece together some mysterious clues and asks, “You know who I could be?” Steve answers with a straight face, “The hunchback of Notre Dame?” The script, written by Carl Reiner, George Gipe, and Steve Martin, cleverly ties in important plot points that make sure to directly include later scenes from the classic movies. Rachel supplies a clue of a ripped off corner of a dollar bill; the matching half is supposedly hidden in a sugar bowl. Sound random? It does, until Steve knocks on Ray Milland’s door and convinces him to trade him five dollars for the one-dollar bill in the sugar bowl. “You can buy a lot of booze with that,” he bribes. Another hilarious example is the introduction to Fred MacMurray’s entrance: “He cruises the supermarkets looking for blondes.”
Miklos Rozsa’s perfectly 1940s noir theme adds an additional element of authenticity to the movie, and it was his last film score. Edith Head also lent a hand in her last film, and there’s a touching tribute in the closing credits to her and to all creators of 1940s films. You’ve simply got to watch this movie. It’s fantastic.
DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. After Kirk Douglas orders everyone outside, there’s a canted angle for a few seconds. Also, after Ava cuts the phone cord, Steve’s POV gets blurry for a minute, followed by a closeup of a ceiling fan, and it will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru, and thanks "Classic Cinema Central" for posting!
More Steve Martin movies here!