Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)

Director:

Carl Reiner

Writers:

Carl Reiner (written by) &
George Gipe (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

21 May 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Laugh... or I'll blow your lips off!

Plot:

Film noir parody with a detective uncovering a sinister plot. Characters from real noirs appear as scenes from various films are intercut.

Plot Keywords:

Parody | Murder | Stock Footage | Henchman | Voice Over

Cast

Steve Martin	...	Rigby Reardon
Rachel Ward	...	Juliet Forrest
Alan Ladd	...	(in "This Gun For Hire") (archive footage)
Carl Reiner	...	Field Marshall VonKluck
Barbara Stanwyck	...	(in "Sorry - Wrong Number") (archive footage)
Ray Milland	...	(in "The Lost Weekend") (archive footage)
Ava Gardner	...	(in "The Killers" / "The Bribe") (archive footage)
Burt Lancaster	...	(in "The Killers") (archive footage)
Humphrey Bogart	...	(in "The Big Sleep" / "In a Lonely Place" / "Dark Passage") (archive footage)
Cary Grant	...	(in "Suspicion") (archive footage)
Ingrid Bergman	...	(in "Notorious") (archive footage)
Veronica Lake	...	(in "The Glass Key") (archive footage)
Bette Davis	...	(in "Deception") (archive footage)
Lana Turner	...	(in "Johnny Eager" / "The Postman Always Rings Twice") (archive footage)
Edward Arnold	...	(in "Johnny Eager") (archive footage)
Kirk Douglas	...	(in "I Walk Alone") (archive footage)
Fred MacMurray	...	(in "Double Indemnity") (archive footage)
James Cagney	...	(in "White Heat") (archive footage)
Joan Crawford	...	(in "Humoresque") (archive footage)
Reni Santoni	...	Carlos Rodriguez
Charles Laughton	...	(in "The Bribe") (archive footage)
Vincent Price	...	(in "The Bribe") (archive footage)
George Gaynes	...	Dr. Forrest
Francis X. McCarthy	...	Waiter (as Frank McCarthy)
Adrian Ricard	...	Mildred
Charlie Picerni	...	Hood (as Charles Picerni)
Gene LeBell	...	Hood (as Gene Labell)
George Sawaya	...	Hood
Britt Nilsson	...	Puppy Secretary
Jean Beaudine	...	Duty Secretary
John Easton Stuart	...	German Henchman (as John 'Easton' Stuart)
Ronald Spivey	...	German Henchman
Bob Hevelone	...	German Henchman
Dieter Curt	...	German Henchman
Phillip Kearns	...	German Henchman (as Phil Kearns)
Kent Deigaard	...	German Henchman
Eugene Brezany	...	German Henchman
Brad Baird	...	German Henchman
William Conrad	...	(in "The Killers") (archive footage)
Charles McGraw	...	in The Killers (archive footage)
Jeff Corey	...	(in "The Killers") (archive footage)
John Miljan	...	(in "The Killers") (archive footage)
Brian Donlevy	...	(in "The Glass Key") (archive footage)
Norma Varden	...	(in "The Glass Key") (archive footage)
Edmond O'Brien	...	(in "White Heat") (archive footage)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wally Brown	...	(archive footage) (uncredited)
Cheryl Smith	...	Veronica Lake (uncredited)

Directed by
Carl Reiner

Writing credits
Carl Reiner		(written by) &
George Gipe		(written by) &
Steve Martin		(written by)

Produced by
William E. McEuen	....	producer
Richard McWhorter	....	associate producer (as Richard F. McWhorter)
David V. Picker	....	producer

Original Music by
Miklós Rózsa		(as Miklos Rozsa)

Cinematography by
Michael Chapman		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Bud Molin

Casting by
Penny Perry

Production Design by
John DeCuir

Set Decoration by
Richard C. Goddard		(as Richard Goddard)

Makeup Department
Kathryn Blondell	....	hair stylist (as Kathy Blondell)
E. Thomas Case	....	makeup artist (as Tom Case)
Ric Sagliani	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Richard McWhorter	....	unit production manager (as Richard F. McWhorter)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Newt Arnold	....	first assistant director (as Newton Arnold)
Mitchell Bock	....	second assistant director

Art Department
William Belt	....	assistant property master (as Bill Belt)
Christopher Gilman	....	props
Sam Moore	....	property master
Donald L. Nobles	....	construction coordinator (as Don Nobles)
Paul Small	....	assistant property master
Sig Tingloff	....	set designer
Jack Torpin	....	construction foreman
Robert Wittenberg	....	paint foreman (as Bob Wittenberg)

Sound Department
Bud Alper	....	sound mixer
Gene Ashbrook	....	boom operator
Brydon Baker III	....	cable person (as Beau Baker)
James J. Klinger	....	supervising sound editor
Jas. Klinger	....	assistant sound editor
Skip MacDonald	....	assistant sound editor (as Skip Macdonald)
Steve Maslow	....	sound re-recording mixer
Kevin O'Connell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bill Varney	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Glen Robinson	....	special effects
Wayne Beauchamp	....	special effects (uncredited)
Bruno Van Zeebroeck	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Bill Hansard	....	process coordinator
James F. Liles	....	plates (as Jim Liles)
Thomas Baker	....	main title graphics (uncredited)

Stunts
Ernie F. Orsatti	....	stunt coordinator (as Ernie Orsatti)
Charlie Picerni	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Eric D. Andersen	....	camera operator (as Eric Anderson)
George Dunagan	....	best boy
Michael Genne	....	first assistant camera
Dan Greer	....	second assistant camera
Cary Griffith	....	key grip (as Carey Griffith)
John McCoy	....	vtr operator
Don Stott	....	gaffer
Stephen Vaughan	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ron Archer	....	costumer: men
Michele Dittrick	....	costumer: women
Edith Head	....	costumes
Dennis Schoonderwoerd	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter (as Donah J. Bassett)
John Haggar	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Else Blangsted	....	music editor
Lee Holdridge	....	conductor: orchestra

Transportation Department
Craig Pinkard	....	transportation coordinator
'Bud' Williams	....	driver captain (as Bud Williams)

Other crew
Amy Alexander	....	researcher
Jo Compton	....	production coordinator
Dan Curry	....	titles
Betty Glickman	....	assistant: Mr. Picker (as Betty Glickman Serafin)
Cathy Jung	....	assistant: Mr. Martin
Timothy McWhorter	....	production assistant
Judy Nagi	....	assistant: Mr. Reiner (as Judi Nagy)
Ramon Pahoyo	....	craft service
Lucas Reiner	....	film trainee
Mark Steen	....	production assistant
Bernice Sutton	....	first aid
Bridget Terry	....	publicist
Marvin Weldon	....	script supervisor
Bernard A. Widin	....	production accountant (as Bernie Widin)
Devron Conrad	....	stand-in: Steve Martin (uncredited)
Michael Neale	....	location manager (uncredited)

Thanks
Edith Head	....	this motion picture is affectionately dedicated to
Jim Henry	....	the producers wish to thank
Jill Jaress	....	the producers wish to thank
Matthew Laurance	....	the producers wish to thank

Production Companies

• Aspen Film Society
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• Coline (1982) (France) (theatrical)
• LMD (1982) (France) (theatrical)
• Océanic Films (1982) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1985) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (Spain) (2002) (Spain) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1982) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• CIC Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Universal Home Video (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2002) (Sweden) (DVD)

Other Companies

• B.D. Fox & Friends  titles
• Laird International Studios  filmed at (as Kings Point Corporation Laird International Studios)
• Modern Film Effects  titles
• Pfizer  Barbasol commercial used with permission of the owner
• Technicolor  prints by (as Technicolor®)

Also Known As:

Dead Men Wear No Plaid
Cliente muerto no paga (Mexico) (cable TV title) (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]
Bogart Jr. (Denmark) [da]
Cliente Morto Não Paga (Brazil) [pt]
Döda män klär inte i rutigt (Sweden) [sv]
Il mistero del cadavere scomparso (Italy) [it]
Kuollut mies ei palttoota kaipaa (Finland) [fi]
Les cadavres ne portent pas de costard (France) [fr]
Mrtvaci ne nose karirano (Serbia) [sr]
Tote tragen keine Karos (West Germany) [de]
Umarli nie owijaja sie pledem (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:Livre | USA:PG (#26624) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:12 | Spain:7 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Aspen Film Society

Trivia:

Performers who appear in this film in footage from earlier classic movies include: Edward Arnold, Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, Wally Brown, James Cagney, William Conrad, Jeff Corey, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Brian Donlevy, Kirk Douglas, Ava Gardner, Cary Grant, Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Charles Laughton,Fred MacMurray, Charles McGraw, Ray Milland, Edmond O'Brien, Vincent Price, Barbara Stanwyck and Lana Turner.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Rolodex card file wasn't marketed until 1958, yet appears on a desk in scene set in Forties.

Quotes:

Rigby Reardon: All of a sudden I had to remember some words that Marlowe had told me over fifteen years ago: Dead men don't wear plaid. Hm. Dead men don't wear plaid. I still don't know what it means.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Meet Market (#7.14)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Dead Men's Bolero

A quirky but funny movie

Its the sort of idea that inevitably gets tried out as soon as it becomes technically possible. Inter-cutting classic film noir with contemporary work to produce a comedy film. Usually such ideas come a serious cropper - as was proved (as others have stated) by Zelig. However, this film hits it right on the mark. The design and editing allow for seamless cutting between the old and the new footage. The script is good and has the right level of absurd humour to make the film work. I'm not a fan of Steve Martin but its impossible to imagine anyone else matching this performance. Rachel Ward is beautiful and sassy. Its a film of its time - just made in time to catch the costume and musical talent of the past before they departed from the scene but made before the sort of hi-tech morphing and cgi which would have ruined its feel.

If you haven't seen it then watch it - if you have seen it then watch it again. This definitely rewards repeated viewings. Its no Citizen Kane but it is darned good entertainment if you share my sense of humour...