User Reviews

Legendary writer Neil Simons' delightful parody of hard boiled detective fiction (by the likes of Hammett and Chandler) is often quite funny. It does a good job of combining Simons' genuinely funny and witty dialogue with some occasional good visual gags. The movie is packed with big guest stars, some of whom have very little time to create a characterization, but everybody does a very amusing job of poking fun at - and paying tribute to - iconic actors of the genre.

Peter Falk does a priceless Bogart impression as private eye Lou Peckinpaugh. Lous' partner has been found murdered, and this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his latest complex case. (Lou even comments on its convoluted nature.) It involves a French resistance fighter (Fernando Lamas), a Nazi official (Nicol Williamson), the theft of some supposedly invaluable "eggs", the Golden Gate Bridge, and the partners' oversexed wife (Marsha Mason).

Sort of combining the plots of "Casablanca" and "The Maltese Falcon" and referencing other classics as well, "The Cheap Detective" does lose some momentum along the way, but there is always good Simon dialogue to look forward to, and the picture is nicely shot in widescreen by John A. Alonzo. The picture takes place in WWII era San Francisco, and has a great look going for it. What's especially funny is the way that Peckinpaugh must juggle the various lovely ladies who take an interest in him.

The various guest stars are all tremendous fun, but this viewer was particularly entertained by Dom DeLuises' riotous Peter Lorre parody. In supporting roles and bits, you can see the likes of Carmine Caridi, James Cromwell, Scatman Crothers (sending up Dooley Wilson in "Casablanca"), David Ogden Stiers, Vic Tayback, and Jonathan Banks.

This begins nicely, with some atmospheric opening credits, and has a bright and funny wrap up involving Lou and his ladies.

Seven out of 10.

Once again, we have a juicy comedy spoof of the detective genre, in this case of the Bogart detective movies. Peter Falk once again plays a Bogart inspired detective, but don't expect an impression here. After all, that wouldn't be fair to Peter. He is an actor first and foremost, not an Impressionist. But what he does with the role is to catch every nuance and speech patterns of the great Humphrey Bogart. Falk must have studied Bogie quite closely because he has every little hand gesture and even the walk of the man.

Now, let's get to the plot. "Fuhgetaboudit" as the mobster would say. What we have here are loving parodies of "The Maltese Falcon" in "Casablanca" with pros like John Houseman and Dom De Luise playing familiar character actors Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre respectively.

Neil Simon must really love the old classic detective movies, or just knows them so well then he can play on a quick paycheck writing them in record time. But like I said about the movie "Murder By Death," just have fun and laugh a lot. It is a fun ride.

Taking off on classics like CASABLANCA and THE MALTESE FALCON, this is a clever and fast-paced satire that prefigures the kind of take-offs that would soon follow with films such as AIRPLANE.

You can enjoy the sheer silliness of the film even if you don't know the films it is imitating, but if you are familiar with the originals, this comedy will be even more delicious.

Following close on the heels of "Murder By Death," screenwriter Neil Simon penned this, another mystery farce focusing this time on a character originally developed in "Murder By Death," Peter Falk's trenchcoat-wearing Humphrey Bogart impersonation. The result is an often funny though somewhat strained and oddly miscast production.

Falk's Lou Peckinpaugh is investigating the murder of his detective partner in Nazi-occupied San Francisco. The cops think Peckinpaugh did it, because he was having an affair with his partner's wife. Some people want him to recover some stolen diamonds disguised as Albanian eggs. Meanwhile, to add some "Casablanca" to this "Maltese" parody, Lou's old flame has arrived in San Francisco with her husband, a Resistance leader who wants to open a two-star French restaurant in Oakland - if the Gestapo doesn't get him first.

It's a kindred spirit to "Airplane," a film made two years later. This is a madcap, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink comedy that plays with movie conventions to absurd lengths. Simon's roots as a writer on TV's "Your Show Of Shows" are very clear here, not only with the presence of that show's star, Sid Caesar, in a key role, but in the way Simon creates an all-out comedy in the vein of two fellow "Show Of Shows" writers, Mel Brooks and Woody Allen. It's even more goofy than "Murder By Death." "Cheap Detective" has a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, but it's not as well-thought-out or fun as "Murder By Death." There's a dumb beginning, with underinspired opening credits and a drawn out joke about a killer who works so fast the victims haven't time to fall. The film also peters out at the conclusion, unlike "Murder By Death," where much of the charm comes with the kooky finale.

But the middle is mostly very good. Even great spoofs like "Airplane" and "Young Frankenstein" have dumb jokes. "Cheap Detective" has them, too, along with some hilarious moments. Simon throws up a ton of non sequiturs and silly puns, much in the vein of Brooks and Allen in their early, better days. Since this film doesn't have the same level of cultural recognition as the best of Brooks, Allen, or Simon, there's more chance of being pleasantly surprised by what takes place here. Peter Falk is great in his Bogie reprise, and so is Eileen Brennan playing the same Lauren Bacall character she created in "Murder By Death." Madeline Kahn is super, too, though I can't tell you the name of the character she plays and neither does she.

But there are some weird casting choices. John Houseman as fat Sydney Greenstreet? Dom DeLuise as Peter Lorre? Paul Williams? Abe Vigoda? I guess Marsha Mason had a role guaranteed in her prenup with Mr. Simon, but she's not quite right as a femme fatale. Neither is Louise Fletcher as the Ingrid Bergman character. Everyone in the film talks about her being such a knockout, but all I see is Nurse Ratched. No one is really bad, just square pegs in round holes. The weirdest is Phil Silvers, who isn't even in the film except as a meaningless half-second cameo at the end, yet he has an opening credit.

Two standouts are Nicol Williamson as the Nazi "military attache to Cincinnati" and Ann-Margret as a cleavage-flashing vamp. Whenever they are on screen, the movie is a lot funnier. Falk mostly serves the plot, but has some good lines, too: "Day by day, I erased your face from my memory, until all I had left was your right ear and three front teeth on the bottom." The film will make you laugh, and laugh again if you give it a few months to recharge between viewings. It's not a classic comedy, or even very good, but it's a fun frolic from one of filmdom's finest funnymen.

Looking for (but not quite finding) the footsteps of "Murder by Death."

While I love this movie and watch it quite often, it is a rather cheesy knock-off of "Murder by Death." This time spoofing "The Maltese Falcon" and "Casablanca," Neil Simon's hit or miss style misses this time, but only by a small margin.

This movie is not hilarious, nor exceptionally intelligent comedy, but it is still very entertaining. I honestly found "Murder by Death" to be a much more enjoyable experience.

That having been said, this star-studded cast puts forth at least a valid attempt to pull off this sometimes haphazardly written screen play, and hits at least 2 out of 5 punch lines with some effect.

If you are a fan of the Bogie movies which it satirizes, this is definitely a must-see. It is you, for which this movie was written in the first place.

It rates a 6.5/10 from...

the Fiend :.

If Humphrey Bogart could have seen The Cheap Detective he'd have loved every minute of it. I counted satirical moments from The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Big Sleep and To Have and Have Not as well as other noir classics that Neil Simon cleverly worked into a plot that makes no rational sense, but will keep you glued to the chair with laughter.

Bogey would have liked Peter Falk's spot on impersonation of the detective from the wrong side of the tracks. Falk is always a player with one amazing bag of tricks whether he's serious as in Murder, Inc., or funny as in Robin and the Seven Hoods or a bit of both as in The Brink's Job.

Not since It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World had so many funny people gathered together for one film. Even normally serious actors like Fernando Lamas and Nicol Williamson seem to be having a ball just hamming it up. My favorite aside from Falk is Eileen Brennan as Betty DeBoop. How can you go wrong with a name like that.

You can't describe any kind of plot, the whole thing is so much wonderful nonsense. Just sit back and enjoy.

I don't think it's imperative that one is a fan of old Bogart movies to watch The Cheap Detective, although it helps. This is Neil Simon's take on such noir classics as Casablanca, To Have And Have Not and The Maltese Falcon, with maybe a little Chinatown thrown in. I've never been much of a Neil Simon enthusiast; mostly, my complaint is that his characters lack depth while all he's really looking for is getting off a good line, a sort of Borscht Belt hunger for audience approval that went out of style about a million years ago. Here, the characters are ready-made, even if they are set up as caricatures for Simon's moderate wit, but even still it falls a little short.

To describe the plot would be almost pointless, since it vaguely resembles the set-up for every private detective movie ever made, good or bad ("of all the cheap joints in the world, she walked into mine" - you get the idea). From there it progresses, or stagnates, through a series of generally identifiable situations from old Bogart movies. I'd be lying if I didn't say there were some good laughs, here and there, either quickie one-liners or blatant knock-off scenes that film buffs will immediately pinpoint with the originals. I liked Dom DeLuise in the Peter Lorre role ("I'm swarthy, smelly, and I reek of cheap perfume") complaining that hotels will only let him stay half the night because of his body odor. John Houseman is great in the Sydney Greenstreet role, as is Madeline Kahn as the Faye Dunaway-ish sort-of-universal femme fatale with her phone book of alias names. On the other hand, Louise Fletcher as Bogie's love interest, with her plaintive pleas of "Louis" reminded me more of Hillary Brooke than Lauren Bacall or Ingrid Bergman, and Peter Falk's Bogart is really just so-so, not much better of an imitation than Don Adams'.

There are some ripe possibilties here for satire that Simon doesn't really take. For instance, if you were a comedy writer spoofing Chinatown, wouldn't you take a shot at the scene where Jack Nicholson gets his nose cut by Roman Polanski then walks around with a big bandage on his nose for half the movie. Instead, he resorts to the obvious and cliched. Neil Simon, to me, is not a true wit, in the same league as, say, Woody Allen. He's an OK, slightly above sitcom level gag writer who gets in just enough funny lines to woo the critics, and a whole lot of garbage to appeal to the masses. I'd say "The Cheap Detective" is about par for a Neil Simon script, and that's not saying much. 2 ** out of 4

'The Cheap Detective' represents a satirical look at many of Humphrey Bogart's best movies: 'Casablanca,' 'The Maltese Falcon,' and 'The Big Sleep' most prominently. There are small bits of business spoofing several others. This movie, apparently, followed 'Murder by Death' chronologically, implying that Peter Falk's character is developed from his role in that movie. So be it, but that doesn't make this movie a sequel. 'Murder by Death was a spoof of several different mystery story writers, and their most well-known detectives. This movie is a spoof of Bogart movies, some of which are mysteries and some are romances ('Casablanca' is considered by many to be one of the greatest romances ever.) To my taste, this movie is funnier and wittier than the other, and deserves more credit. In addition, Peter Falk's character is changed quite a bit from that in 'Murder by Death,' better, and funnier.

For all those who value Bogart's movies, and for all those who value satire, this is a terrific movie.

Peter Falk reteams with writer Neil Simon and director Robert Moore following their triumphant whodunit "Murder By Death", playing the Humphrey Bogart role in a satire of 1940s film-noirs, surrounded by wharf-front broads, Nazi villains and low-rent killers. The large cast is filled with game players, but Simon's screenplay just doesn't have enough snap--and too few laughs to make the plot more involving. Falk is effortlessly hard-boiled, but the surrounding situations are lackluster. Eileen Brennan gets a good chuckle as a chanteuse and Ann-Margret is very funny as a sultry double-crosser, but Louise Fletcher (in the Ingrid Bergman/good gal role) doesn't have the chops for comedy and Marsha Mason seems a little confused as to how seriously she should play her role as the widow of Falk's dead partner. If the filmmakers really wanted to emulate the movies from the past, perhaps they felt too much lowdown, vulgar comedy might cheapen the nostalgia; if so, they forgot that comedies are generally supposed to be laugh-getters and not just lightweight affairs. ** from ****

Neil Simon's movies always shine with his marvelous talent. The spoofs of Humphrey Bogart, his movies and other famous people/characters are priceless. My favorite scene in The Cheap Detective is where Eileen Brennen is singing in a cabaret, holding a cigarette out to the detective with her line "Well aren't you going to light my fire?" And he says (paraphrased)"well I was just checking out your kindling". Wonderful script and sharp and funny dialogue. Eileen is beautiful here. Peter Falk is very sexy in the title role. And could anyone ever compare with Madeline Kahn - they threw away the pattern on her. I think Humphrey Bogart would not only laugh at the spoofs of him but also be flattered that his persona has become so classic and so well-known and easily identifiable. There was a wonderful actor in "Dark Shadows" who early in his career did imitations of Bogie and looked a lot like him. He also played Bogie in a movie I believe. I wish there were more movies as good as Neil Simon's.

Neil Simon was a sophisticated successful writer, on The Cheap Detective he made a tribute for those Bogie's picture as Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep, it wasn't properly funny, it was a satire of all them, having on the not so smart Detective Lou Peckinpaugh (Peter Falk) symbolizing Humphrey Bogart, Neil Simon brings Louise Fletcher as Ingrid Bergman, Fernando Lamas as Paul Henreid, Scathman Crothers as the pianist Sam, John Houseman as the fat Sidney Greenstreet, Dom De Louise as Peter Lorre, also a lot of gorgeous women scattered on the plot as Ann-Margret as authentic femme fatale, Eileen Brennan as the cabaret singer Betty DeBoop, also Madeline Khan as countless fake names client, anyway a humorous parody nearly Murder By Death, made two years before, Peckinpaugh with your odd mannerism trying to be funny, a pale image of Bogie, however the movie brings a nostalgic atmosphere of the detectives stories on Noir pictures, plenty acceptable mainly by Ann-Margret in the peak of her beauty!!

Resume:

First watch: 1989 / How many: 5 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7

"...This has nothing to do with our story. Our story starts in a fictitious city called San Francisco...seven thousand miles away from Casablanca."

"There's four bodies in here, three of them as cold as yesterday's toast, the last one is ready to pop up."-Sgt. Rizzuto (played by Abe Vigoda)

"If they had a radio to listen to, those two kids would be alive today."-Lt. DiMaggio (Vic Tayback)

There's a great opening to this detective spoof built around the detective Lou Peckinpaugh (Peter Falk) whose partner Floyd Merkle is found dead along with other individuals in a San Francisco Chinatown hotel. Lou comes under suspicion right away as he has been having a longtime affair with Floyd's wife Georgia Merkle (Marsha Mason). In fact Lou is quite the ladies man as he collects this bevy of beauties who want him...the singer Betty DeBoop (Eileen Brennan) who we meet at a Casablanca spoof performing Edith Piaf's big hit 'La Vie en rose' only she's not singing it...she's 'la-la'-ing her way through it, his young secretary Bess (played by Stockard Channing), Marlene DuChard (Louise Fletcher), the vampy Jezebel Dezire (Ann-Margaret), and Denise Mandalay-Wanda Coleman-Gilda Dabne-Chloe Lamar-Amma Chalmers-Alma Palmers-Vivian Purcell-Almon Montenegro-Diane Glocksman-Miss DeVega-Mary Jones-Lady Gweneth Morgan St. Paul who was a client of his partner and just can't give a straight answer as to what her real name is (Madeline Kahn).

"I think I have some information regarding the untimely death of your late deceased murdered partner."-Floyd's client "Who is this?"-Lou "As the Chinese say, 'never mind'. We must be careful I'm being watched. Can we meet in your office in fifteen minutes?"-Floyd's client "Alright, what time is it now?"-Lou "I'd rather not tell you that until I know I can trust you."-Floyd's client

Top shelf comedy cast that is too numerous to mention, with it's jazzy detective soundtrack and loaded with great lines, what really sets this film apart is all of the really wonderful references and not just to the classics like Casablanca...but there are more subtle references, like the one to the film Grease which was released the same year in the following...

"Go ahead and thank me, Lou. Thank me here, now. You don't know how long I've waited for a really good thanks."-Bess "Are you tryin' to tel me..."-Lou "Yes. I know I look like I have been around, but I've never been thanked in my whole life."-Bess "You sweet, silly kid. Why haven't I ever noticed you before?"-Lou

I really enjoyed the Running gag..."sorry, no tip. War veteran.", "No tip, death in the family."...it was pretty funny and every time it was a different excuse from our frugal detective.

Fans of spoofs, particularly those who are also fans of classic detective films and Casablanca will enjoy this film immensely. It is a little dated, but still really fun to see once. I loved the costuming...especially the women's wear and the duplication of scenes from Casablanca.

A guilty pleasure to be liked by suspense/humor enthusiasts . An enjoyable and well-performed film , that is letdown -at times- due to a confusing developing . This rendition of a Neil Simon's novel in an entertaining and fun spoof of Humphrey Bogart movies , specially from The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Big Sleep and To Have and Have . Set in San Francisco, 1940 , Lou Peckinpaugh : Peter Falk , the Cheap Detective who becomes involved into grisly killings and twisted investigations . A parody of Humphrey Bogart's movies in which our eccentric private eye has entered a world that is half Casablanca (1942) and half The Maltese Falcon (1941) . Who dunnit? This time it's Neil Simon who's really dunnit. He knows every cheap trick , cheap joke, cheap shot and cheap dame in the book . By the time the world's greatest detective work out whodunit, you could die laughing!

This popular and bemusing charade deals with a fistful of famed stars incarnating notorious characters in which are blended detectives , dames , murders , jealousy , documents , Nazis , and a valuable treasure . For Peter Falk and Neil Simon to parody Humphrey Bogart movies as Maltese Falcon or Casablanca is an easy task , but it is still pretty fun when not resorting to the obvious . Following Murder by Death (1976) style, Neil Simon remained on the set to take care of re-writes , as he did with this picture's sequel, The Cheap Detective . Simon took such a shine to Peter Falk during the picture's production that he told him if he did not like anything in the film, he'd immediately rewrite it for him, but Falk assured him it was great fun for him . The screenplay is funny and high quality in which it's not difficult to work out on which murder suspects each of them is modeled . Well-known actors have attractive but brief interventions , then appears amusement and entertainment , as all of them running around and taking place murders , who's the killer? . Stands out Peter Falk throughout the entire film, he gloriously exploits in a resourceful Bogart-like role . As Lou/Peter Falk goes through a series of scenes from the two vintage movies trying to keep ahead of the Police who think he killed his partner and find the black bird . Vast supporting cast and equally game for entertainment in this consistently attractive adventure . As a large and excellent secondary cast containing a lot of familar faces , such as : Ann-Margret , Eileen Brennan , Sid Caesar , Stockard Channing , James Coco , Dom DeLuise, Louise Fletcher , John Houseman, Fernando Lamas, Phil Silvers , Paul Williams, Nicol Williamson , Carmine Caridi , James Cromwell , Scatman Crothers , David Ogden Stiers , Jonathan Banks, Abe Vigoda, John Calvin , David Ogden Stiers , Vic Tayback, among others . It is in fact an amusing imitation of Crime Story including agreeable and sympathetic performances by the entire cast . The entire cast seems to be subsisting on sugar with wild eyes and frenetic movements the order of the day . You'll enjoy enormously the impersonations of similar roles to other classic films .

It displays a lively and charming musical score by Patrick Williams. As well as evocative and colorful cinematography in Panavision by John A. Alonzo . The motion picture was competently directed by Robert Moore who was a good comedy director : Murder by death , The Cheap Detective , Chapter two , Thursday's Game . Rating : 6/10 . Preceeded by ¨Murder by Death¨(1976) by Robert Moore , with Peter Sellers , Eileen Brennan, Peter Falk , David Niven, Truman Capote, James Coco , Alec Guinness , Elsa Lanchester . Followed by another hammy spoof titled ¨Clue¨(1985) a pale imitation of the earlier parody , being directed by Jonathan Lynn with Tim Curry , Christopher Lloyd , Lesley Ann Warren and Madeline Khan .

"The Cheap Detective" is a sometimes clever send up of private eye films of the 40's. Writer Neil Simon borrows heavily from the Bogart/Sam Spade films but comes up with a sometimes confusing mystery wrapped in a sometimes fun spoof. Peter Falk stars as the title character and some of the best lines come from his being very cheap. He never tips a cab driver. Ever. Some of his good lines to the cabbies include:

"Sorry no tip. Death in the family". "Sorry no tip. War veteran".

My favorite is when Falk gives the cabbie money. The cabbie says "Shall I keep the change?" to which Falk replies "No. I'll keep it". Good stuff. Unfortunately there is a mystery to solve and it gets in the way frankly. It is confusing and so many characters (played by a plethora of famous faces) come and go it's hard to keep track of them. Falk also has a knack for attracting women and another fun scene involves all of these women coming to his house one right after the other while Falk tries to maintain his cool.

None of the guest appearances are terribly special though Ann Margret does look incredibly sexy in her one scene with Sid Caesar. Like the rest of the movie, this scene starts well and screeches to a halt. On the whole it is watchable but not one of Simon's best.

Woody Allen is a much funnier writer than Neil Simon and his Play it Again Sam (72) had far more wit in it than this supposedly funny satire. Simon, in pretty much all he's done, demonstrates a genius for the mediocre and there's really noone in this laboured and strained farce who stands out in this waste and time and talent. It's a pity because everyone IN it is wonderful, but not because of their performances in it. I know we're meant to be reduced to helpless laughter by it all but it doesn't work, in my opinion. Dull lines, dull and strained delivery (especially by Louise Fletcher who, whatever else she was, was no comedienne.) For my money if people played it straight they might have got something out of Simon's dull script.

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. The film is an affectionate parody of Bogart movies such as Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon.

The 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, Vic Tayback and Paul Williams.

Lou Peckinpaugh (Peter Falk), a bumbling San Francisco private detective, tries to prove himself innocent of his partner's murder while helping a bizarre array of characters recover a lost treasure. The film spoofs Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, Chinatown, and To Have and Have Not. The scene in the restaurant with Peckinpaugh and Pepe Damascus mocks the opening scene of The Big Sleep

The all star cast delivers and milks the screenplay for every laugh it has. There is no bad cast member in this film. If you love old Warner Brothers films of the 1949's then you will love this film.

If you do not know old movies then this film is not for you.

Don't bother watching this movie: it's awful. I could have written a funnier screenplay than Neil Simon. Booo. My only regret is that the playwright was not the victim in this detective story.

Sid Caesar was not funny; Peter Falk was not funny; Madeline Kahn was not funny; Louise Fletcher was not funny; the who-don-it is the playwright...he murdered this script! Booo.

Although I thought "The Odd Couple" and "Max Dugan Returns" were great screenplays written by Simon, I think he wrote a number of not-too-clever and not-too-funny plays despite the casting of some notable actors and actresses.

My only puzzlement is: why did these big name actors and actresses agree to do this script? Was it to pay their income taxes? Aren't actors and actresses supposed to have some standards for the quality of the scripts and the materials?

As Alfred, the Macy janitor in "Miracle on 34th Street" said: 'Yeah, there's a lot of bad 'isms' floatin' around this world, but one of the worst is commercialism. Make a buck, make a buck. Even in Brooklyn it's the same ... just make a buck, make a buck.'

Well, Alfred, even in Hollywood it appears to be the same - don't care what cinema and art stands for, just make a buck, make a buck.