Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

"Laugh, or I’ll blow your lips off..."

1982 1h 29m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 467

ComedyMysteryCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are 'The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta'.

“Laugh, or I’ll blow your lips off...”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Steve Martin
Rigby Reardon
Rachel Ward
Juliet Forrest
Alan Ladd
(in "This Gun For Hire") (archive footage)
Carl Reiner
Juliet's Butler / Field Marshal Wilfried von Kluck
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)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Carl Reiner
Writers: George Gipe, Steve Martin, Carl Reiner
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Carl Reiner, shot by Michael Chapman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Miklós Rózsa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bud Molin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Steve Martin and Rachel Ward and Alan Ladd carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Laugh, or I’ll blow your lips off...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0083798 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Carl Reiner directs. Michael Chapman behind the camera. Miklós Rózsa scores. Bud Molin cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
244 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Carl Reiner, shot by Michael Chapman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Miklós Rózsa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Bud Molin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Steve Martin and Rachel Ward and Alan Ladd carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Laugh, or I’ll blow your lips off...".
8IMDB entry: tt0083798 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 19 themes, including "father murder", "nostalgia", "parody", "los angeles, california".
10Released under 22 different titles around the world.