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Rigby Reardon, private eye, runs the gauntlet of hoods, femmes fatales and crazed Nazis as he investigates the death of beautiful Juliet Forrest's father. Who are the mysterious "Friends of Carlotta"? And why does Rigby keep dressing in women's clothes? And where did Juliet learn to do that trick with her lips? This celebration of the black and white movies of the 1940's and 50's is a very clever and very amusing film. Extracts from celluloid classics are skilfully spliced into the action (check out the architectural detail on the doorframe in the Alan Ladd sequence). The film is a vehicle for Martin's comic talent and he carries it off beautifully. Rachel Ward as Juliet is terrific: she can hold her own with the screen goddesses who so liberally populate the film (Bergman, Davis, Turner and Crawford all make inserted appearances). A project like this could easily have come a cropper, but thanks to the brisk direction of Carl Reiner (who has a great cameo) and Steve Martin's ability to dominate the screen, the movie is a resounding success. It's also very funny.

I first saw this in the theater with my dad, at the age of 13, when it was first released - he was a huge fan of classic movies and usually suffered through the stuff he took me to. Not this one - we were both in hysterics, and I'd have to say I owe my huge love of classic Hollywood (and global) cinema to this film. CITIZEN KANE it may not be but no matter - I dug the humor and the atmosphere at the time, and even then was aware of how much work this must have been.

I still watch this one on occasion, and it is the rare comedy that has held up very well with the passage of time - critics at the time seemed to write it off as a stunt, but I've noted that at least a little reevaluation of DEAD MEN DON'T WEAR PLAID has occurred over the years. The performances - as both a spoof and a love-letter to film noir - are top notch, with Steve Martin at his best here. The dialog gets deep into Raymond Chandler/Dashiell Hammett hard-boiled private-eye stylishness, serving up gumshoe-with-dame clichés just juiced up enough to give Steve something to run with, while still offering an a solid story. The finale is magnificent, Martin and Carl Reiner jousting their way through an avalanche of every two-bit dime-store whodunnit game-over cliché to ever grace the big screen, cheap alibis falling like drunken angels across the naked city as the big heat descends... Or - ahem -something like that...

Carl Reiner, the multi-talented director of this film, is the only one that could have pulled it off. Working with George Gipe, and Steve Martin in the screen play that serves as the basis of the movie, Mr. Reiner has done the impossible with "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid".

Of course, this film is blessed with the magnificent editing by Bud Malin, who meshed the present images against those film noir masterpieces we see, blending the characters of this movie with the stars of the past, in what seems to be a seamless product. It also helps that Miklos Rozsa was the man composing the music, as everything shows a cohesiveness that is hard to distinguished in what was shot in 1982 and the old movies.

This spoof to the film noir genre is a pure delight. The main character, Rigby Reardon is the P.I. from hell, but thanks to the creators of this movie, he is perfect as the man at the center of the action.

Not being a Steve Martin fan, one has to recognize that when this actor is inspired, he can do excellent work. It would appear that with a director like Carl Reiner, he would have gone off the top, but instead, Mr. Martin gives a good reading of Rigby. Rachel Ward, as the typical woman of those films, is charming. Reni Santoni, Georege Gaynes and the rest of the supporting cast do wonders under Carl Reiner's orders.

The film brought back memories of those timeless masterpieces of the past and the stars that shone in them. We get to see Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, Ingrid Bergman, Vincent Price, Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Barbara Stanwyck, Fred McMurray, Edward G. Robinson, and the others at the height of their fame playing against the present cast and making the viewer happy watching all the antics which Mr. Reiner and his team have created for our amusement.

This is a funny look at the old movies!

DMDWP is a black and white film noir comedy that uses footage from real film noirs from the 40s and 50s and inter cuts them with the plot to make it appears that Steve Martin is really talking to/acting with the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, James Cagney etc. The effect is almost seamless but for a movie made in 1982 it's quite impressive.

Martin plays the wonderfully named Rigby Reardon, a typical, gritty private eye who narrates the story with sarcastic observation and gets involved in the usual femme fatal plot and a conspiracy surround the death of a cheese maker. Yes, it's nonsense, and towards the end it becomes a bit hard to follow and the silliness gets out of control. But it's all played straight and for most of the film you could believe you were actually watching a classic film noir.

Steve Martin should have done more of these movies. Rigby Reardon was a great character and could have lasted for a few more movies. The humor is frequently hilarious and he certainly retains a lot of the integrity he has lost in recent years since he went the way of Eddie Murphy and sold himself out to family audiences. Either way, I say you should give this movie a go if you're a fan of his older work.

The DVD is sadly in non-anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen with Dolby 2.0 surround. It still looks quite good for a black and white film and the sound has that limited sound space effect to it to make it fit in with the older footage. A Dolby 5.1 remix would have been totally unnecessary. Some boring extras (trailer, cast bios) are included.

I had to watch this a second time to appreciate it. The story is not the most impressive; but the concept is. Steve Martin plays a detective in a parody of classic film noir. The movie features actual scenes cut from several films and blended with precision. These skillful splices feature some of the great names from old time Hollywood. Names like Cagney, Douglas, Davis, Crawford and Bergman.

Martin really shows his talent and ability to make a scene imitate reality. His comedic wit is sharp as a switchblade. His co-star is Rachel Ward, who can vamp or play coy with the best of them. Along with directing, Carl Reiner has a cameo part.

Swift directing, with superb lighting and shading made this black and white crime comedy shine.

An incredible achievement. My mind boggles at the amount of thought, time and effort that must have gone into this superb film. The plot is brilliantly and hilariously convoluted, with screen legends from the 1940s making appearances in amazingly edited scenes, and Steve Martin's trademark absurd humour is present almost all the way. Steve and Rachel Ward have remarkable chemistry, and each of their performances are highly impressive. If it weren't for the bundles of humour employed, one would almost think at times that this actually is a film noir from the 1940s, so legitimate and believable is the 'feel' or the atmosphere of the film.

I cannot believe that some people who commented on this film have said that the plot is merely an excuse to hang old movie clips onto, and not much use at all; and the person who claims that Steve Martin overacts in this movie mustn't realise that this is regarded as one of Steve's more restrained, deadpan comedic performances (the 'cleaning woman!' device turns out to be an important part of the plot and also seems to be a way of using the strangling scene that is taken from the Bette Davis movie - it is also a chance for Steve to get in a very tiny element of his 'wild and crazy guy' persona, which he substituted with a more suitable [for parody] 'straight' performance).

A rousing and side-splittingly funny success - they don't make 'em like this anymore!

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

This film seems to be best enjoyed by those who love film noir. I do not necessarily think that is a prerequisite, but if you are familiar with the older actors and the films that are mixed in here, you will probably get a little more out of it. (And, heck, if you have not seen these, I strongly recommend you rectify that.)

I have a love-hate relationship with Steve Martin. Some of his stuff I think is genius and others I am left unfulfilled. Many people think "The Jerk" is among the greatest comedies of all time. I liked it, but have no desire to push it on others. This one I liked much more.

I was really interested in seeing this movie, because I like film noir and I like Steve Martin. And you know what, this is a very clever and affectionate homage. My complaints are that the story is disappointingly convoluted so it is sometimes very hard to keep up with what is going on and one or two of the jokes don't quite work. But overall it is very funny, and seems to have held up well over the years. The script is clever and sophisticated enough, and Carl Reiner directs with precision and acts his part of Field Marshall VonKluck very well. The cinematography is smooth and crisp, and I thought the performances were excellent. Steve Martin is great here, not only do I think Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is underrated but this is one of his roles where Martin deserves a lot more credit. Rachel Ward looks lovely as Juliet Forrest and is terrific acting wise. The real joy is watching the archive footage of all those wonderful actors and actresses in those timeless masterpieces. Spotting stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Bette Davis, Ray Milland, Vincent Price and Ingrid Bergman all but to name a few was a delight in itself. Also the finale while silly is great fun. All in all, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is well worth the look. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Starring Steve Martin, Rachel Ward, and Carl Reiner. My first time watching this comedy/mystery; I liked it enough. I appreciate the decision to film it entirely in black and white; the reasoning for this primarily being because of the several "cameos" by such stars as Ava Gardner and Burt Lancaster. The writers really did their research. Bits of movies with some of Hollywood's most illustrious stars like Stanwyck, Cagney, Crawford, Lake, Lana Turner, Bette Davis, Bogart, Laughton, Price, Ladd, Bergman, Cary, Kirk Douglas, Gardner, and Lancaster were incorporated into the movie's plot.

It was interesting to see classic Hollywood actors "co-starring" with Steve Martin. I thought that was an original and ingenious idea. I thought it was funny how Veronica Lake's character was named "Monica Stillpond." I quickly figured out who they were talking about once they said her name.

Actually, most of the vintage-clip characters are more or less playing themselves-- When Martin calls up hysterical Barbara Stanwyck from Sorry, Wrong Number, he explodes "Listen, you phony fruitcake!", Ingrid Bergman from Notorious is "F. X. Huberman" and James Cagney in prison from White Heat is Cody Jarrett who won't talk to anyone but his mother (or Martin in disguise). And of course, the line where Charles Laughton from The Bribe asks "And do you know who I might be?", Martin replies, "...The Hunchback of Notre Dame?"

I remember when this movie came out in 1982, when B/W movies were still "the Late Show" trivialized on television before the VCR and Cable movie-rennaissance came along, and nobody got the jokes. That is why it flopped. Most knew that old movies in general were being featured, but only about 10% actually knew which movies, and--as it was Martin's first movie after "The Jerk"--most just focused on the comedy scenes where Steve pours coffee or shaves his tongue.

Dead Men.. maintains a delicate equilibrum between a re-enactment and an original script. On one hand, Carl Reiner offers a comedy which compilates several film noir classics (the strongest influence seems to come from the Maltese Falcon)and makes fun of their profound grim atmosphere, but without ever loosing its self-esteem. On the other hand, it combines at least a dozen scenes from those movies with stand-ins in order to establish a believable (physical) interaction between actors who differ 40 years in age.

Steve Martin would play the same kind of unwilling comedian in Plains, Trains & Automoblies. His voice-over definitely was an inspiration to Leslie Nielsen in the Naked Gun series. Along with Dragnet (1987), both owe, of course, a lot to the police serials from the 50's.

This movie is mostly suited for classic film buffs such as me

The premise to this is pretty simple: parody film noir movies by inserting old movie clips and have Steve Martin say things that turn serious lines from those movies into jokes. While we're at it, throw in sexy Rachel Ward. It sounds like it could have been a really great comedy. For a fan of film noir and older movies in general like myself, it has an added bonus of getting to revisit all of these great old films through clips. It's fun to see this clip or that and see if you can remember where it comes from. Unfortunately, however, the movie ultimately doesn't work. The reasons for this are twofold. First, the gimmick tires quickly. I think I was over it after about a half hour or so. Second, it's just not that funny. There are a few funny bits, like the cup of java gag that goes on forever. But mostly it's kind of juvenile. Often the movie seems to lose itself in its clips and forgets to turn those clips into something humorous. Martin and Ward are fine in their roles. Maybe Carl Reiner would have been better off trying to do a straight parody film with these two instead of using the clips, which ultimately proved to be a distraction.

I remember reading reviews in The New York Times and elsewhere in 1983 fawning over Woody Allen's brilliant and wholly original idea of inserting himself into old film footage in "Zelig." They'd not noted, of course, that everyone from Ernie Kovacs to John Zacherle had already done that "brilliant and wholly original idea" on television -- and, most notably, Steve Martin did it in a feature film, "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid," one year prior to "Zelig." While "Zelig" has its moments, it is ultimately tedious, running about twice as long as it's one-note gag treatment can sustain. In sharp contrast is the far more clever, inspired, fully developed, insightful and witty DMDWP, which, as noted. came out one year earlier. As often happens with groundbreakers set somewhere outside the norm, DMDWP was not exactly a box office hit -- a key reason why no sequels were ever made. That's unfortunate, as Martin's character was one of his finest creations and could have sustained more installments in the series. (Steve was never better on film than he is here.) It's good that the people behind "Police Squad" did not give up on it after it failed to fit within the confines of standard TV concepts around the same time. Reborn as "The Naked Gun" series of feature films, the "Police Squad" concept turned into three of the greatest comedy motion pictures of all time. DMDWP deserved a lot better than it got in 1982 as well, and I'm glad to see that it has finally found respect and its audience through television exposure (much like a previous box office bomb, "It's A Wonderful Life"). The kind of creativity Martin, Carl Reiner and the rest of the DMDWP crew put into their project needs to be strongly encouraged -- as it represents excellent comic film-making, as opposed to the witless parade of routine crudities that Hollywood ordinarily churns out.

Likable detective comedy with Steve Martin that is built around film noir clips. Steve Martin is great once again, Rachel Ward is a real dame and director Carl Reiner gives a memorable performance as evil Nazi mastermind von Kluck. The film starts off slow and gets better, but it's not as hilarious as I had hoped. While it's commendable how the authors managed to construct a plot around a fairly erratic selection of old movie clips, it also makes the story about as complex and confusing as "The Big Sleep". I also have to admit that I am simply not knowledgeable enough about film noir to appreciate most of the clips; although I consider myself a movie buff and regularly watch classic movies, out of the movies used by DMDWP I had only seen, well, "The Big Sleep".

So: still a good Steve Martin comedy.

Being an old movie freak (I may be the only high schooler who can quote "Breakfast at Tiffany's word for word), this picture was a joy to watch! The film clips substituted into the film is a brilliant way to tell the story, although the cleaning lady was a little odd.... Very nice performance by Steve Martin! Recommended to all old movie fans, and lovers of great comedy!!

The only trouble with DEAD MEN DON'T WEAR PLAID is that Carl Reiner's script is so convoluted that you stop paying attention to the storyline after awhile and get hooked on waiting for the next film clip to pair STEVE MARTIN with a classic star. He plays detective Rigby Rearden who gets mixed up with a femme fatale (RACHEL WARD) from the Lauren Bacall school of femmes. She shows up at his apartment needing help and from then on it's a matter of following a Raymond Chandler type of detective story.

Martin's scenes with stars like ALAN LADD, BETTE DAVIS, HUMPHREY BOGART, AVA GARDNER, etc., are seamlessly matched with his newly written material thanks to the clever cinematography, costuming and sets that are made to order for just such a gimmick to work. Plenty of over the shoulder shots match him perfectly with whomever he's speaking to so that the illusion is near perfect.

Most of the time it works pretty well and all of the guest appearances are welcome enough, but there are times when the silliness is almost over the top and attention is drawn away from the story itself.

Still, a very original attempt at something different.

Summing up: Well done, but more likely to appeal to film buffs familiar with the old clips rather than anyone who has only a casual acquaintance with the film noir of the '40s.

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...

This movie while not perfect is just another one of Steve Martin's good comedies of the 1980's where he was on fire in my opinion. He had so many comedies that I enjoyed that it is rather surprising. This is mainly considering the fact that the comedy movie is something now I virtually never go to the movies to see unless it is like a comedy/something other than comedy movie like Zombieland. This film also is one of the reasons I had issues with the movie "Forrest Gump" winning an Oscar for special effects. Look at this film and a later comedy "Kung Pow" and the things they made such a big deal of the fact they placed Tom Hanks with dead people is just not that big a deal. They did it here quite well, granted a lot of the time the person had their back to Steve, I still rather thought it was well done. The comedy is good, mainly consisting of Steve Martin's various looks and responses to the sometimes long dead actor's scenes from previous movies. Though the funniest part was the scene involving the dog poop which I will admit was rather childish compared to the rest of the comedy in this film, but it still got me laughing the hardest.

Simply brilliant. This gem of a movie slipped under the radar screen of the movie goer's consciousness when it was first released, but it will live on forever in the DVD collections of those who truly cherish good film-making. (And good parody. And good detective films. Film tributes, comedy, well, you get the picture I think.) As much an homage to the classic suspense/detective films as was Blade Runner, Chinatown, and Mullholland Falls. I have found myself, over the years, stealing lines from this movie at cocktail parties, and generally all I get is blank stares. But every now and then I will meet a kindred spirit, and their eyes will light up, and they'll join right it!

"You don't smoke, do you?" "No, I have tuberculosis." "Oh, thank heaven for that." Ha ha ha ha ha HAA!!

Two thumbs way up!!

Favorite Movie Quote - "I'm re-adjusting your breasts. When you fainted they shifted out of whack. And, so, I was just re-aligning them for you."

I'd easily say that this picture has got to be one of the best and most entertaining parodies of the 1940s Film Noir/Detective genre that I've ever seen.

This film really delivers some great laughs.

Filmed in glossy black and white, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid ingeniously weaves its plot and production design around numerous movies clips from such golden-oldie classics as This Gun For Hire, Double Indemnity, Notorious, The Big Sleep - To name but a few.

Steve Martin plays Rigby Reardon, a $10-a-day gumshoe (working in Los Angeles) who is hired to solve a truly incomprehensible mystery that involves the apparent death of brilliant scientist, Dr. Forest.

Reardon immediately smells a rat as he sets out to follow a complex maze of clues that eventually lead him to the "Carlotta Lists" of friends and enemies.

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid was directed by Carl Reiner and stars the gorgeous screen-siren, Rachel Ward. (Whatever became of the husky-voiced beauty, anyways?)

I'm wondering what was the point in actually making this movie. I'm sure it was a lot of fun for the filmmakers to blend Steve Martin into classic film noirs especially in terms of matching the sets, the stand-ins and the musical score. But such cleverness doesn't extend to the actual script which didn't have much of a story. Many of the scenes seemed completely extraneous to the plot, designed merely to show off the great actors of yesteryear. At best, Steve Martin's goofy humor is only mildly amusing at times. The best jokes are trotted out more than once (e.g. Rigby's 'cleaning woman' tantrum and Rachel Ward sucking out the bullet from Rigby's arm). But for the most part DMWNP is not funny at all. The main problem is that no real dramatic interplay develops in this story. Because the story is basically a gimmick, Steve Martin merely interacts with a bunch of film clips and is not pitted against any significantly developed antagonists. The "B" Story, the love story between Steven Martin and Rachel Ward is simply a collection of juvenile sexual innuendos (for example, when Martin grabs Ward's breasts in the opening scene). If you take away all of Steve Martin's silly asides, you're pretty much left with a standard by-the-numbers film noir, thoroughly mediocre and uninspired.

I feel like I'm committing sacrilege to admit I enjoy this film especially since I'm a huge Film Noir aficionado. Purists might be shocked to see classics cannibalized for a comedy of all things but I feel there is also a reverence angle that can be introduced to the argument. It also can intensify exposure to a larger mass audience and thus promoting growth. The issue for me however is that Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is one very funny film.

With the best faux authenticity (another sterling effort by Michael Chapman) blending of its day Steve Martin in on spot comic dead pan mixes with the greats of American cinema in a cleverly devised parody on film noir . As private eye Rigby Reardon he crosses paths with an hysterical Barbara Stanwyck and a homicidal Alan Ladd among a dozen other stars of bygone era. The plot has a Big Sleep similarity and is just as confusing which allows Martin and director Alan Reiner to create a steady jigsaw puzzle of laughs with a fresh original approach. It slows at times with the present day cast but when the stars are out the film becomes capable of inducing parody and awe at the same time.

Detective investigates the disappearance of a cheese scientist. It's a gimmick but this is perhaps the most stellar cast ever assembled: Bogart, Bergman, Cagney, Crawford, Davis, Douglas, Grant, Gardner, Ladd, Lancaster, MacMurray, Stanwyck, etc. It's an amusing gimmick, but unfortunately there is little else here to hold one's interest. The writers labored so hard to cleverly incorporate the vintage clips that they forgot to write a story that has any kind of sustained narrative or wit. The jokes are so lame that most of them are not even worthy of groans. Mostly, one is left longing to watch the films from which clips are teasingly utilized here.

I am a big fan of both Steve Martin and Carl Reiner, but can't say too many positive things for this one. It was interesting to see how they meshed the old scenes with new ones and a couple times it actually didn't seem too forced. That's about the best I can say for them. Contrary to what I've read here, it was totally obvious when the old clips came in and went out. Yes, there were a few chuckles here and there and Rachel Ward is beautiful. Unfortunately what it accomplished was that it made me long to see one of those old classics with Bogart or Cagney again or one I hadn't seen such as the one with Vincent Price. I think as a college project it would be called creative and fun, but coming from these 2 comedy greats it was really less than what I was expecting.