{ "id": "epcv0q5f2r", "slug": "the-cheap-detective", "title": "The Cheap Detective", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance", "label": "Comedy and romantic films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1970s", "label": "Comedies of the 1970s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1970s" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1970s.yr-1977-1979", "label": "Released 1977 to 1979", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1970s.yr-1977-1979" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1970s", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000: Comedies of the 1970s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1970s", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance", "label": "Comedy and romantic films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1970s", "label": "Comedies of the 1970s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1970s" } ] } ], "excerpt": "The Cheap Detective is a 1978 American comedy-mystery written by Neil Simon, starring Peter Falk as a San Francisco private eye parodying Humphrey Bogart films.", "snippet": "The Cheap Detective is a 1978 American comedy-mystery written by Neil Simon, starring Peter Falk as a San Francisco private eye parodying Humphrey Bogart films.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-the-1970s.yr-1977-1979", "markdown": "# The Cheap Detective\n\n**The Cheap Detective** is a 1978 American comedy-mystery that parodies the [Humphrey Bogart](https://www.edgepedia.org/humphrey-bogart) canon, blending plot elements of *The Maltese Falcon* and *Casablanca* with additional material drawn from *The Big Sleep*, *To Have and Have Not*, and *Chinatown*. Written by [Neil Simon](https://www.edgepedia.org/neil-simon), directed by Robert Moore, and produced by Ray Stark, it stars [Peter Falk](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-falk) as San Francisco private eye Lou Peckinpaugh, a Bogart-style gumshoe suspected of murdering his own partner.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56237-THE-CHEAP-DETECTIVE) • [2](https://time.com/archive/6879936/cinema-easy-shot/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cheap_detective)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | Limited US release June 9, 1978; general release June 23, 1978[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077321/releaseinfo/) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56237-THE-CHEAP-DETECTIVE) |\n| Key credits | Directed by Robert Moore; written by Neil Simon; produced by Ray Stark; cinematography by John A. Alonzo[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56237-THE-CHEAP-DETECTIVE) |\n| Lead role | Peter Falk as Lou Peckinpaugh, a San Francisco detective in the boozy, wise-cracking Bogart tradition[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cheap_detective) |\n| Runtime and rating | 92 minutes, MPAA rating PG, shot in color with Panavision lenses[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56237-THE-CHEAP-DETECTIVE) |\n| Box office | $28,221,552 domestic; $136,404,165 inflation-adjusted[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Cheap-Detective-The) |\n| Estimated budget | $6,000,000[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077321/) |\n| Critical score | 53% on the Tomatometer from 17 reviews; 57% on the Popcornmeter[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cheap_detective) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and sources\n\nThe film is set in 1939 San Francisco, which the scrolling prologue calls \"a fictitious city called San Francisco ... seven thousand miles away from Casablanca.\"[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56237-THE-CHEAP-DETECTIVE) Lou Peckinpaugh is the main suspect in the shooting of his partner Floyd Merkle, with whom Peckinpaugh's affair with Merkle's wife Georgia gives the police an obvious motive. While trying to clear himself, he takes a case involving stolen diamonds and reacquaints himself with his old flame Marlene DuChard ([Louise Fletcher](https://www.edgepedia.org/louise-fletcher)), who is on the run from the Gestapo.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cheap_detective) • [7](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56237-THE-CHEAPDETECTIVE?cp=1&pos=3&sid=be5d60c2-b057-4928-8221-cebcf5300f87&sr=1.94245e-7)\n\n**The parody targets.** Simon built the screenplay around Bogart's signature vehicles. The first half runs loosely through *The Maltese Falcon* material, then shifts into *Casablanca* mode, with bits from *The Big Sleep*, *To Have and Have Not*, and *Chinatown* mixed in.[2](https://time.com/archive/6879936/cinema-easy-shot/) • [8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1978/06/23/spoofying-them-all/47a70001-d9e1-4867-b465-d7c9579995a2/) The ensemble cast plays take-offs of characters made famous by classic performers: [Madeline Kahn](https://www.edgepedia.org/madeline-kahn) as the Mrs. Montenegro figure modeled on [Mary Astor](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-astor), John Houseman on [Sydney Greenstreet](https://www.edgepedia.org/sydney-greenstreet), Ann-Margret on Lauren Bacall, Dom DeLuise on Peter Lorre, Louise Fletcher on Ingrid Bergman, and Fernando Lamas on Paul Henreid.[9](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thecheapdetective) Kahn's character uses a string of aliases through the film, including Denise Manderley, Natasha Oublenskaya, and Lady Edwina Morgan St. Paul.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56237-THE-CHEAP-DETECTIVE)\n\nThe supporting cast is large: [Eileen Brennan](https://www.edgepedia.org/eileen-brennan) as chanteuse Betty DeBoop, Sid Caesar and [Ann-Margret](https://www.edgepedia.org/ann-margret) as the Dezires, Scatman Crothers as the piano player Tinker, James Coco, Phil Silvers, Nicol Williamson as the Nazi, Abe Vigoda as Sergeant Rizzuto, Stockard Channing as Bess, and [David Ogden Stiers](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-ogden-stiers) as the Captain.[9](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thecheapdetective) • [5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Cheap-Detective-The) In one *Casablanca* pastiche, Peckinpaugh warns the piano player not to play their song, then slams the keyboard cover on his fingers when he launches into \"Jeepers Creepers.\"[10](https://www.tcm.com/articles/25888/the-cheap-detective)\n\n## Production\n\n[Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) began May 16, 1977 in San Francisco, with a reported budget of $5 million to $6 million, and completed on July 27, 1977 at Burbank Studios, finishing two days ahead of schedule. The King Edward Hotel in downtown Los Angeles served as a shooting location.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56237-THE-CHEAP-DETECTIVE)\n\nCasting changed during preparation. Eileen Brennan was announced in February 1977 as the secretary to Falk's character, but [Stockard Channing](https://www.edgepedia.org/stockard-channing) was cast in that role the following month; Brennan instead played one of the film's five femmes fatales. [Lily Tomlin](https://www.edgepedia.org/lily-tomlin) was considered for a femme fatale part but could not appear because her one-woman Broadway show had extended its run, and Ann-Margret took the role.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56237-THE-CHEAP-DETECTIVE)\n\n## Relationship to Murder by Death\n\nThe film is the spiritual rather than direct sequel to *Murder by Death* (1976), Simon's spoof of the classic murderer-among-the-houseguests mystery. The two films share the same writer, producer, director, and several cast members, and both rest on the idea that a pastiche of a beloved popular form can profit in the nostalgia market. Where *Murder by Death* parodied the locked-room whodunit, *The Cheap Detective* runs its [Sam Spade](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-spade)-style character through Bogart movie material.[2](https://time.com/archive/6879936/cinema-easy-shot/) • [11](https://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/arts/culture-magazines/genres-i-revision-transformation-and-revival) Falk's Peckinpaugh extends the Spade-like role he played in the earlier film, and Falk's imitation covers Bogart's vocal characterization and body language.[10](https://www.tcm.com/articles/25888/the-cheap-detective)\n\n## Box office and reception\n\nThe film was a commercial success. It opened in Los Angeles on June 23, 1978 at Avco Cinema, grossed over $5 million in 648 theaters nationwide in its opening weekend, and reached nearly $15 million within two weeks.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56237-THE-CHEAP-DETECTIVE) Its final domestic total of $28,221,552 against an estimated $6 million budget made it one of the year's profitable comedies.[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Cheap-Detective-The) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077321/)\n\nCritical response was mixed. Trade papers *Daily Variety* and *The Hollywood Reporter* gave it rave reviews, praising most performances and the writing, direction, art direction, cinematography, and score, though the *Hollywood Reporter* reviewer wrote that Louise Fletcher \"can't really act.\" The *New York* and *New Yorker* reviews were less enthusiastic, mostly faulting the writing.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56237-THE-CHEAP-DETECTIVE) Roger Ebert gave it two of four stars, writing that it offered no new insight into what made Bogart original.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cheap_detective) On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds 53% among 17 critics and 57% among audiences.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cheap_detective)\n\n## Legacy\n\nA television pilot spinoff was planned: comedian [Flip Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/flip-wilson) negotiated with NBC in 1979 to star, and the pilot aired on June 3, 1980.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56237-THE-CHEAP-DETECTIVE) The film is available on digital and DVD from Sony Pictures and streams on services including Tubi.[9](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thecheapdetective) • [12](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-cheap-detective)\n\n## References\n\n1. [The Cheap Detective (1978), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56237-THE-CHEAP-DETECTIVE)\n2. [Richard Schickel, \"Cinema: Easy Shot,\" TIME, July 10, 1978](https://time.com/archive/6879936/cinema-easy-shot/)\n3. [The Cheap Detective (1978), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cheap_detective)\n4. [The Cheap Detective (1978) Release Info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077321/releaseinfo/)\n5. [The Cheap Detective (1978), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Cheap-Detective-The)\n6. [The Cheap Detective (1978), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077321/)\n7. [The Cheap Detective (1978) Synopsis, AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56237-THE-CHEAPDETECTIVE?cp=1&pos=3&sid=be5d60c2-b057-4928-8221-cebcf5300f87&sr=1.94245e-7)\n8. [\"Spoofying Them All,\" The Washington Post, June 23, 1978](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1978/06/23/spoofying-them-all/47a70001-d9e1-4867-b465-d7c9579995a2/)\n9. [THE CHEAP DETECTIVE, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thecheapdetective)\n10. [Jay Steinberg, \"The Cheap Detective,\" TCM article, April 22, 2003](https://www.tcm.com/articles/25888/the-cheap-detective)\n11. [Genres I: Revision, Transformation, and Revival, Encyclopedia.com](https://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/arts/culture-magazines/genres-i-revision-transformation-and-revival)\n12. [The Cheap Detective streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-cheap-detective)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of the 1970s › Released 1977 to 1979*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cheap-detective", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cheap-detective.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"The Cheap Detective\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cheap-detective. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[The Cheap Detective](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cheap-detective)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cheap-detective](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cheap-detective). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"The Cheap Detective\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cheap-detective. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "The Cheap Detective is a 1978 American comedy-mystery written by Neil Simon, starring Peter Falk as a San Francisco private eye parodying Humphrey Bogart films." }