Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)

DEAD MEN DON'T WEAR PLAID  (1982)  ¢ ¢ ¢ 1/2
    D: Carl Reiner
    Steve Martin, Rachel Ward, Reni Santoni, 
    Carl Reiner, George Gaynes, Frank McCarthy
Hard-boiled gumshoe Rigby Reardon tries to crack a tough case, but the streets are dark and dangerous, corruption is everywhere, nobody can be trusted, and naturally there's a dame involved. This movie plays off a gimmick, but the gimmick's a good one: editing Steve Martin into scenes with Bogart, Stanwyck, Lancaster and other black-and-white stars from the '40s. It's a safe bet Mel Brooks would've made a film-noir parody eventually, but this time his old pal Carl Reiner beat him to it.