The Cheap Detective

I sat in front of the television watching “The Cheap Detective” instead of going out in the heat wave to get to a movie theatre.  I would have done better going out because this one was lacking any real ideas, and the script was truly flat and boring.  Apparently, the success of “Murder by Death” led to this production.  It has a lot of stars: Peter Falk, Ann-Margret, Eileen Brennan, Sid Caesar, Stockard Channing, James Coco, Dom DeLuise, Louise Fletcher, John Houseman, Madeline Kahn, Marsha Mason, Phil Silvers, Abe Vigoda, Paul Wiliams, Nicol Williamson, James Cromwell, Scatman Crothers, David Ogden Stiers, and Vic Tayback.  The movie blends “Casablanca” and “The Maltese Falcon,” along with a couple of others.  The attempts at humor were weak, and the whole film was tiresome.  The great cast couldn’t save it.  Neil Simon didn’t do any real work in coming up with this script.  The director was Robert Moore, who was born in 1927.  He directed only two other films, “Murder by Death” and “Chapter Two.”  He died of AIDS at age 57 on May 10, 1984.  Don’t see “The Cheap Detective.”  It’s not worth seeing even as a video quiz to see if you can catch all the references.  Some of the people who died on June 12 include Norma Shearer (1983), Gregory Peck (2003), Don Herbert (2007), Philip Baker Hall (2022), Carol Higgins Clark (2023), and Treat Williams (2023).  Today is a birthday for Timothy Busfield (67).  According to the Brandon Brooks Rewind radio segment for June 12, police raided a hospital where Billie Holiday was being treated in 1959, and they found heroin and charged her with illegal possession of narcotics.  In 1965, The Beatles were awarded the MBE.  Also in 1965, the Rolling Stones’ single “Satisfaction” was released in the United States.  In 1967, “You Only Live Twice” had its London premiere at the Odeon Cinema.  In 1968, Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby” was released.  In 1971, Honey Cone had the Number One single, “Want Ads.”  In 1981, “Raiders of the Lost Ar” was released.  In 1987, “Predator” was released.