Lou Peckinpaugh (Peter Falk), a bumbling San Francisco private detective, tries to prove himself innocent of his partner's murder while helping a bizarre array of characters recover a lost treasure. A large number of people are murdered in crazy death poses before he finds out from Pepe Damascus that they were all after twelve large egg-shaped diamonds. Vladimir Tserijemiwtz, who had the diamonds, is shot by his partner Marcel, who had been bleeding for 10 years. Peckinpaugh confronts those searching for the diamonds in his home, finding that the eggs concealed real baby chicks. A final confrontation between the protagonists and Col. Schlissel ensues at the waterfront.
The film grossed $5,113,743 in its opening weekend from 648 theaters, finishing third for the weekend behind Grease and Jaws 2 in their second weekends.[5] Film critic Roger Ebert stated that "If you loved The Maltese Falcon and can recite all the best lines from Casablanca by heart, you'll hate 'The Cheap Detective', which is basically just the year's classiest and most expensive rip-off."[6]
A number of critics gave the film very positive reviews: The Fresno Bee noted that "Neil Simon has done it again. Written a film that is funny, entertaining, and a treat for old movie buffs."[7]
Ed Mintz founded CinemaScore in 1979 after disliking The Cheap Detective despite being a fan of Neil Simon and hearing another disappointed attendee wanting to hear the opinions of ordinary people instead of critics.[8]
See also
Murder by Death – a 1976 film featuring Falk as a similar character (another Sam Spade parody) that was written by Simon and directed by Moore.[9]
