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Detective encounters old movie actors and Hong Kong dollars
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The 1982 film "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" is a comedy inspired by late 1940's crime and detective films.
 
The film features scenes from real late 1940's films and various actors and actresses from the period appear, including Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, Ingrid Bergman, and Ray Milland.
 
The film is set in 1946 according to a date on a notice. A woman hires a private detective to find her father. They trace the father to an island off the coast of Peru where they encounter some bad guys.
 
Steve Martin plays the detective and in a nightclub he rolls some coins between his fingers. The coins are British Hong Kong dollar coins from the 1960's.
 
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1. Title
Juliet Forrest enters private detective Rigby Reardon's office.
 
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
2. Juliet in Rigby's office
She hires Rigby to find her father Dr. John Forrest, an expert on cheeses.
 
Rigby then visits Juliet at her place.
 
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
3. Juliet and Rigby at her place
They begin a romance.
 
Rigby begins questioning people mentioned in lists which Dr. Forrest kept.
 
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
4. Ray Milland
Rigby exchanges a five dollar bill for one that Ray has.
 
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
5. Five dollar bill
The five dollar bill is an imitation prop note with the year "1969" on it.
 
Rigby sees an old girlfriend.
 
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
6. Ingrid Bergman
She sends him to another detective, Philip Marlowe, who is sort of Rigby's mentor.
 
Later Philip Marlowe calls Rigby's office and talks to Juliet.
 
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
7. Humphrey Bogart
At an apartment Rigby admires the art.
 
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
8. Admiring art
The piece appears to be a carving on an ivory animal horn.
 
Rigby and Juliet are directed by a map to Peru and then an island named Carlotta. Rigby enters a nightclub which has a female singer.
 
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
9. Ava Gardner
Rigby rolls some coins with his fingers while waiting for Juliet.
 
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
10. Rolling a coin
One coin appears in this scene. Rigby then rolls two coins.
 
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
11. Rolling two coins
The coins are British Hong Kong one dollar coins.
 
A British Hong Kong dollar coin:
 
British Hong Kong dollar
12. British Hong Kong dollar 1960
Copper-nickel, 30 mm, 11.74 gm
Obverse: Queen Elizabeth II facing right
Reverse: British Lion holding globe
These coins were only minted in 1960 and 1970.
 
Rigby and Juliet are given an address for Dr. Forrest.
 
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
13. Fiesta de Carlotta
The city is crowded due to a local fiesta.
 
The pair enter a building and encounter the standard bad guys.
 
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
14. Standard bad guys
The chief bad guy, Field Marshal Wilfried von Kluck, brags about taking over the world. The bad guys tie Rigby up but he goes nuts, breaks the chain, pulls a gun, and shoots the Field Marshal.
 
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
15. Juliet and Rigby
Cast, Directors, Writers:
 
Steve Martin as Rigby Reardon
Rachel Ward as Juliet Forrest
Carl Reiner as Field Marshal Wilfried von Kluck
Reni Santoni as Carlos Rodriguez
 
Director: Carl Reiner
Writers: Carl Reiner, George Gipe, Steve Martin
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