There are two key ingredients to producing a good spoof. Not only should the film satirise a specific work or genre, but it must serve just as well as a homage. Were 'Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)' to have been made by filmmakers with no interest in film noir, it most certainly would not have been such an enjoyable comedy. Director Carl Reiner and lead actor Steve Martin instead actively embrace the clichés and conventions of the noir style, adding their own jokes, of course, but primarily drawing humour from the characters' deadpan reactions to ridiculous scenarios. Accusations that the film is a mere "gimmick comedy" are well-founded but misguided - Rigby Reardon's interactions with cinema's classic hard-boiled characters {including Humphrey Bogart, Ray Milland and James Cagney}, via archival footage, are an inspired opportunity for storytelling creativity, and the writers' ability to meld these disjointed episodes into a coherent and entertaining narrative deserves to be applauded. Why this hilarious film isn't ranked alongside classics like 'Young Frankenstein (1974)' is beyond me.<br /><br />Private detective Reardon (Martin) opens the picture like most of his predecessors did. As he sits in his office, considering closing down for a few days, he is unexpectedly interrupted by a beautiful woman at the door. The intelligent and sophisticated Juliet Forrest (Rachel Ward) begins to speak, but, upon noticing the newspaper headline of her father's death, suddenly faints into Rigby's arms. So far, we've stayed pretty true to the source material. But then, noticing the breathtaking prettiness of his (unconscious) female visitor, Rigby "confirms her existence" by kissing her and fondling her breasts. When Juliet awakens and dazedly asks Rigby what he's doing, the detective offers the logical answer, with a straight face that only Steve Martin could have delivered. Rachel Ward has a bit of Lauren Bacall about her, quietly seductive without being openly so. In a nod to Bacall's famous "put your lips together and blow" line from 'To Have and Have Not (1944),' the film features Juliet's similar instructions on how to use a telephone. The remainder of the cast is derived almost exclusively from 1940s cinema.<br /><br />What makes 'Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid' unique among spoof comedies is its use of archive footage from classic film noir thrillers. The film's most deserving geniuses are those who worked on the editing, costumes and set decoration. Notably, this was the last contribution of legendary costume designer Edith Head, who, ironically, was asked to precisely replicate some of her own previous work from the 1940s. Editor Bud Molin did absolute wonders with the footage he was given - not only are we duped into believing that Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray from 'Double Indemnity (1944)') might conceivably have fallen for Steve Martin in a blonde wig, but he even somehow manages to transform Ingrid Bergman (in'Notorious (1946)') into a sinister, scheming seductress. While the jokes very occasionally skirt the borders of credulity (the "bullet sucking" medical treatment) and good taste (the "adjustments"), Carl Reiner's comedy is largely a mature and affectionate love-letter to a style of film that they "just don't make like they used to."