01
Murder by Death
Why this pick
A brisk, knowingly silly detective-story spoof with an all-star gallery of genre caricatures, matching The Black Bird’s irreverent attitude toward hard-boiled mystery conventions.
A FILM WORTH A CLOSER LOOKTHE FEATURE PRESENTATION
MOVIE1975 1h 50m USA
IF THIS ONE STAYED WITH YOU
Movies like
The Black Bird
Comedy
CINEHUNCH / THE NEXT FRAME
Keep the feeling.
SIMILAR PICKS / A PERSONAL CONNECTION
If you loved The Black Bird, try these.
01
02
The Cheap Detective
Why this pick
Peter Falk plays a wisecracking private eye in a densely parodic noir pastiche; its affectionate mockery of vintage detective tropes is especially close to The Black Bird.
03
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Why this pick
Its deadpan private-eye investigation and lovingly assembled noir visual language turn classic crime-film seriousness into constant absurdist comedy.
04
The Long Goodbye
Why this pick
Not a broad spoof, but its shambling, sardonic Philip Marlowe and sun-bleached 1970s Los Angeles offer a similarly revisionist, off-kilter take on hard-boiled detective mythology.
05
Fletch
Why this pick
Chevy Chase’s freelance reporter solves a crime through wisecracks, disguises, and comic misdirection—a playful modern cousin to the parody-detective energy of The Black Bird.
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01 / THE STORY
A little about the film.
When San Francisco, California private detective Sam Spade dies, his son, Sam, Jr., inherits his father's agency, including the sarcastic secretary, Effie Perine (also known as "Godzilla"). He must also continue his father's tradition of "serving minorities." When Caspar Gutman is killed outside Spade's building, his dying words are, "It's black and as long as your arm."
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02 / FACES IN THE FRAME
The people who bring it to life.
Signe Hasso
Dr. Crippen
Vic Tayback
Warren Finley, Police Lieutenant
George Segal
Sam Spade Jr.
Stéphane Audran
Anna Kemidov
Lionel Stander
Gordon Immerman
Lee Patrick
Effie
Elisha Cook Jr.
Wilmer Cook
Felix Silla
Litvak