Murder Is My Business (Private Detectives in films & TV)
"When a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do something about it. It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it. And it happens we're in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed, it's-it's bad business to let the killer get away with it, bad all around, bad for every detective everywhere."
Humphrey Bogart as Samuel Spade in The Maltese Falcon (1941).
Humphrey Bogart as Samuel Spade in The Maltese Falcon (1941).
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- DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartMary AstorGladys GeorgeSan Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.
- DirectorJack SmightStarsPaul NewmanLauren BacallJulie HarrisCool private investigator Lew Harper is hired by a wealthy California matron to locate her kidnapped husband.
- DirectorRoy Del RuthStarsBebe DanielsRicardo CortezDudley DiggesA lovely dame with dangerous lies employs the services of a private detective, who is quickly caught up in the mystery and intrigue of a statuette known as the Maltese Falcon.
- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsJane FondaDonald SutherlandCharles CioffiA small-town detective searching for a missing man has only one lead: a connection with a New York prostitute.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsDick PowellClaire TrevorAnne ShirleyAfter being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsFrank SinatraRaquel WelchRichard ConteDuring an ocean dive, Miami gumshoe Tony Rome (Frank Sinatra) finds a woman's body with her feet encased in a concrete block and sets out to solve the murder case.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsHumphrey BogartLauren BacallJohn RidgelyPrivate detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a wealthy family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail and what might be love.
- DirectorJacques TourneurStarsRobert MitchumJane GreerKirk DouglasA private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses, and duplicitous dames.
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsRalph MeekerAlbert DekkerPaul StewartA doomed female hitchhiker pulls Mike Hammer into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue, revolving around a mysterious "great whatsit".
- StarsDarren McGavinBart BurnsVito ScottiThe adventures of Mickey Spillane's tough-talking, brawling, skirt-chasing private detective Mike Hammer, who's always ready to use his fists on a "mug" or his charm on a "skirt" to get the case solved.
- DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsPaul NewmanJoanne WoodwardAnthony FranciosaHarper's a big-city PI, who travels to Louisiana to help an old girlfriend who's worried her husband will find out she's been cheating on him.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsFrank SinatraJill St. JohnRichard ConteTough Miami P.I., Tony Rome's hired by a millionaire to find jewelry stolen from his daughter. In the search, he has several encounters with local hoods as well as the Miami's police.
- CreatorLarry BrodyStarsStacy KeachLindsay BloomDon StroudThe cases of Mickey Spillane's classic private eye character.
- DirectorRichard T. HeffronStarsArmand AssanteBarbara CarreraLaurene LandonA PI investigates the murder of his one-armed friend, a PI working on a case. Clues lead to a sex clinic. Bodies pile up.
- DirectorVictor SavilleGeorge WhiteStarsRobert BrayWhitney BlakeDonald RandolphPrivate eye Mike Hammer passes over beautiful women and corpses to find stolen jewels.
- DirectorHarry EssexStarsBiff ElliotPreston FosterPeggie CastleDectective Mike Hammer is determined to catch and kill the person who shot his close friend dead, so he follows clues that lead to a beautiful, seductive woman.
- DirectorRoy RowlandStarsMickey SpillaneShirley EatonScott PetersLegendary detective Mike Hammer has spent seven years in an alcoholic funk after the supposed death of his secretary, Velda. He is brought back to the land of the living by his old friendly enemy, police lieutenant Pat Chambers.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsElliott GouldNina van PallandtSterling HaydenPrivate investigator Philip Marlowe helps a friend out of a jam, but in doing so gets implicated in his wife's murder.
- CreatorJohn HawkesworthStarsJeremy BrettDavid BurkeRosalie WilliamsSherlock Holmes and Dr Watson solve the mysteries of copper beeches, a Greek interpreter, the Norwood builder, a resident patient, the red-headed league, and one final problem.
- DirectorBuzz KulikStarsBurt ReynoldsDyan CannonJohn P. RyanMillions in diamonds are stolen from a safe in NYC and later the burglar is killed. Shamus is paid $10,000 by the owner to find the diamonds or killer.
- CreatorJohn HawkesworthStarsJeremy BrettEdward HardwickeRosalie WilliamsSherlock Holmes and Dr Watson solve the mysteries of the devil's foot, Silver Blaze, Wisteria Lodge and the Bruce-Partington Plans.
- DirectorJake KasdanStarsBill PullmanBen StillerRyan O'NealThe world's greatest detective Daryl Zero aided by his associate Steve Arlo investigates a complex and mysterious case of blackmail and missing keys for shady tycoon Gregory Stark who is less than forthcoming about what is really happening!
- CreatorEdward HumeStarsBuddy EbsenLee MeriwetherMark SheraPrivate eye Barnaby Jones works with his widowed daughter-in-law to solve cases.
- DirectorRay DantonStarsStacy KeachDon StroudLindsay BloomA young girl is kidnapped and there is an attempt on the daughter of an well-known actress. The kidnapper then turns up dead. Hammer is hired to protect the girl and travels to Los Angeles, where she is then kidnapped.
- DirectorRobert CulpStarsBill CosbyRobert CulpTa-Ronce AllenBill Cosby and Robert Culp ("I Spy") are united again as private eyes in this Walter Hill-scripted "film noir." Searching for a missing girl, they find themselves involved with vicious criminals and precipitating a string of deaths.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyMaureen O'SullivanFormer detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it.After the Thin Man (1936), Song of the Thin Man (1947), Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), The Thin Man Goes Home (1945).
- DirectorEdward HolzmanStarsJeff GriggsLesli KayGail ThackrayWhen the head of a prominent modeling agency dies under suspicious circumstances, there are more than enough likely suspects - but no evidence. Michael Brandon, ex-Justice Department golden boy now on the skids, is hired to find the killer. His investigation leads to a simmering world of sensuous women, where seduction is a way of life, and the games people play are always sexual - and sometimes deadly.
- StarsPeter LawfordPhyllis KirkAstaAmateur detectives Nick and Nora Charles investigate various crimes.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartKim NovakBarbara Bel GeddesA former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.
- StarsFrank M. ThomasNicholas SaundersWilliam GarganPrivate detective Martin Kane works in New York solving crimes. Depending on the year, Kane was either smooth and suave or hard bitten and the cooperation he received from the police depended on the year. The only constant was Happy McMann's tobacco shop where Kane hung out.
- DirectorNoah BuschelStarsMichael ShannonFrank WoodAmy RyanPrivate detective John Rosow is hired to tail a man on a train from Chicago to Los Angeles. Rosow gradually uncovers the man's identity as a missing person. Persuaded by a large reward, Rosow is charged with bringing the missing person back to his wife in New York City.
- StarsRichard DenningHerbert RudleyJerry ParisMichael Shayne is a private detective who solves crimes in Miami, Florida.
- DirectorRobert MooreStarsPeter FalkAlec GuinnessPeter SellersFive famous literary detective characters and their sidekicks are invited to a bizarre mansion to solve an even stranger mystery.
- DirectorEugene FordeStarsLloyd NolanMarjorie WeaverJoan ValerieAfter gumshoe Mike Shayne is hired by a millionaire to keep his daughter away from gambling and gamblers, he becomes involved in the murder of a racetrack tout.A series of seven films.
- DirectorRodney McDonaldStarsAndrew StevensShannon TweedTim RussSecurity expert Will Griffith has been hired to secure the mansion of South American expatriate Hector Mejenes, upon the insistence of his American wife, Marilyn.
- DirectorLee H. KatzinStarsRobert MitchumErnest BorgnineJohn MitchumBurnt-out private dick Jacob Aloysius Spanner teams up with his brother to help an old adversary track down his one remaining loved one, his kidnapped granddaughter. But who's the hood and who's being hoodwinked?
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsJack NicholsonFaye DunawayJohn HustonA private detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.
- CreatorStephen J. CannellStarsRobert ConradLarry ManettiRed WestEx-boxer Duke Ramsey becomes a Chicago private investigator.
- DirectorStanley A. LongStarsChristopher NeilSuzy KendallHarry H. CorbettWhile a private detective is away on vacation, his not particularly bright assistant takes it upon himself to "solve" a case that comes in. Complications ensue.
- DirectorJack NicholsonStarsJack NicholsonHarvey KeitelMeg TillyThe sequel to Chinatown (1974) finds J.J. "Jake" Gittes investigating adultery and murder, and the money that comes from oil.
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsAlbert FinneyBillie WhitelawFrank FinlayInspired by his love for Dashiell Hammett novels, nightclub comedian Eddie Ginley puts an ad in the paper as a private eye. The case he gets turns out to be a strange setup and as he digs to the bottom of it his life starts falling apart.
- DirectorMichael RitchieStarsDarren McGavinSean GarrisonShirley KnightPilot for the detective drama series has Darren McGavin playing David Ross, a hard-nosed, private eye/ex-con hired to tail a woman in an embezzling case which takes a turn when he finds himself the prime suspect when the woman is found dead in his own office, by his gun.
- DirectorArthur PennStarsGene HackmanJennifer WarrenEdward BinnsLos Angeles private investigator Harry Moseby is hired by a client to find her runaway teenage daughter. Moseby tracks the daughter down, only to stumble upon something much more intriguing and sinister.
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsMickey RourkeRobert De NiroLisa BonetA private investigator is hired by a man who calls himself Louis Cyphre to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite. But the investigation takes an unexpected and somber turn.
- DirectorRobert BentonStarsPaul NewmanSusan SarandonGene HackmanA retired detective accepts a simple task, unaware that it will tear open old, forgotten, but deadly wounds.
- DirectorDan O'BannonStarsJohn TerryJane SibbettChris SarandonCharles Dexter Ward's wife enlists the help of a private detective to find out what her husband is up to in a remote cabin owned by his family for centuries.
- DirectorMassimo CastellaniStarsThomas HunterGabriele TintiLeopoldo TriesteA man investigating a jewel robbery becomes the prime suspect himself.
- DirectorEugene FordeStarsWarner OlandKeye LukeVirginia FieldAlthough Charlie and Lee are in Monaco for an art exhibit, they become caught up in a feud between rival financiers which involves the Chans in a web of blackmail and murder.Plenty of Charlie Chan films.
- DirectorRobert FloreyStarsChester MorrisRochelle HudsonRichard LaneWhen a murder occurs on an ocean liner docked in New York, the trail leads to Coney Island and a spy ring.Plenty of Boston Blackie films.
- DirectorCharles S. DubinStarsBob HopeDon AmecheJayne MeadowsAn over-the-hill gumshoe reluctantly teams with worldly retired master thief to solve a string of art thefts and murders.
- DirectorJames TinlingStarsPeter LorreKeye LukeDick BaldwinWhen the #1 heavyweight contender is mysteriously poisoned during a bout, Moto knows that identifying the gambler who placed large bets against him is the key to solving the murder.Plenty of Mr. Moto films.
- DirectorHal AshbyStarsJeff BridgesRosanna ArquetteAlexandra PaulA former police detective, still recovering from his alcohol addiction, is seemingly drawn into L.A's criminal underworld after stumbling upon a local drug ring.
- DirectorCarl FranklinStarsDenzel WashingtonTom SizemoreJennifer BealsA Black war hero is hired to find a mysterious woman, and gets mixed up in a murderous political scandal in 1948 Los Angeles.
- CreatorDonald P. BellisarioGlen A. LarsonStarsTom SelleckJohn HillermanRoger E. MosleyThe adventures of a Hawaii-based private investigator.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsRobert StephensChristopher LeeColin BlakelyWhen a bored Holmes eagerly takes the case of Gabrielle Valladon after an attempt on her life, the search for her missing husband leads to Loch Ness and the legendary monster.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsKenneth BranaghEmma ThompsonAndy GarciaA woman who has lost her memory is taken in by a Los Angeles orphanage, and a private eye is enlisted to track down her identity, but he soon finds that he might have a past life connection to her that endangers their lives.
- CreatorRon ClarkTim ConwayStarsTim ConwayJoe RegalbutoBilly BartyAce Crawford is an incompetent gumshoe whose reputation as an ace detective is maintained by a progression of wild accidents and dumb luck. He is assisted by Toomey, a CPA who truly believed his mystique. Ace's favorite hangout is a wharfside bar run by Inch, mainly because his romantic foil, Luana, is a singer there.
- DirectorJohn NicolellaStarsStacy KeachLynda CarterLindsay BloomMike is asked by a Las Vegas entertainer to come to Vegas. Mike refuses, he is then knocked out and dropped (literally) into Las Vegas. He is led to believe that the entertainer had him shanghaied, which the entertainer denies. Later the entertainer is blown up (literally) and someone has planted evidence that points to Mike. Mike then sets out to try and clear his name but everyone he goes to get information is killed and he is again the suspect. Can Mike find someone who can clear him and can he keep that person alive long enough to do so?
- CreatorRichard LevinsonWilliam LinkStarsJim HuttonDavid WayneTom ReeseThe son of a police detective solves baffling crimes.
- DirectorS. Sylvan SimonStarsFranchot ToneJanet BlairJanis CarterP.I. Stu is hired to investigate the past of a millionaire Johnson's wife who is missing. Stu finds that the wife had left her home town with an actor, went to college using a stolen identity and purloined $40,000 from a night club.
- DirectorShane BlackStarsRobert Downey Jr.Val KilmerMichelle MonaghanAfter being mistaken for an actor, a New York thief is sent to Hollywood to train under a private eye for a potential movie role, but the duo are thrown together with a struggling actress into a murder mystery.
- DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsNicolas CageJoaquin PhoenixJames GandolfiniA private investigator is hired to discover if a "snuff film" is authentic or not.
- DirectorJag MundhraStarsRobert DaviTanya RobertsMorton Downey Jr.A woman attempts to save the family business and the end result is murder.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsJoaquin PhoenixJosh BrolinOwen WilsonIn 1970, drug-fueled Los Angeles private investigator Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend.
- DirectorAndy SidarisStarsDarby HintonSybil DanningArt MetranoA womanizing private detective is assigned the task of investigating who is behind the hi-tech computer technology leaks to the Russians.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsLucille BallClifton WebbWilliam BendixA secretary tries to help her boss who's been framed for murder.
- CreatorBlake EdwardsStarsCraig StevensHerschel BernardiLola AlbrightPeter Gunn is a private detective with a knack for finding trouble. His cases often mean he runs into the shadiest characters, most vicious thugs and the most powerful crime bosses. Cool and resourceful, he always gets the guilty party.
- DirectorCraig R. BaxleyStarsLindsey HaunMichael BiehnTobin BellDisillusioned private detective haunted by the past, Joe Keyes, must protect a strange little girl and her secretive mother from a homicidal scientist in search of immortality.
- DirectorJack CookStarsEric RobertsMatt RifeClare GrantThe life of private eye, Mort Madison, is spiraling downward, when a beguiling, slightly familiar woman hires him for his most unusual case.
- DirectorMarvin J. ChomskyStarsRod TaylorMarc AlaimoAbraham AlvarezA private investigator is confronted by the police and the mob about the killing of a former private-eye associate.
- DirectorRobert MontgomeryStarsRobert MontgomeryAudrey TotterLloyd NolanThe lady editor of a crime magazine hires Phillip Marlowe to find the wife of her boss. The private detective soon finds himself involved in murder.
- DirectorJohn RawlinsStarsBasil RathboneNigel BruceEvelyn AnkersWhen a German saboteur jeeringly predicts to the nation new depredations, via their radio "Voice of Terror", the Intelligence Inner Council summons Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) to help in the crisis.
- DirectorLang ElliottStarsTim ConwayDon KnottsTrisha NobleScotland Yard sends a goofy pair to check on foul play at a mansion outside 1920s London.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsJohn ForsytheJoan CamdenHarold J. KennedyA small town newspaperman's investigation into a local bookie operation turns up a web of organized crime.
- DirectorErik SharkeyStarsAdam WestAnnie GoldenLauren D'AvellaTeen pop sensation Sexina is also a private detective that fights evil in the music industry. When she finds out a missing scientist has been forced to create a robot boy band for "The Boss" of Glitz records, all hell breaks loose!
- DirectorS. Sylvan SimonStarsVan HeflinPatricia DaneCecilia ParkerClassic whodunit mystery film about a gold-digging variety show actress who has many enemies and is found dead in her private railroad car at Grand Central Station in New York.
- DirectorTony KrantzStarsAntonio BanderasThomas KretschmannWilliam FichtnerA private detective is hired to find a missing stripper. A simple job turns complicated when everyone he questions ends up dead.
- DirectorRoy William NeillStarsBasil RathboneNigel BruceDennis HoeyWhen a valuable pearl with a sinister reputation is stolen, Sherlock Holmes must investigate its link to a series of brutal murders.
- DirectorPaul MorrisseyStarsPeter CookDudley MooreDenholm ElliottA Sherlock Holmes spoof about a family that has been haunted for years by the curse of a horrible hound.
- CreatorSteven BochcoStephen J. CannellStarsDennis DuganRobert HoganBarbara BossonA private detective in his early twenties uses his youthful looks to an advantage in his work.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsWarren WilliamMargaret LindsayDonald WoodsPerry interrupts his vacation plans when an ex-girlfriend, now newly married, asks him to help her with murder and bigamy charges.
- DirectorBudd BoetticherStarsLucille BremerRichard CarlsonDouglas FowleyA well-known judge has become a fugitive from the police, with a large reward on his head. A reporter believes that the judge is hiding in a private sanitarium, so she seeks out a private investigator and asks him to pretend to be insane, so that he can get inside the sanitarium and look for the judge. The investigator is admitted to the asylum, and encounters many dangers while trying to prove that the judge is there.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsMartina DomingoJesús FrancoRoman HuberIn Puerto Rico, a down-on-his-luck private detective is hired by a woman to take photos of her husband, a notorious nightclub owner.
- CreatorLawrence M. KleeStarsRalph BellamyNita TalbotHenry LascoeMike Barnett is the title character, a bright and tough private detective in New York. This very violent show was broadcast live until 1952.
- DirectorAndrew StevensStarsAndrew StevensShannon TweedTracy TweedA security guard falls for a famous TV actress he is hired to protect while dealing with mobsters who want him to sell out his business to them.
- CreatorRoy HugginsStarsDarren McGavinJames EdwardsBill QuinnDavid Ross is a orphaned, ex-con, loner living in a world that loaths and makes a living as a private investgator in Los Angeles to tackle his financial problems and other people's problems as well.
- CreatorEric AmblerStarsAnthony GeorgeDoug McClureSebastian CabotDon Corey and Jed Sills operate Checkmate, Inc., a very high-priced detective agency in San Francisco. Helping them protect the lives of their clients is British criminologist (once an Oxford professor) Carl Hyatt.
- DirectorSteve BarkettStarsSteve BarkettChristopher BarkettTera HendricksonA private detective searching for a killer comes across a satanic cult from another dimension, monsters called up from hell and murderous ninja assassins.
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsEdward ArnoldAnn HardingDonna ReedA blind detective and his seeing-eye dog investigate a murder and discover a Nazi plot.
- DirectorRenny HarlinStarsAndrew Dice ClayLauren HollyWayne NewtonA vulgar private detective is hired to find a missing groupie and is drawn into a mystery involving a series of murders tied to the music industry.
- DirectorWilliam CastleStarsJ. Scott SmartJulie LondonRock HudsonA dentist's murder is investigated by hefty sleuth Brad Runyan.
- DirectorIrving ReisStarsGeorge SandersWendy BarrieAllen JenkinsThe Falcon investigates jewel thieves who are working with hard up socialites to defraud insurance companies. First of the Falcon series.First in a series of 16 films.
- DirectorFrank McDonaldStarsChester MorrisJean ParkerRose HobartThe first of three Pine-Thomas productions for Chester Morris finds him as wise-cracking private detective Humphrey Campbell who impresses his boss, Oscar Flack, no end by not only finding a missing girl but also marrying her in the process. So Flack sends him to celebrate his honeymoon in the Divorce Capital of the world, Reno, Nevada, to find a missing man. Along the way, in a mixture of big city crime and old-west settings, Humphrey encounters a large assortment of suspicious characters, all of whom are also suspicious of the others. A comedy that also includes some killings along the way.
- DirectorJohn BrahmStarsGeorge MontgomeryNancy GuildConrad JanisDetective Philip Marlowe encounters a variety of characters while checking on why Leslie Murdock stole a rare doubloon from his mother.
- DirectorArmand MastroianniStarsRob EstesPamela AndersonRandi IngermanPrivate detective Mike Hammer takes on a case looking for Trinity Sinclair's father who has been missing for 15 years.
- DirectorFrank TuttleStarsWilliam PowellWilliam 'Stage' BoydEugene PalletteA ruthless, crooked stockbroker is murdered at his luxurious country estate, and detective Philo Vance just happens to be there. He decides to find out who killed him.
- DirectorRoger DuchownyStarsVictor BuonoTony DanzaJamie FarrSpoof of TV crime dramas. Someone is murdering all the great detectives and cops, and it's up to the remaining few to find the killer and stop him.
- DirectorHerbert I. LeedsStarsLloyd NolanMarjorie WeaverHelene ReynoldsA man believed to be dead and buried escapes from his grave and returns to the scene of the crime seeking revenge.
- DirectorLesley SelanderStarsWilliam MarshallAdele MaraRicardo CortezA private detective is approached by a wealthy entertainment executive to stop a blackmail scheme against him. Although he hasn't decided to take the job, the blackmailers believe that he already has, and he is marked for murder.