(James Coco): A fussy, food-obsessed Belgian detective parodying Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot.

The film’s humor stems from its caricature of iconic literary and cinematic detectives:

: The film features Alec Guinness as Bensonmum, the blind butler, and Nancy Walker as Yetta, the deaf-mute cook.

(Elsa Lanchester): A no-nonsense British spinster based on Miss Marple. Notable Cast & Crew

(David Niven & Maggie Smith): Elegant socialite sleuths based on Nick and Nora Charles from The Thin Man .

(Peter Falk): A grizzled, hard-boiled gumshoe based on Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade.