Peter Falk, Madeline Kahn & Eileen Brennan in The Cheap Detective (1978)

Obscurity factor: 7

Hot off the success of Murder By Death, Neil Simon and Robert Moore put this little film together. It extrapolates on the Humphrey Bogart style character that Peter Falk played in the film and pairs him with a bevy of saucy ladies from femme fatales to girls Friday. The film is a parody of the best of the genre, including Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, Chinatown and even A Streetcar Named Desire.

The production values are very high, it's beautifully shot in smoky rooms with dramatic lighting and the costumes and sets are nicely rendered. They provide the setting for some deftly handled, if at times silly comedy. Also look for Ann Margaret, Stockard Channing, Sid Caesar, Marsha Mason, James Coco, Phil Silvers, Fernando Lamas and John Housman.

In the clip above, Eileen Brennan plays a remarkably funny lounge singer, uploaded to YouTube by SueSnell. The film is available on DVD. The poster above is available from MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor: 7 (available on DVD, has cult following, but isn't as well known as Murder by Death)

Natalie Wood in Penelope (1966)

Obscurity factor: 8

Penelope is bored, and feels neglected by her banker husband (Ian Bannen), so she decides to rob his bank. Wouldn't you? Okay, maybe you wouldn't, but then you're not Natalie Wood. Penelope is a kooky girl - a kleptomaniac who has been pilfering things since college. She sees a therapist about it (Dick Shawn) and eventually decides to make a clean breast of it and confess. The problem is nobody believes her!

While not brilliant, this light comedy is lots of fun for a number of reasons. The cast features some great character actors - Peter Falk, Lou Jacobi, Jonathan Winters, Arlene Golonka - and the delivery is bright and quick. Penelope wears some gorgeous clothes and looks glamorous throughout - even when she forgets her shoes, which she does often. Edith Head did the wardrobe for the film and they even produced a short about the fashions narrated by Ms. Head. Look for it occasionally on TCM.

Penelope isn't available on DVD yet, but you can watch it in full on YouTube. It was uploaded by stephsayss. The poster above, with the suggestive money bags is available at MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor 8 (not on DVD, available on YouTube, largely forgotten, occasionally aired on TCM)

Cyndi Lauper, Jeff Goldbloom & Peter Falk in Vibes (1988)

Obscurity factor: 4

This film really is a forgotten gem. It's one part romantic comedy, one part adventure and one part mystical exploration. Sylvia Pickle (Lauper) and Nick Deezy (Goldbloom) are psychic, but that's the only thing they have in common - Sylvia is a flamboyant hairdresser with a penchant for picking the wrong men, while Nick is the curator at a natural history museum. They meet while taking part in a psychic study and take an immediate dislike to each other. When they're thrown together on a trip to Ecuador by shyster Harry Buscafusco (Falk), on the pretense of rescuing his fictional son, they try and put their differences behind them. When the real reason for the trip is revealed to them, they find themselves in danger, with only their powers to help.

I remember watching this frequently on TV in the early 90's. This film has a lot going for it. Cyndi Lauper does a very nice job tackling both the comedy and the more dramatic aspects of the character, while Jeff Goldbloom makes an unlikely, but very charming action/adventure hero. All of it adds up to a delightful, warm film that's worth a second look.

Vibes was released on DVD in 2009. Prior to that it was only available on VHS. It can also be seen on YouTube in its entirety, thanks to an upload by winterw00d. Part one is above. The poster is available at MoviePosterShop.com

Obscurity factor: 4 (rarely screened on TV, available on DVD, somewhat forgotten)