private detective   screwball   based on novel   christmas   family relationships   missing person   love   marriage   criminal   ladder   brother sister relationship   face slap   father son relationship   corpse   new york city   singing   urban setting   character appears in newspaper   screwball comedy   manhattan new york city   male female relationship   psychiatrist   golf   arrest   father daughter relationship   small town   private eye   auto theft   actor shares first name with character   alcohol   convertible   1930s   detective   taxi   ex husband ex wife relationship   midget   beautiful woman   lawyer   divorce   dinner party   dinner   record player   mysterious man   amateur detective   cocktail party   boyfriend girlfriend relationship   jail   campfire   dead body   engagement   honeymoon   circus   dead woman   christmas tree   parade   zoo   shower   eyeglasses   search   macguffin   false identity   misunderstanding   aunt niece relationship   lieutenant   wanted poster   high society   bathrobe   connecticut   inventor   broken engagement   fiancée   stream   innuendo   sophisticated comedy   opposites attract   bone   mistress   cross dressing   whodunit   purse   finding a dead body   cocktail   christmas eve   parking ticket   feather   car theft   country house   constable   digging   long distance call   domestic dispute   playing with food   bigamy   oedipus complex   pouring alcohol down someone's throat   police arrest   olive   pratfall   firearm   leopard   hotel suite   misadventure   mother's boyfriend   booze   chorus line   booze drinking   couple sleep in separate beds   fox terrier   grant's tomb manhattan new york city   hidden safe   husband and wife sleuths   married detective   mutt   nick and nora charles   pet owner relationship   sparse music score   wiseguy dialogue   sophistication   title same as book   pet dog   wit   paleontology   delivery man   dowager   big game hunter   behind the eight ball   butcher shop   collapse of dinosaur skeleton   dinosaur skeleton   donald duck   meet cute   mickey mouse   nervous disorder   poultry   sirlion steak   torn clothes   torn dress   tossing rocks at window   car accident   dog   murder   mistaken identity   martini   irreverence   mother son relationship   nipples visible through clothing   restaurant   husband wife relationship   gay reference   title spoken by character   newspaper headline   gun   drunkenness   fixation   party   mother daughter relationship   police   sex   panties   museum   zoologist   magic trick   wisecrack humor   wedding   police detective