Mild-mannered mystery writer D. H. Mercer has become so immersed in his material that his creation, hard-boiled private eye Biff Deegan, constantly appears to him as a hallucination. Intent on getting rid of Biff, and replacing him with a more civilized detective, Mercer soon finds himself in a genuine mystery involving art fraud, murder, and a beautiful lady in peril.

Robert Hays
as D.H. 'Hank' Mercer / Biff Deegan

Catherine Mary Stewart
as Marissa

Christopher Murney
as Lt. Greenberg

Fred Gwynne
as Victor Greville

Celeste Holm
as Claire

Jonathan Moore
as Nicholas Rubinstein

Martin Neufeld
as Pete

Michael Copeman
as

Bunty Webb
as

Eric Keenleyside
as