History Main / GoingByTheMatchbook

* A branded napkin is the clue in ''Saints and Sinners'' (2011), for a club that closed down five years before, so the police realise someone is hiding out in the derelict building.

* Parodied in ''Film/LoadedWeapon'': "I've never been there!" - "Well, these matches say you're lying." Then the matchbook is opened up, just to reveal the words "You're lying" written there.

* Happens in ''TheYiddishPolicemansUnion'' along with many other FilmNoir tropes.

* This is the first clue HarrisonFord's character gets in ''{{Frantic}}''. The matchbook is for the Blue Parrot nightclub, with the number of Michelle's contact written on it.

* ''{{Series/Warehouse 13}}'': Myka realises that a matchbook is an important clue in the "The Big Snag" episode as the name of the hotel where it is from is the same as the mother of Anthony Bishop, the author of the [[NoirEpisode Noir novel]] that [[TrappedInTVLand they are trapped in]].

* [[TheRockfordFiles Jim Rockford]] often finds matchbooks as clues. This is a 1970s show. [[MagnumPI Tom Magnum]] sometimes finds matchbooks, but his adventures take place in the 1980s, when people were starting to smoke less. He's more likely to find business cards.

* Parodied in ''LoadedWeapon'': "I've never been there!" - "Well, these matches say you're lying." Then the matchbook is opened up, just to reveal the words "You're lying" written there.

* In an episode of ''PoliceSquad!'', Drebin dismisses a suspect's alibi by presenting a matchbook from his favorite club that had been found at the crime scene. Of course, since this is ''Police Squad!'', when he is asked to explain the matchbook, the suspect briefly explains how rubbing sulfur against a surface can produce fire.
* In a flashback on ''VeronicaMars'' we see that Lily has quite a collection of matchbooks with Hispanic names and phone numbers written on them. Of course, she's never been to the bars or met the guys, she just left them around the house for her mother to find....
* One classic ''MissionImpossible'' episode depended on a bad guy noticing something about a matchbook in order to fall for the team's BatmanGambit

* On ''MyNameIsEarl'', Earl's ex-girlfriend Jessie has become a BountyHunter, and wants to take Joy in (to get back at her for a) knocking out her two front teeth and b) stealing Earl from her.) Earl goes to talk to her, while Joy hides out in his motel room. When he returns, he finds that Jessie has followed him using this method.

* In the CasebookTrilogy on the second case one of the clues is a match book for an Irish pub. In England. So that chances of anyone else having one are very rare.

* An episode of ''TheEqualizer'' had a handsome chronic womaniser get kidnapped by industrial spies who kept insisting that "she said she gave it to you" and [[MistakenForSpies refuse to believe his claims of innocence]]. Realising he's going to be tortured, TheCasanova quickly "confesses" and promises to get "it" to them in 24 hours -- he then has to hire the Equalizer to help him sort though the multitude of women he's dated to find the right one. "It" turns out to be a microdot on a matchbook handed to him with a girl's phone number written on the inside; the girl had realised she was being followed and passed the microdot on to him to get rid of it.

In the old days, back when people [[SmokingIsCool cared more about looking cool than smelling fresh]], [[EverybodySmokes everyone smoked]]; accordingly, every diner, dive, and kindergarten would have a basket of logo-stamped matches by the door that patrons would just instinctively shove into their pocket. This a reasonable (if cliche) clue for stories set in the 40s (e.g., FilmNoir), but a little less realistic nowadays, but still shows up in a noir-style show.

* This is the first clue HarrisonFord's character gets in ''{{Frantic}}'', the matchbook of a nightclub.

* Used in ''[[Film/SupermanIII]]''. Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor's character) is inspired to go into computers after seeing it on the back of a matchbook.

* Greg on ''Series/CSICrimeSceneInvestigation'' once had to compare a single torn-off cardboard match to dozens of matchbooks found in a suspect's residence. After dozens of comparison, he found that its ripped edge lined up perfectly with the stub inside the matchbook it was torn from.

* Greg on ''Series/CSICrimeSceneInvestigations'' once had to compare a single torn-off cardboard match to dozens of matchbooks found in a suspect's residence. After dozens of comparison, he found that its ripped edge lined up perfectly with the stub inside the matchbook it was torn from.

[[DiscreditedTrope When was the last time]] you saw someone lighting a cigarette, cigar, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick joint, or bong]] [[TechnologyMarchesOn with a match]], anyway, let alone a handy clue-ready matchbook? A modern writer can still use this trope with a little imagination, though; a branded lighter would be the obvious choice, but pens or business cards could work too.

* A variation occurs in ''[[TMNT2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (2003), the turtles follow a matchbox left by a mercenary to the hotel where he and his posse are staying at. Incidentally, since the mercenary can't be shown smoking due to S&P reasons, he is instead given an {{oral fixation fixation}} with the matches themselves.

* A matchbook from the "Devil's Lair" bar led Izumi to find Ed and Greed in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''. However, the story is set in an alternate Earth at around the 1910s, so the matchbook makes sense. The bic-style lighter that Havoc uses later in the story...not so much. Yay for [[SchizoTech inconsistent tech]]!
** The lighter was a standard zippo like lighter, so I could of presumably been made as the zippo was made in the 1930s
** Why's he even need a lighter? "Hey boss, you mind?"
*** Because nobody likes a mooch?
** The lighter was a ChekhovsGun that became important when [[spoiler:said boss's source of sparks was drenched.]]

* Used in a ''{{Batman}}'' storyline, except that the name of the bar ''wasn't'' on the matchbook, so Batman, having used [[GPSEvidence other evidence]] to narrow it down to the East Wharf, goes from bar to bar in the guise of Matches Malone, buying books of matches until he finds the right one (and explaining he can't use the one in his mouth, because it stays there "for purposes of trademark").

* In ''MenInBlack 3'', K notices Roman the Fabulist carried a matchbook from Cosmic Bowling Lanes. Since Roman didn't smoke, K deduces this to be meant as a clue. Oh, and if you wonder about the use of the classic form of this trope in a movie this new, it should be noted that it all started with a [[TimeTravel time jump]] to TheSixties.

* Subverted in the BigFinishDoctorWho audio ''Invaders from Mars'', when the Doctor and his companion, Charley, upon finding the dead body of a private eye, have the following exchange: