The Fortune Cookie (released in the United Kingdom as Meet Whiplash Willie) is a 1966 American black comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It is the first film in which Jack Lemmon collaborated with Walter Matthau. Matthau won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. The film was co-produced by Wilder's Phalanx Productions in cooperation with Lemmon's independent film production company, Jalem Productions.

CBS cameraman Harold "Harry" Hinkle is injured when (fictional) football player Luther "Boom Boom" Jackson of the Cleveland Browns collides with him during a home game at Municipal Stadium. Though Harry's injuries are minor, his conniving lawyer brother-in-law, William H. "Whiplash Willie" Gingrich, convinces him to pretend that his leg and hand have been partially paralyzed so that they can receive a huge indemnity from the insurance company. Initially opposed, Harry goes along with the scheme after his ex-wife, Sandy, with whom he is still in love, phones to ask about his condition.

The insurance company's lawyers, O'Brien, Thompson, and Kincaid, suspect the paralysis is fake, but all but one of their medical experts say it is real. The experts are convinced by a compressed vertebra injury Harry sustained as a child, enhanced by Harry's responses, along with the numbing novocaine injections given by a paroled dentist engaged by Willie. The one holdout, Swiss Professor Winterhalter, is convinced Harry is a fraud.

Without medical evidence to base their case on, the lawyers hire Cleveland's best private detective, Chester Purkey, to keep Harry under constant surveillance. When he sees Purkey enter the apartment building across the street, however, Willie lets Harry know they are being watched and recorded. After Sandy arrives, he warns Harry not to indulge in any hanky-panky with her. Willie proceeds to feed misinformation to Purkey; he incorporates the "Harry Hinkle Foundation", a non-profit charity to which all the proceeds of any settlement are to go, above and beyond the medical expenses.

When Sandy questions Willie about this in private, he tells her that it is just a scam to put pressure on the insurance company to settle, and that there will be enough money in the settlement for everyone. Harry begins to enjoy having Sandy back again, but he feels bad when he sees Boom-Boom is so guilt-ridden that his performance on the field suffers. After being booed by fans, Boom-Boom is then grounded by the team for getting drunk and involved in a bar fight.

Harry wants Willie to represent Boom-Boom, but Willie says that he is too busy negotiating with O'Brien, Thompson and Kincaid. After Harry obtains a $200,000 settlement check, he learns that Sandy has returned to him strictly out of greed. However, Purkey has a plan to expose the scam. Showing up at the apartment, supposedly to collect his microphones, Purkey makes racist remarks about Boom-Boom. Incensed, Harry jumps up from his wheelchair and decks Purkey, but Purkey's assistant Max is not sure if he recorded it on film because "it's a little dark". Harry asks Purkey if he would like a second take, turns on a light, and advises the cameraman on how to set his exposure. Punching Purkey again, he follows up by swinging from curtain rods and bouncing on the bed. Just before Harry leaves the apartment, he sees Sandy crawling on the floor looking for her lost contact lens; he pushes her down to the ground with his foot.

Claiming he had no idea his client was deceiving him, Willie tears up the settlement check, declaring no fraud exists if money does not change hands. He announces his intention to sue the insurance company lawyers for invasion of privacy, as well as report Purkey's racist remarks to various organizations. Harry drives to the stadium, where he finds Boom-Boom leaving the team to become a wrestler named "The Dark Angel". Harry manages to snap him out of that state, and the two run down the field passing a football back and forth.

Wilder had Matthau in mind when he wrote the part of "Whiplash Willie". He hoped it would boost his career in movies, but the studio wanted a bigger name. Lemmon originally had two other actors proposed to star with him—Frank Sinatra and Jackie Gleason—but Wilder insisted that he do the picture with Matthau.^{[citation needed]}