Guests:
Jen and Sarah
Hosts of Movies and Us podcast
On Medium
Cast:
John Huston, Writer/Director
Adolph Deutsch, Music
Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade
Mary Astor as Ruth Wonderly/Brigid O'Shaughnessy
Gladys George as Iva Archer
Peter Lorre as Joel Cairo
Barton MacLane as Lieutenant Dundy
Lee Patrick as Effie Perine
Sydney Greenstreet as Kasper Gutman
Ward Bond as Detective Tom Polhaus
Jerome Cowan as Miles Archer
Elisha Cook Jr. as Wilmer Cook
James Burke as Luke, hotel detective
Murray Alper as Frank Richman, taxi driver
John Hamilton as District Attorney Bryan
Walter Huston as Captain Jacoby
*Recognition:
The Maltese Falcon was released on October 3, 1941.
The film was widely praised by critics, and, on a budget of $375k, would gross roughly $1.8 million.
The Maltese Falcon would also be recognized by the Oscars at the time with nominations for Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Greenstreet), and Adapted Screenplay.
In 1989, the film was one of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Film Registry.
It has been since recognized by the American Film Institute on the following lists:
1998 – AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – No. 23
2001 – AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – No. 26
2005 – AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
"The stuff that dreams are made of." – No. 14.
2007 – AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – No. 31
2008 – AFI's 10 Top 10 – No. 6 Mystery Film
The Maltese Falcon currently holds a 99% among critics on RT, a 97 score on Metacritic, and a 3.9/5 on Letterboxd.
Plot Summary: In the grimy streets of 1930s San Francisco, private eye Sam Spade finds himself entangled in a web of deceit, betrayal, and murder. When his partner is killed on a routine tail job, Spade is pulled into the orbit of a mysterious woman, a sinister foreigner, and a hulking brute—all desperate to get their hands on a priceless statue; the elusive Maltese Falcon. As the bodies pile up, Spade navigates the murky underworld with a cold detachment, playing a dangerous game of wits to uncover the truth. In the end, loyalty is a luxury, trust is a weapon, and everyone’s after the same thing: the black bird.
Did You Know:
Eight Maltese Falcons were used for the movie - two lead and six plaster ones. The lead falcons weighed about 50 pounds each, and Lee Patrick accidentally dropped one on Humphrey Bogart's foot during shooting. It is on display in the movie museum at Warner Bros. studios, and its tail feathers are visibly dented from when it was dropped. Three of the statuettes still exist and are conservatively valued at over $1 million each. This makes them some of the most valuable film props ever made; indeed, each is now worth more than three times what the film cost to make.
It was producer Henry Blanke who gave John Huston what he recalled as the single greatest piece of advice he would ever receive as a director: "Shoot each scene as if it was the most important scene in the film."
Humphrey Bogart had to supply his own wardrobe. This was common practice at Warner Brothers as a way for the studio to save some money.
John Huston had Mary Astor run around the set several times before each of her scenes in order to give her a breathless, nervous appearance on screen.
Warner Bros. planned to change the name of the film to "The Gent from Frisco" because the novel's title had already been used for The Maltese Falcon (1931). The studio eventually agreed to keep the original title at John Huston's insistence.
Ask Dana Anything:
Jen - Movies and Us
If Dana could have a Hangover-esque night out running around town with any film director, who would it be?
Sarah - Movies and Us
If you got into legal trouble, which film lawyer would you pick to represent you?
Best Performance: Humphrey Bogart (Spade)/Arthur Edeson (Cinematography)/John Huston (Director/Writer)
Best Secondary Performance: Sydney Greenstreet (Gutman)/Mary Astor (Brigid)/Lee Patrick (Effie)
Most Charismatic Award: Humphrey Bogart (Spade)/Sydney Greenstreet (Gutman)
Best Scene:
Thursby/Archer Murdered
Joel Cairo
History of the Maltese Falcon
Gutman Tests the Falcon
Resolution
Favorite Scene: Gutman Tests the Falcon/Gutman Composes Himself/Wonderly Pays Spade/Gutman on the Captain/History of the Falcon
Most Indelible Moment: Gutman Tests the Falcon/The Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of
In Memorium:
Rachael Lillis, 55, English voice actor and screenwriter (Pokemon, Your Lie in April, Hunter x Hunter, Winx Club)
Alain Delon, 88, French actor (Le Samouraï, Plein Soleil and The Leopard)
Peter Marshall, 98, American game show host (Hollywood Squares) and actor (Annie, Ensign Pulver), five-time Emmy winner.
Phil Donahue, 88, American media personality and writer (The Phil Donahue Show)
Winsome Sinclair, 58, American casting director (Malcolm X, Amistad, Precious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Inside Man, Higher Learning) and film producer.
Gena Rowlands, 94, American actress (A Woman Under the Influence, Gloria, The Notebook), four-time Emmy winner, honorary Oscar recipient in 2015.
Best Lines/Funniest Lines:
Detective Tom Polhaus: [picks up the falcon] Heavy. What is it?
Sam Spade: The, uh, stuff that dreams are made of.
Sam Spade: When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it.
Sam Spade: [to stenographer] Good work.
Joel Cairo: You always have a very smooth explanation ready.
Sam Spade: What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?
Sam Spade: We didn't exactly believe your story, Miss Wonderly. We believed your 200 dollars. I mean, you paid us more than if you had been telling us the truth, and enough more to make it all right.
Kasper Gutman: Now, sir. We'll talk, if you like. I'll tell you right out, I am a man who likes talking to a man who likes to talk.
Sam Spade: [to Effie] You're a good man, sister.
Kasper Gutman: Well, Wilmer, I'm sorry indeed to lose you. But I want you to know I couldn't be fonder of you if you were my own son. But, well, if you lose a son, it's possible to get another. There's only one Maltese Falcon.
Kasper Gutman: I distrust a man who says "when." If he's got to be careful not to drink too much, it's because he's not to be trusted when he does.
Kasper Gutman: Here's to plain speaking and clear understanding.
Sam Spade: [to detectives] How did I kill him; I forget?
Joel Cairo: You... you bungled it. You and your stupid attempt to buy it. Kemedov found out how valuable it was, no wonder we had such an easy time stealing it. You... you imbecile. You bloated idiot. You stupid fat-head, you.
Sam Spade: Haven't you tried to buy my loyalty with money and nothing else?
Brigid O'Shaughnessy: What else is there I can buy you with?
Sam Spade: All we've got is that maybe you love me and maybe I love you.
Brigid O'Shaughnessy: You know whether you love me or not.
Sam Spade: Maybe I do. I'll have some rotten nights after I've sent you over, but that'll pass.
Sam Spade: Don't be too sure I'm as crooked as I'm supposed to be.
Sam Spade: My guess might be excellent or it might be crummy, but Mrs. Spade didn't raise any children dippy enough to make guesses in front of a district attorney, and an assistant district attorney and a stenographer.
Sam Spade: I don't know anything about women.
The Stanley Rubric:
Legacy: 8.5
Impact/Significance: 9
Novelty: 7.63
Classic-ness: 8.25
Rewatchability: 7.88
Audience Score: 8.35 (76% Google, 91% RT)
Total: 49.61
Remaining Questions:
If the proposed sequel had been able to go on, could this have become a successful franchise series?
Does Spade actually have the real Maltese Falcon?
Is the Maltese Falcon the possible single best from-set-prop you could own?
Where does Wilmer end up?
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