The Maltese Falcon (1941)

A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

John Huston (screen play by), Dashiell Hammett (based upon the novel by)

Stars:

Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George

Top Rated Movies #222 | Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Humphrey Bogart	...	Samuel Spade
Mary Astor	...	Brigid O'Shaughnessy
Gladys George	...	Iva Archer
Peter Lorre	...	Joel Cairo
Barton MacLane	...	Lt. of Detectives Dundy
Lee Patrick	...	Effie Perine
Sydney Greenstreet	...	Kasper Gutman
Ward Bond	...	Detective Tom Polhaus
Jerome Cowan	...	Miles Archer
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Wilmer Cook
James Burke	...	Luke
Murray Alper	...	Frank Richman
John Hamilton	...	Bryan

Storyline

Spade and Archer is the name of a San Francisco detective agency. That's for Sam Spade and Miles Archer. The two men are partners, but Sam doesn't like Miles much. A knockout, who goes by the name of Miss Wonderly, walks into their office; and by that night everything's changed. Miles is dead. And so is a man named Floyd Thursby. It seems Miss Wonderly is surrounded by dangerous men. There's Joel Cairo, who uses gardenia-scented calling cards. There's Kasper Gutman, with his enormous girth and feigned civility. Her only hope of protection comes from Sam, who is suspected by the police of one or the other murder. More murders are yet to come, and it will all be because of these dangerous men -- and their lust for a statuette of a bird: the Maltese Falcon.

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Plot Keywords:

private detective | murder | homosexual villain | taxi | private eye | 

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Taglines:

He's as fast on the draw as he is in the drawing room!

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Genres:

Film-Noir | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Gent from Frisco

Filming Locations:

Bush Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$375,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,772,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During production, the cast and crew had the feeling they were shooting something exciting and tried to deter any unwanted visitors from coming to the set. The publicity people once brought a group of priests to the set. Before shooting began, Mary Astor looked down at her legs and said, "Hold it a minute, I've got a g**damn run in my stocking" while the publicity man quickly ushered the priests off the set.

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Goofs

(at around 35 mins) When Joel Cairo and Brigid O'Shaughnessy are in Spade's house, Cairo lights a match with his left hand. Between shots the match appears in his right hand.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sam Spade: Yes, sweetheart?
Effie Perine: There's a girl wants to see you. Her name's Wonderly.
Sam Spade: Customer?
Effie Perine: I guess so. You'll want to see her anyway. She's a knockout.
Sam Spade: Shoo her in, Effie darling, shoo her in.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a computer colorized version.

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Connections

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: America's Greatest Movies (1998)

User Reviews

LEGENDARY and UNPARALLELED Indeed!

The performance of a lifetime by Humphrey Bogart, the masterclass of acting from one of the greatest German actors of all time, Peter Lorre, yet sprinkled by some magnificent performances from Mary Astor, Lea Patrick, Sydney Greenstreet, Elisha Cook Jr. and others, couple that to the twists and turns, the drama and suspense, the movie "The Maltese Falcon" is indeed legendary so much so that it's legacy survives even today, The Maltese Falcon statuette being sold at a whooping $4 million at an auction. The Movie being referred to as one of the Hollywood classics. It takes you on a Roller-coaster ride entertaining you every single minute and by the time you finish watching it, it's already entrenched to the core of your grey matter forever. In short, there are very few movies which stand the test of time. This movie has for several generations. Miss it at your own risk! If ever there was movie to save the day, "This is It"