The son of famous detective Sam Spade carries on the family tradition of getting involved with the Maltese Falcon - and with the people who will stop at nothing, including murder, to get it.
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Title: The Black Bird (1975)
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| George Segal | ... | Sam Spade Jr. | |
| Stéphane Audran | ... | Anna Kemidov | |
| Lionel Stander | ... | Gordon Immerman | |
| Lee Patrick | ... | Effie | |
| Elisha Cook Jr. | ... | Wilmer Cook | |
| Felix Silla | ... | Litvak | |
| Signe Hasso | ... | Dr. Crippen | |
| John Abbott | ... | DuQuai | |
 |
Connie Kreski | ... | Decoy Girl |
|
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Titus Napoleon | ... | Hawaiian Thug |
|
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Harry Kenoi | ... | Hawaiian Thug |
|
|
Howard Jeffrey | ... | Kerkorian |
| Ken Swofford | ... | Brad McCormack | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| John Alderman | ... | Patron in Ballroom | |
|
|
Eumenio Blanco | ... | Hernadez |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
After the death of private detective Sam Spade, his son, Sam Spade Jr. (who only knew his father very briefly) is forced to inherit his San Francisco detective agency, much to his chagrin. He also must keep his father's sarcastic secretary, Effie Perrine ("Godzilla"), and must continue his father's tradition of "serving minorities". One day, an obese man named Caspar Gutman is killed just outside Spade's building, his last words being "It's black and as long as your arm". Later on, Spade is given an offer by a member of the Order of St. John's Hospital to purchase his father's useless copy of the Maltese Falcon. A right-wing thug named Gordon Immerman (Spade calls him "Andrew Jackson" after he gave Spade his "calling card", a bill), has been hired to make sure Spade delivers the bird, but he quickly warms to the detective, although the feeling is not mutual. Later on, he gets an offer from a Wilmer Cook, but before they can negotiate, he is killed. Shortly thereafter, he encounters a ... Written by Joel Cairo
Plot Keywords:
sam spade | murder | private detective | second part | color in title |Taglines:
Why is everyone after George Segal's bird? Because he's Sam Spade Jr... and his falcons worth a fortune. See more »Genres:
ComedyParents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
15 April 1976 (UK) See more »Also Known As:
Czarny ptak See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (VHS release)Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Metrocolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Before the film was released, The Burbank Studios/Warner Bros took the REAL Maltese Falcon statuette from the 1941 version and made a model of it. They cast it in plaster, painted it flat black, wrapped it in Chinese newspaper and burlap (as per the Bogart movie), and mailed it to press reviewers as a gimmicky press promotion. They were all numbered and inscribed on the bottom, up to number 250, with EA-TBS (The Burbank Studios). Then somebody made a model from THAT one and sold them in book and movie shops, but the detail was lost in the process. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Certainly this flick is not a classic! However,it is guilty fun,quirky-and even affectionate towards the original-if only in its weird way...indeed there is no resemblance to the Bogart noir.Yet it works for me independently as a 70's aberration and a hoot to boot!Flaws?-you bet...so what!Stander is terrific and the two original characters(Cook & Patrick) from the early 40's are a pure delight and a connection from a past glory(also I would bestow honorable mention to Signe Hasso as a museum curator who plays her delightful role w\aplomb and the right kind of satirical dash).Don't know much if I especially like the midget or some of the over the top stuff,but-hey,its OK within the context of a silly little yarn. Moreover,George Segal,I think,is just right for a world weary sleuth in the shadow of a famed father detective.I like the opening credits w\ its promise of something more-but the absurd ending is less than satisfying...despite these things,I have watched the film numerous times and find it overall a "kick;"for you cannot take this one tale that seriously anyway:so go w\ the FLOW....