The Maltese Falcon
Petronius
I think this is a great film but it does raise a couple of questions:
Gladys George as Mrs. Archer - why she got 3rd billing - her screen time is
extrememely limited and her importance to the film is minor.
When Gutman finally gets what he believe to be the priceless falcon, he hacks
away at it with his penknife. WTF!?!?
mikeos
Pjk
He originally hacks away at the bird to remove the coat of black
enamal it has supposedly gotten to hide the encrusted gems. He goes a
little crazy when he realizes it's a fake.
Pjk
Petronius
"Pjk" <peter_k...@MSN.COM> wrote in message
news:3f3e2df6-bdd1-492d...@e20g2000vbb.googlegroups.com...
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Exactly!
william
>
> He originally hacks away at the bird to remove the coat of black
> enamal it has supposedly gotten to hide the encrusted gems. He goes a
> little crazy when he realizes it's a fake.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> Exactly!
And whose voice says "It's fake"? The line was dubbed and I have no
idea who did the voice.
William
www.williamahearn.com
gerry
Maybe Gutman should have held on to the fake statue. One of several
falcon props made for the movie was auctioned off as part of the sale
of actor William Conrad's possessions. Ronald Winston, representing
the Harry Winston jewelry firm, purchased this Maltese Falcon
statuette in 1994 for $389,500.
Madara0806
\
> Just watched Bogie in "The Maltese Falcon" on TCM last night.
> I think this is a great film but it does raise a couple of questions:
> Gladys George as Mrs. Archer - why she got 3rd billing - her screen time is
> extremely limited and her importance to the film is minor.
>
\
In answer to your Gladys George question...she was apparently a big
name of some sort back then and because this was director Huston's
first film and none of the rest of the cast were major stars yet, not
even Bogart, they had to promise her SOMETHING to get her to take the
role. So the third billing was it!
That's my guess.
Opry phantom
My problem with this production is "Effie". The actress is much too
old looking to play someone in her early twenties. Una Merkel in the
first go around was much better suited.
Strangely, Mary Astor was probably better suited age wise, for the
first production also.
tomcervo
Lee Patrick is a little fleshy--not that she doesn't look just fine--
but she's old enough to look like she's smart enough not to sleep with
Spade, and Spade wouldn't want a secretary who wasn't smart. I like
her more every time I see it.
And that's her again in "Vertigo", the second best movie set in San
Francisco, as the woman who bought Madeleine's car--or did she?
In the next version of "Suspects", David Thomson can do a chapter on
Effie Perine and her life after she showed Iva into Sam's office and
heard two gunshots soon afterward; how she drifted into detective work
and did a few jobs for Gavin Elster.
tomcervo
> Just watched Bogie in "The Maltese Falcon" on TCM last night.
> I think this is a great film but it does raise a couple of questions:
> Gladys George as Mrs. Archer - why she got 3rd billing - her screen time is
> extrememely limited and her importance to the film is minor.
Contractual. Look her up in the 30's version of "Madame X" some time,
with what Pauline Kael called her "gin and tears" voice. She'd been a
big star, even as late as "The Roaring Twenties" and year or so
before, when she weeps over Cagney's body at the end, telling the
strangers that he used to be a big shot.
Not her fault that the part of Iva was such a bummer.
> When Gutman finally gets what he believe to be the priceless falcon, he hacks
> away at it with his penknife. WTF!?!?
He realizes that it's a fake. It was supposed to stand alone but Hal
B,.Wallis decided that the mouthbreathers needed a clue.
Howard Brazee
<xanth...@charter.net> wrote:
> My problem with this production is "Effie". The actress is much too
>old looking to play someone in her early twenties.
No, you mean there's a movie with an actor or actress older than the
roll calls for?
--
"In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found,
than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace
to the legislature, and not to the executive department."
- James Madison
Petronius
"tomcervo" <tomc...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19b4273d-7786-4dfe...@e27g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...
> When Gutman finally gets what he believe to be the priceless falcon, he hacks
> away at it with his penknife. WTF!?!?
He realizes that it's a fake. It was supposed to stand alone but Hal
B,.Wallis decided that the mouthbreathers needed a clue.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Gutman hacked away at the falcon BEFORE he realized it was a fake.
Once he realized it was fake, he really went into a tizzy.
missussex
> Just watched Bogie in "The Maltese Falcon" on TCM last night.
> I think this is a great film but it does raise a couple of questions:
> Gladys George as Mrs. Archer - why she got 3rd billing - her screen time is
> extrememely limited and her importance to the film is minor.
In the novel, Mrs. Archer was a more important character than in the
movie because she was smitten with Spade and having an affair with him
behind her husband's back. Spade was originally written as a shadier
type whose morality is questionable. He wasn't above sleeping with his
partner's wife. Later he has to remind himself out loud that "When a
man's partner is killed, he's got to do something about it."
There are still hints of the affair left in the script. Notice that
Mrs. Archer acts more like a discarded lover than a grieving widow.
But this subplot had to be expunged from the script to satisfy the
Code.
Madara0806
Lee Patrick was young enough (as was Elisha Cook Jr.) to still be
around in 1975 for the comic sequel, THE BLACK BIRD, which starred
George Segal as Sam Spade Jr.
Ms. Patrick and Mr. Cook reprised their roles from MALTESE. Gutman is
a character also, but he's killed in the opening minutes and we only
see the crater left by his falling body (IIRC).
william
>
> In the novel, Mrs. Archer was a more important character than in the
> movie because she was smitten with Spade and having an affair with him
> behind her husband's back. Spade was originally written as a shadier
> type whose morality is questionable. He wasn't above sleeping with his
> partner's wife. Later he has to remind himself out loud that "When a
> man's partner is killed, he's got to do something about it."
Other than the affair, Spade doesn't do a single "immoral" act. The
whole novel is built on distraction. I wrote it up here:
http://www.williamahearn.com/maltesehamm.html
>
> There are still hints of the affair left in the script. Notice that
> Mrs. Archer acts more like a discarded lover than a grieving widow.
> But this subplot had to be expunged from the script to satisfy the
> Code.
The affair is clear as day to anyone who watches the movie.
William
www.williamahearn.com
missussex
<snip>
> Other than the affair, Spade doesn't do a single "immoral" act. The
> whole novel is built on distraction. I wrote it up here:http://www.williamahearn.com/maltesehamm.html
Thank you, William. I stand corrected. That was a fascinating essay!
tomcervo
My "two gunshots" crack was from a 70's Esquire article--you know, the
last decade anyone read it?--that extended the novel's ending to
having Ivy go in and shoot Sam, just after Effie learns what happened
to Brigid and realizes what a bastard he is. But yes, in the movie
she's over him like Cairo's cologne, and just as awful.
BTW, it's usually too bad that many performers are remembered mainly
for their work in one movie--like Leslie Howard in GWTW, a job he
hated--but in the case of this cast, it's mostly a piece of good luck.
william
> My "two gunshots" crack was from a 70's Esquire article--you know, the
> last decade anyone read it?--that extended the novel's ending to
> having Ivy go in and shoot Sam, just after Effie learns what happened
> to Brigid and realizes what a bastard he is.
In the book, Effie knows and the book closes with her knowing. A
bastard? For finding out who killed his partner? Do you really think
Sammy loved Brigid? He was on to her early (although it's difficult to
say when) and let her play it out. What happened to Brigid? She killed
his partner and went to jail. I can't believe how many people come
away from the movie with some sentimental take on it. It's called
"hardboiled" for a reason.
William
www.williamahearn.com
Opry phantom
Hammett was *the* Hard-Boiled writer, much more than the later
navel gazing saps who self agonized like minor league Hamlets.
Da Mick admitted to being the new Carrol John Daly (and was sued
for his admission.)
william
>
> Hammett was *the* Hard-Boiled writer, much more than the later
> navel gazing saps who self agonized like minor league Hamlets.
> Da Mick admitted to being the new Carrol John Daly (and was sued
> for his admission.)
You might kick out of this: http://www.williamahearn.com/agonydeath.html
It's "The Slow And Agonizing Death of The Private Detective."
William
www.williamahearn.com
Opry phantom
Dash didn't brood about where your corpse winds up. He just had his
man suck up, and face the current problem:
The corridor-door's knob rattled. Effie Perine turned quickly and
went into the outer office, shutting the door behind her When she came
in again she shut it behind her. She said in a small flat voice: "Iva
is here."
Spade, looking at his desk, nodded almost imperceptibly.
"Yes," he said, and shivered. "Well, send her in."