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The Maltese Falcon ()

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San Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.
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Awards:
  • Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 1 nomination.
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Photos and Videos

172 photos | 2 videos

Cast verified as complete

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Samuel Spade
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Brigid O'Shaughnessy
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Iva Archer
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Joel Cairo
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Lt. of Detectives Dundy
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Effie Perine
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Kasper Gutman
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Detective Tom Polhaus
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Miles Archer
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Wilmer Cook
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Luke
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Frank Richman
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Bryan
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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Reporter (uncredited)
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Bit Part (uncredited)
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Stenographer (uncredited)
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Policeman (uncredited)
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Reporter (uncredited)
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Captain Jacoby (uncredited)
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Reporter (uncredited)
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Announcer (uncredited)
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Ship's Mate (uncredited)

Directed by

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John Huston

Written by

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

Produced by

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Henry Blanke ... associate producer
Hal B. Wallis ... executive producer

Music by

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Adolph Deutsch

Cinematography by

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Arthur Edeson ... director of photography

Editing by

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Thomas Richards ... film editor

Art Direction by

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Robert M. Haas ... (as Robert Haas)

Costume Design by

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Orry-Kelly ... (gowns)

Makeup Department

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Perc Westmore ... makeup artist
Frank McCoy ... makeup artist (uncredited)
Jean Udko ... hair (uncredited)

Production Management

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Al Alleborn ... unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Claude Archer ... assistant director (uncredited)
John Prettyman ... second assistant director (uncredited)
Jack Sullivan ... assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department

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John Gilbert Kissel ... props (uncredited)
Keefe Maley ... assistant props (uncredited)
William McConnell ... scenic artist (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Oliver S. Garretson ... sound

Camera and Electrical Department

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William Conger ... gaffer (uncredited)
E.F. Dexter ... grip (uncredited)
Mack Elliott ... still photographer (uncredited)
Mike Joyce ... camera operator (uncredited)
Wally Meinardus ... assistant camera (uncredited)
William Steudeman ... best boy (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Eugene Joseff ... costume jeweller (uncredited)
Burrell Kring ... wardrobe man (uncredited)
Cora Lobb ... wardrobe woman (uncredited)

Music Department

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Leo F. Forbstein ... musical director
Louis Kaufman ... musician: violin (uncredited)
Arthur Lange ... orchestrator (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

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Meta Carpenter ... script clerk (uncredited)

Additional Crew

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Robert Foulk ... dialogue director
Natacha Nahon ... french adaptation: original version with subtitles (uncredited)
Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

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. Written by J. Spurlin

Plot Keywords
Taglines It's thrilling . . . it's chilling . . . it's the most baffling mystery story in years ! See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • The Knight of Malta (United States)
  • The Gent from Frisco (United States)
  • Le faucon maltais (France)
  • Der Malteser Falke (Germany)
  • Die Spur des Falken (Germany)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 100 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $375,000 (estimated)
Cumulative Worldwide Gross $3,862,960

Did You Know?

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Trivia 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. See more »
Goofs The opening crawl begins, "In 1539, the Knight Templars[sic] of Malta, paid tribute to Charles V of Spain, by sending him a Golden Falcon..." This confuses two different religious orders of knights, both founded in Jerusalem. The Knights Hospitallers of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, known as the Order of St. John for short, have existed since 1048; they were in fact based in Malta from 1530 to 1798 and hence were also called the Knights of Malta. On the other hand, the Knights of the Temple of Solomon, also called the Knights Templar or just Templars, were founded in 1119 and became the sworn enemies of the first order; this latter group was disbanded by 1312, after King Philip IV of France had declared them heretics so that he could confiscate their wealth. See more »
Movie Connections Edited into You, Murderer (1995). See more »
Quotes [last lines]
Detective Tom Polhaus: [picks up the falcon] Heavy. What is it?
Sam Spade: The, uh, stuff that dreams are made of.
Detective Tom Polhaus: Huh?
See more »
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