THE STANFORD THEATRE
The Maltese Falcon poster

The Maltese Falcon

1941 ★ 101 min
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George
Director: John Huston
Writer: John Huston, Dashiell Hammett
Producer: Hal B. Wallis

The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 American film noir written and directed by John Huston, marking Huston's directorial debut. It is the third film adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel, following the 1931 version directed by Roy Del Ruth, and the 1936 William Dieterle–directed Satan Met a Lady.

Trivia

  • Nominated for: Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay; Academy Award for Best Picture.
  • Based on The Maltese Falcon (novel by Dashiell Hammett).
  • Dashiell Hammett had once worked as a private detective for the Pinkerton Detective Agency in San Francisco, and he used his birth name "Samuel" for the story's protagonist Sam Spade.
  • Other characters in The Maltese Falcon were based on people whom Hammett met or worked with during that time.
  • The character of sinister "Fat Man" Kasper Gutman was based on Maundy Gregory, an overweight British detective-entrepreneur who was involved in many sophisticated endeavors and capers, including a search for a long-lost treasure like the jeweled Falcon.

Filming Locations

  • San Francisco
  • Principal photography took place on the Warner Bros. backlot from June 9 to July 18, 1941, with some reshoots on August 8. Following a preview screening on September 5, studio head Jack L. Warner ordered reshoots to simplify the opening scene.

Previous Showings

17 Runs • 12 Festivals

Original Billings: 2 runs (June 21, 1931 - January 29, 1942)

Original Run: June 21, 1931 (Sunday - Tuesday)

All runs on record (17):

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