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It was filmed twice under the name The Maltese Falcon, in 1931 and 1941. The story also inspired the 1936 film Satan Met a Lady, directed by William Dieterle and starring Bette Davis and Warren William , as well as many spoofs and sequels. The 1941 version is the most famous and is often considered a classic Hollywood film.
The 1931 film was directed by Roy Del Ruth and starred Ricardo Cortez as private detective Sam Spade. Other stars in the film were Bebe Daniels, Thelma Todd, Dudley Digges , Otto Mathieson , and Una Merkel. The screenplay was adapted from the Dashiell Hammett novel by Maude Fulton Brown Holmes. It was produced and released by Warner Brothers.
While the plot is much the same as the later movie version, the tenor is lighter, and there is rather extensive use of sexually suggestive situations in this pre- Hays Code film, and contains a rather risqué scene of Bebe Daniels apparently nude in a bathtub.
In 1936 Warner Brothers attempted to re-release the film, but was denied approval by the Production Code Office due to the film's "lewd" content. For decades, unedited copies could not be legally shown in the United StatesThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in.
The 1931 "Maltese Falcon" has also been released under the alternative title "Dangerous Female".
The 1941 film was directed by John HustonJohn Huston ( August 5, 1906 August 28, 1987) was an American film director. He was born John Marcellus Huston in Nevada, Missouri, the son of the Canadian-born actor Walter Huston. He began his film career as a screenwriter and made films mainly from pro in his first directorial role - he also wrote the screenplay - and stars Humphrey BogartHumphrey Bogart ( December 25, 1899 January 14, 1957) was an iconic American actor who retains legendary status decades after his death. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Bogart the Greatest Male Star of All Time. Bogart typically played smart, p as the detective, Mary AstorMary Astor ( May 3, 1906 September 25, 1987) was a US film actress. Born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke in Quincy, Illinois, Astor was signed to a Hollywood contract at the age of 14 after winning a beauty contest. She was selected as one of the WAMPAS Bab as Brigid O'Shaughnessy, the femme fataleMata Hari, exotic dancer and convicted spy, made her name synonymous with femme fatale during WWI. When I'm good, I'm very good. But when I'm bad I'm better. Mae West A femme fatale is a stock character, a villainous woman who uses the malign power of sex who hires him, Sydney GreenstreetSydney Greenstreet ( December 27, 1879 January 18, 1954) was an actor, originally from Sandwich, England. He worked as a comedian as a child, then emigrated to America and performed on the stage (making his stage debut in 1902. He is perhaps most famous f in his exceptional film debut as the extraordinary Kasper Gutman, and Peter LorreYousuf Karsh Peter Lorre ( June 26, 1904 March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian- American actor known largely for playing criminals. He was born Ladislav (Laszlo) Lowenstein in Rozsahegy/Rosenberg, Austria-Hungary, which is now Ruzomberok, Slovakia. His parents as Joel Cairo.
Also in the film are Barton MacLane and Ward BondWard Bond ( April 9, 1903 November 5, 1960) was an American film actor, noted especially for his roles working with longtime friends John Wayne and director John Ford, such as " The Searchers", " The Quiet Man", and " Fort Apache". Bond, Ward Bond, Ward B as policemen, Lee Patrick as Spade's long-suffering secretary and Gladys George confusing things as the wife of Spade's partner.
The 1941 version of the film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.