The Maltese Falcon (1931 film) The Maltese Falcon (1931 film) The Maltese Falcon is a 1931 American pre-Code crime film, based on the 1930 novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett and directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film stars Ricardo Cortez as private detective Sam Spade and Bebe Daniels as Ruth Wonderly. Maude Fulton, Brown Holmes, and Lucien Hubbard (who went uncredited) wrote the screenplay. The supporting cast features Dudley Digges, Thelma Todd, Walter Long, Una Merkel, and Dwight Frye. A print has been held by the Library of Congress since the 1970s. In San Francisco, private investigator Sam Spade (Ricardo Cortez) and
The Black Bird The Black Bird The Black Bird is a 1975 film released December 25, 1975 starring George Segal and Stéphane Audran. It is a comedy sequel to the well-regarded 1941 film version of "The Maltese Falcon" with Segal playing Sam Spade's son, Sam Spade, Jr., and Lee Patrick and Elisha Cook Jr. reprising their roles of Effie Perrine and Wilmer Cook. "The Black Bird" was panned by critics and audiences alike, and is still considered the weakest film adaptation of the novel; Pauline Kael wrote that the film is "a dumb comedy, with an insecure tone and some good ideas mixed