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
Falcon (sport) Falcon (sport) Falcon is a tongue-in-cheek term that is used in different forms of football to describe an accidental knock to the head with the ball. The phrase originated from rugby league in Australia. On "The Footy Show", casual presenter Mario Fenech's weekly segment was introduced by a piece of footage from his playing days showing a ball being passed accidentally into his head. Fenech, being of Maltese descent, has the nickname ""The Maltese Falcon"", and thus the 'Golden Falcon Award' began to be informally awarded to players whose head came into contact with the football in professional matches. This