 Lux presents Hollywood. The Lux Radio Theatre brings you Edward G. Robinson, Gail Patrick, and Laird Kregar in The Maltese Falcon. Ladies and gentlemen, your producer, Mr. Cecil B. DeMille. Greetings from Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen. Some people like mystery stories because of the intellectual challenge they present. Personally, I'm seldom able to figure out who done it without skipping to the back of the book. But give me a good detective story, and like presidents, bankers, housewives, and chorus girls the country over, I find that my own troubles fold up their tents like the Arabs and silently steal away. Tonight we point with pride to a triumph of the art. The Dashel Hammett classic, The Maltese Falcon, brought to us by three of our favorite stars, Edward G. Robinson, Gail Patrick, and Laird Kregar. The Warner Brothers screenplay was masterfully written and directed by John Houston, who comes by his talent naturally because he's Walter Houston's son. For the next hour we'll follow the eerie trail of this fabulous falcon, which is coveted by many people to their great ill fortune and to the great ill health of a few. I think most of us have a secret desire to be detectives. At least that seems to be very true of this audience, because you've done some good practical detective work by discovering dozens of different ways to use Lux Flakes. And that doesn't make any of us unhappy. Nowadays, many familiar materials are doing a wartime job. Nylon and silk are going into parachutes, cotton, rayon, and wool into uniforms, and many other wartime uses. That means that we on the home front must make the things we have last longer, so that our boys on the fighting fronts will have what they need. You're all trying to track down ways and means to make washable fabrics last, and the clue that's giving you domestic detectives the solution is Lux Flakes. But now let's track down the Maltese falcon, because here's the first act, starring Edward G. Robinson as Sam Spade, Gail Patrick as Bridget, and Laird Krieger as Guttman. At two o'clock in the morning, the city of San Francisco lies sleeping under a blanket of fog. Along a lonely street, a man walks slowly, his footsteps ringing hollily against the wet pavement. He passes a deserted alley and stops. The man turns and peers for a long time into the shadows. Suddenly, one of the shadows moves. The man stumbles backward. His hands reach out to shield his body. All right, Spade, open up. We know you're in there, Spade. Come on. Who is it? It's Dundee and Paul House. We want to speak to you. Come in, Lieutenant. Nice time to make a call. Yeah. Four in the morning. Where did you watch stop? We don't have any hours on the force, Spade. Got a couple of questions to ask you. Sure. Hi, Tom. Hello, Sam. What do you know about this killing, Spade? Very little. Archie was your partner, wasn't he? That's right. Spade and Archie, private detective. I guess you'll have to change that name. Yeah. Now, aren't they just Sam Spade? Yeah. You don't seem very broken up over this, Spade. Miles Archie gets shot dead two hours ago when you toss it off like a scotch and soda. Oh, excuse me. Will you have one, Lieutenant? No, I won't. Okay. Mind if I have one, Lieutenant? No. You don't like me, do you, Dundee? I don't like any cops who aren't on the force. I asked you what you knew about Miles Archie getting killed. Well, once again, very little. Your boys called me a 10-half to two. I understand they found her webbly automatic in the alley with one bullet out of it. Yeah. Was Archie out on a job last night? Oh, sure. He was supposed to be telling a fellow named Floyd Thursby. Thursby? What for? Come on, Spade. What for? You were trying to find out where he lived. Spade, suppose you were in so once without thinking so hard. I don't like this, Dundee. What are you sucking around for? Tell me or get out. I asked you why you were telling Thursby. I wasn't. Miles was. For the swell reason that we had a client. It was paying good United States money to have him tailed. Who's the client? I'm sorry, I can't tell you that. Be reasonable, Sam. Give us a chance. How can we turn up anything on Miles' killing if you won't tell us what you've got? Okay. It was a girl who wanted us to tail Thursby. What girl? She came into the office yesterday afternoon. I didn't know who she was. If he announced through about three o'clock, said there was a girl to see me here. A girl named Wonderland. Mr. Spade, she says her name's Wonderly. What is she, a fair customer? I guess so. You'll want to see her anyway, Mr. Spade. She's a knockout. Well, sure, really, darling. Would you come in, Mr. Wonderly? Thank you. Mr. Spade. Yeah, that's right. Now, what can I do for you, Miss Wonderly? Well, I... I don't know where to start. I asked to get the hotel for the name of a reliable private detective, and they mentioned yours. I see. Well, I suppose you'd tell me about it from the very beginning. Well, I'm from New York. I've come here to find my sister. Well, are you sure she's in San Francisco? Well, she was two weeks ago. I had a letter from her. She... she came here with a man named Thursby, Floyd Thursby. You mean she ran away with him? Yes. Oh, Mr. Spade, I've got to find her. Mother and father and Honolulu, and it would kill them. I've got to get her back before they come home. Well, what did she say in the letter? Nothing, except that she was all right. I sent her a note begging her not to do anything foolish. I sent it to general delivery. I told her I was coming out to get her. I shouldn't have done that, should I? Well, it's not always easy to know what to do. You haven't found her? No. No, I told her I'd be at the St. Mark for her to meet me there. But I've waited three whole days. She didn't come. Didn't even send a message. Well, go on. Oh, it was horrible, waiting. But yesterday afternoon, I went to the post office. Corinne didn't come for her meal, but Floyd Thursby did. Well, did you speak to him? Yes. He wouldn't tell me where Corinne was. But he promised to bring her to the hotel this evening. Hi, Sam. Say, I... Oh, excuse me. Oh, it's all right. It's all right, Miles. Oh, Miss Wanderley, this is Mr. Archer, my partner. Well, how do you do? Mr. Archer. Anything I can do, Sam? Well, Miss Wanderley's sister ran away from New York with a fellow named Thursby. Miss Wanderley has seen Thursby and has a date with him tonight at the St. Mark. Maybe you'll bring the sister with him, but the chances are he won't. Miss Wanderley wants us to find the sister and get her away from him back home, right? Yes. But I want you to know that he's a dangerous man. I don't think he'd stop at anything. I don't believe he'd hesitate to kill Corin if he thought it would save him. But at what time is he coming to see you? Between eight and ten. All right, Miss Wanderley. We'll have a man there. Oh, no, Sam. No. This is too important for that. I'll look after it myself, Miss Wanderley. Oh, thank you. Not at all. Oh, here, I brought some money. Will $200 be enough? Well, it'll begin with, yes. Oh, by the way, it would help some if you would meet Thursby in the lobby. I will. You don't have to look for me, Miss Wanderley. I'll see you all right. Thank you. Goodbye. Goodbye, Miss Wanderley. See you tonight. Yes, goodbye. Now, Miles, what do you think about it? Whistling. You saw it first, Sam, but I spoke first. I wasn't talking about a figure. What about a story? Huh? Oh. What about it? Well, you've got a great brain, Miles. Yes, you have. Miles went out to tell Thursby last night. Yeah. And Thursby shot him. Is that what you think? Oh, that's what you think, Dandy. I don't know. Tom, get on the phone. Call the St. Mark and ask for a girl named Wanderley. I thought of that myself, Lieutenant. He's never registered. The whole story is probably a fake. Oh, was it? How about yours, Mr. Spade? Tom, what's your boyfriend getting at? I'll tell you what I'm getting at. Floyd Thursby was shot down in front of his hotel an hour ago. Take your paws off me. Easy, boss. Don't rough him up. Where were you tonight, Spade? I was right here all night long. You got any proof? No. You think I shot Thursby, huh? Yeah. I think you did. Well, I know where I stand now. Did Thursby die? Yes. How did I kill him? I forget. He was shot three times in the back with a 44. He'll tell people know anything about him? Nothing except he'd been there a week. Alone? Alone. But did you find out who he was? What his game was? No. We thought you could tell us that. I've never seen Thursby dead or alive. Now, look, Spade. If you did get Thursby, you'll get a square deal out of me and most of the breaks. I know that I blame you a lot. The man who killed your partner. But that wouldn't keep me from nailing you. Fair enough. But I'd feel better about it if you'd have a drink with me. No? No. Well, good night, gentlemen. I'm tired. Yes? Oh, hello, Miss Wantley. Where are you? Where? The car in the department, 101. Well, I'll be there in a few minutes. Oh, by the way, what's your name this morning? Miss LeBlanc. OK, Miss LeBlanc. I have a terrible confession to make. Yeah? Well, go ahead, Miss LeBlanc. Well, that story I told you yesterday was all a story. Oh, that's all right. I didn't believe your story, anyhow. I believed your $200. Oh? You paid too much for someone who was telling the truth. Oh, I see. Now, let's clear up one thing first, Miss LeBlanc. What? Your name. Now, what is it? Not LeBlanc. No, it's really Shaughnessy. First name? Bridget. Bridget Shaughnessy. Oh, that's one I can believe. Mr. Spade, tell me, am I to blame for last night? Well, you warned us that Thersby was dangerous. I wouldn't say it was your fault. Oh, thank you. Mr. Archer was so, so alive yesterday. So solid and hearty. Now, stop it. Any of what he was doing, those are the chances we take. Anyway, there's no time for worrying about that. Right now, there's a flock of cops running around with their noses to the ground. Mr. Spade, do they know about me? Well, so far all they know is that there's a girl somewhere. But must they know about me at all, Mr. Spade? Couldn't you manage to shield me from me? Well, maybe, but I'll have to know what it's all about. Well, I can't tell you now. Later I will. You'll have to trust me. Oh, I'm so alone and afraid. I've got nobody to help me if you won't. Please trust me. Help me. Be generous, Mr. Spade. You don't need much of anybody's help. You're good. You keep your eyes, I think. And that throb you get into your voice when you say things like, uh, be generous, Mr. Spade. All right. I deserve that. But the lie was in the way I said it, and not in what I said. You can leave if you like. No, no, no, not yet. I've got nothing against trusting you blindly, but, uh, I can't do you any good if I don't know what it's all about. For instance, I've got to have some sort of a line on your friend, Thursby. I met him in Hong Kong. We came here just last week. Where, not from Hong Kong? No. Where? Lie, I can't tell you. Well, go on. I needed him. I was completely dependent on him. He knew it. He took advantage of it to double cross me. How? I can't tell you that either. Well, uh, why'd you want him shadowed? I wanted to learn how far he'd gone whom he was meeting. Did he kill Archer? Yes, certainly. Well, Thursby had a Luger in his shoulder holster. Archer wasn't killed with a Luger. Floyd always carried an extra revolver in his overcoat pocket. Well, why all the guns? They were given by them. Pick the nice playmate. All right. Let's have it now. How bad a spot are you in? As bad as bad could be. Physical danger? Yes. And I'm not heroic. I don't think there's anything worse than death. No, shut up. You mean someone who might kill you? Yes. And they'll get me unless you help. You've got to help. Do you hear? You've got to. I said shut up. All right. I'll help you. And they'll probably give it to me too, huh? All right. So why? I guess I won't be the first guy who let a name make a sucker out of him. He's back again, Mr. Spade. Who, Effie? The fellow was here this morning. Here's his card. Joel Cairo. Cut. Is he a character? Mm-hmm. Foreign type. He smells like Dardena. Dardena, huh? Well, shoot him in, Effie. Right. Will you come in, Mr. Cairo? You're very kind. Thank you. Well, sit down now, Mr. Cairo. Thank you. I'm Sam Spade. Something I can do for you, Mr. Cairo? Yes. Thank you. But first, may a stranger offer condolences for your partner's unfortunate death? Thank you. And may I ask, Mr. Spade, if there is a certain relationship between that and the death of the man Thursby, may I ask that? No. I beg your pardon. Mr. Spade, I'm trying to recover an ornament that has been, shall we say, mislaid. I thought and hoped you could assist me. Yeah. The ornament is a statuette, the black figure of a bird. Yeah. And I'm prepared to pay on behalf of the figure's rightful owner the sum of $5,000 for its recovery. And what is the phrase? No questions will be asked. Well, $5,000 is a lot of money. Now, come in. Is there anything else for me, Mr. Spade? Oh, no. Good night, Effie. Lock the door when you go, will you? Good night. Yes, Mr. Cairo, $5,000 is a very... What do you think you're doing? I'm pointing the revolver to spot directly between your eyes. You will please clasp your hands together at the back of your neck and do not move. I tend to search your office, and if you attempt to prevent me, I shall certainly shoot you. All right, go ahead. You will please stand. I shall make sure you are not armed. Certainly. All right, Mr. Cairo, drop the gun, please. Drop it. Drop it or do I twist your arm off the elbow? You, here. Take it. Thanks. Now sit down over there and behave yourself. You... You have bruised me, Mr. Spade. I'm sorry. I guess I got a little annoyed. I know unlike guys who make a phony offer of $5,000. You are mistaken, Mr. Spade. That was and is a genuine offer. Yeah? And I am prepared to pay $5,000 for the figure's return. You have the figure. No. Then why did you risk serious injury to prevent my searching for it? Well, I should sit around, let people come in and stick me up. So the offer still goes, huh? Oh, certainly. All right. Now let's put the cards on the table. Your first guess was that I had the bird. Now there's nothing to that. Now what's your second guess? That you know where it is or at least that you know it is where you can get it. Well, you're not hiring me to do any murders or burglaries for you, but somebody to get it back if possible in an honest, lawful way. If possible. And in any event with discretion. I'm at the Hotel Belvedere when you wish to communicate with me. Good evening, Mr. Spade. Hold on. Oh, wait. You know a girl named Wanderley? No, I do not. La Blanc? No. Well, how about Bridget Chonisey? The Hotel Belvedere, Mr. Spade. Room 655. Okay. Oh, by the way, may I have my revolver back, please? Oh, yes, sure, sure. I've forgotten that. Here. Here you are. Thank you. Now you will please keep your hands behind your head. I still intend to search your office. Well, I'll be. All right, go ahead. Thank you. Do you have any news for me? Yeah, a little. I mean, did you manage it so that the police won't have to know about me? No, they won't. For a while, anyway. Oh, and you won't get into any trouble. You won't, Mr. Spade. Oh, I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble. Do sit down, please. Do sit down, please. Now, look, you aren't exactly the sort of person you pretend to be, are you? I'm not sure. I know what you mean. Well, school girl, manna, stammering, blushing and all that. Because if you are, honey, we'll never get anywhere. Now, stop acting. All right, I'm sorry. I'm good. I saw Joel Kyra tonight. You know him? Only slightly. What did he say? About what? About me. Nothing. What did he talk about? Well, he offered me $5,000 for the black bird. Oh, did he? And what did you say? Well, I said $5,000. A lot of money. It is. Well, that's for you if I must bid for your loyalty. Well, that's good. Coming for you. Now, what have you given me besides $200? Have you given me any of your confidence? Any of the truth? Can't you trust me a little longer? Well, how much is a little? What are you waiting for? Well, I must talk to Joel Kyra. Well, you can see him tonight. He can't come here. I can't let him know where I am. I'm afraid. Well, my place, then. What about it? All right. Your place. Good. But wait. You'll have to let me go about this while I'm just sitting and listening while you talk over old time. You're a strange person. I like you. Yeah? Well, don't overdo it. Now, Mr. Karol, it's now, Mr. Honesty. I might advise you, Mr. Spade. There is a boy outside who seems to be watching the house. Yes, I know. I spotted him. But boy, who is he? Oh, I don't know. It's Dunman, I guess. He's been telling me around town all evening. Did he follow you to my apartment? No, I shouldn't have before that. Well, let's start the meeting. I'm delighted to see you again, Miss Shaughnessy. I was sure you would be, Jorah. Well, I'll mix a drink. Just go ahead, Bridget. Mr. Spade told me about your order for the fork. And how soon can you have the money ready? It is ready. In cash? Oh, yes. You're ready to give us $5,000 if we turn over the fork into you. I should be able to give you the money at, say, half past 10 in the morning. But I haven't got the fork. What? Oh, don't worry. I'll have it in another week at the most. I must not wait a week. Well, perhaps not a whole week. Your wife, I may ask, are you willing to sell it to me at all? I'm afraid, after what happened to Floyd. I'm afraid to touch it, except to turn it over to somebody else right away. Tell me, exactly what did happen to Floyd? He was murdered by the fat man. Fat man? Is he here? I don't know. I suppose so. What difference does it make? It might make a world of difference. Yes, you might be able to get around the fat man, Jorah, as you did that one in Istanbul. What was his name? The one you did away with, so to... That is a lie! You dirty little... Get away from her. Get away, do you hear? No! Now, cool down. This is the second time you've put your hands on me, Mr. Spade. I'll try and make it the last. Now, you better get out, Kyra. I'll call you tomorrow. You're working for her now, is that it? I'm working for myself. You want to withdraw your offer? Just say so. The offer still stands. All right, get out. Very well. Good night, Mr. Spade. Well, you've got some fine friends, Miss Shaughnessy. Do they always try to throttle you? I suppose I ought to thank you. Well, you had to talk with Kyra, and I can talk to me. Well, it didn't work out the way I hoped. I'll have to go now. No, no, no. Not until you've told me about it. Am I a prisoner? Maybe. Or maybe that kid outside hasn't gone home yet. Do you think he's still there? I'm likely. I'll stay for a while, anyhow. Okay. Now, what's this bird, this falcon that everybody's all steamed up about? It's a black figure of a bird, a hawk or a falcon, about a foot high. Well, what makes it so important? I don't know. They wouldn't tell me. But they promised me $5,000 if I helped them get it from the man who had it. That was an Istanbul. Yes. Well, go ahead. That's all. They promised me the money to help them, and I did. And then we found out that Joel Cairo meant to desert us taking the falcon with him and leaving Floyd and me nothing. So we did exactly that to Mr. Cairo. But then I wasn't any better off than before because Floyd hadn't any intention of keeping his promise to me about sharing equally. I learned that by the time we got here. What's the bird made of? Porcelain, a black stone, I don't know. You're a liar. What? A liar. Yes, I am. I've always been a liar. Don't brag about it. Is there any truth at all in that yarn? Some, not very much. All right. We've got all night before us. I'll put some coffee on and we'll try again. Oh, I'm so tired. I'm so tired of lying and thinking up lies and not knowing what is the lie and what's the truth. Don't ask me. Please don't. If there's any kindness in you at all. Now what are you trying now? That's right. Turn on the beauty. Let your eyes get nice and starry. Put your arms around my neck and look pleatingly at me. Oh, you're great. Do you think it's going to get you any place? Oh, I couldn't with you. No? Well, don't be so sure. We'll hear act two of the Maltese falcon starring Edward G. Robinson, Gail Patrick, and Laird Kriegar in just a moment. Meantime, I have exciting news for you. The package of luxe you have in your home now looks just like the package you've always bought. But the flakes inside have been improved so that they can help you more than ever to save washables in wartime. Washables that may be irreplaceable. Remember, the luxe your dealer has now in the same familiar package is new improved luxe. Improved three ways. The first way. Mrs. Burton, how would you like to have a luxe that's even milder and safer than ever? Well, that would be wonderful. But it's hard to see how luxe could be milder. Well, new improved luxe is the mildest, safest ever made. To give today's precious washables the super safe care they need to make them last longer. Now, Mrs. Johnson, suppose I told you suds from new improved luxe are even richer, more cleansing than before. Why, that's just what I need for the children's things. A soap that's really mild but that really gets after the dirt. And Mrs. Sutherland, how would you like a luxe made with suds that are even longer lasting? Even longer lasting than before? Why, that would make luxe thriftier than ever. Yes, new improved luxe is better than ever for every soap and water job you have to do. First, it's the mildest, safest luxe ever made. Second, it's suds are richer, more cleansing. Third, they're longer lasting suds that do more work. Give more of your washables the super safe luxe care. Not only silks and woolens and rayons but gay cottons, all your colored things. New improved luxe comes in the same familiar box. Your dealer has it now. Now, our producer, Mr. DeMille. Act two of the Maltese Falcon, starring Edward G. Robinson as Sam Spade, Gail Patrick as Brigid, and Laird Krieger as Gutman. On the trail of the Black Falcon, Sam Spade has followed nothing but blind alleys. But now a call comes from his secretary. He was here twice, Mr. Spade. He wouldn't leave his name, though. No place I can read him. He said something about the Hotel Barclay. Well, what did he look like, Effie? Can you describe him? That's easy enough. A big fellow, about 270 pounds. Yeah? The Fat Man. In the lobby of the Hotel Barclay, Sam Spade watches for the Fat Man. But he sees only the boy who has followed him for the last three days. All right, son, where is he? What? Come on, where is he? You work for him, don't you? Who? The Fat Man. I want to speak to him. What do you think you're doing, Jack, kidding me? I'll tell you when I am. I've been telling around after me for three days, and I'm getting a little sick of it. You can tell the Fat Man I said so. Shove off. You'll have to talk to me before you're through, son. And so will he. I said shove off. And he can take your hand out of your pocket. Guns don't scare me much. Keep asking for it, and you're going to get it. Plenty. People lose their teeth talking like that. If you want to hang around, be polite. I'll tell the Fat Man I called me and leave his name. Hello, Mr. Spade. Mr. Gutman called. He says the boy gave him the message. 207 the Barclay this afternoon at three. Mr. Spade, delighted to see you. Delighted. How do you do, Mr. Gutman? Sit down, my friend. We'll have a little drink. I can't stay long. Sorry, I've got an appointment at the district attorney's office. So? It's interesting. Say when, Mr. Spade. I'll leave it to you. Excellent, excellent. I distrust the man who says when. He's got to be careful not to drink too much. It's because he's not to be trusted when he does. You're a closed-mouthed man, Mr. Spade. No, I like the talk. I enjoy it. Better and better. I distrust a closed-mouthed man. He generally picks the wrong time to talk, says the wrong things. Well, sir, we'll talk. That's well. Well, we talk about the black bird. You're the man for me, sir. No beating about the bush, but right to the point. But first, sir, answer me a question. Are you here as Miss Shaughness' representative or Mr. Cairo? Well, there's nothing certain about it. Either way yet, it depends. But which will you represent? It will be one or the other. Not necessarily. Who else is there? Well, there's me. Ah, that's wonderful, sir, wonderful. I do like a man who tells you right off that he's looking out for himself. Let's talk about the black bird. Let's. Mr. Spade, have you any conception of how much money can be got for that black bird? No. Well, sir, if I told you the... If I told you a half, you'd call me a liar. No, not even if I thought so. You know what the bird is, of course. No, I don't. You don't? They didn't tell you that? Well, I know what it's supposed to look like, and I know the value in human life you people put on it. But, honestly, they didn't tell you what it is. And Cairo didn't either. They must know what it is. What do they? What is your impression, sir? Well, there isn't much to go by. Cairo wouldn't talk. The girl said she didn't know, but I took a rant as she was lying. Then they don't know. I am the only one in this whole wide, wonderful world who does. That's great. When you've told me, that'll make two of us. Mathematically correct, sir. But I don't know for certain that I'm going to tell you. Now, don't be foolish. You know what it is. I know where it is. That's why I'm here. Well, sir, where is it? There, you see? I must tell things, but you refuse. That is hardly equitable, sir. No, no, no, no. I don't think we can do business along these lines. You don't, huh? Well, think again and think fast. I told that gunman of yours that you'd have to talk to me before you finish. Now, I'll tell you now that you'll do your talking the day you're through. Now, what are you wasting my time for? I can get along without you. Now, talk, talk! Is anything wrong, boss? Come in, Wilmer. Oh, yeah. Yeah, come in, Sonny. Keep your hand off your gun or I'll lock your ears down. Listen, you... Wilmer. Just stand over there, Wilmer. Excitable young man, Mr. Spade. Well, make up your mind, Gutman. While you're doing it, keep that console away from me. I'll kill him. Mr. Spade... I must say you were most violent temper. I'll think it over. You've got a 530. Then you're either in or out for keeps. I guess might be excellent or might be crummy, but, uh, Mr. Spade didn't raise any children dippy enough to make asses in front of a district attorney and a sonographer. Hey, Mr. Spade, I wish you wouldn't regard this as a formal inquiry, and please don't think I have any belief in those theories that police seem to form. You see, they think you can tell. Yeah? Well, what's your theory? Simple. Tell me who art you were shadowing Thursday before, and I'll tell you the murder. Well, that's where you're wrong. Whether or not I'm wrong isn't for you to judge. I'm a sworn officer of the law, Mr. Spade. My duty is... I thought this was an informal talk. It is, but I... The police think I'm mixed up in those killings. Well, my best chance of clearing myself is to bring in the murderers all tied up. My only chance of ever tying them up is by keeping away from you and the cops because you'd only come up to work. Now, just a minute. And I don't want any more of these informal talks. If you want to see me again, pinch me, or subpoena me or something, and I'll come down with my lawyer. See you at the end quest. Hiya, son. Didn't expect to see you until 5.25. I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Keep on riding me, and they'll be picking iron out of your liver. The cheaper the crook, the gaudier of a pat-o. Got one ready to talk? He's waiting at the hotel. Get going. We're off now. Thank you. Oh, hello, operator. I don't want to receive any calls for about an hour. Yes, thank you. Come on, get in, sonny. Mr. Spade. Here you got one. Here's a gunman sick-shooted. Well, well, what's this? I took it away from him. I was afraid he might hurt himself. I'll get you, Spade. Someday I'll let you have it right in the basement. Come on, get out of here. Wait outside, Wilmer. By God, sir, you're a chap worth knowing. An amazing character. Here, I've mixed a drink for you. Oh, by the way, I owe you an apology. Never mind that. Never mind. Let's talk about the bird. All right, sir, let's. Mr. Spade, this is going to be the most astounding thing you ever heard. Yeah? What do you know, sir, about the Knights of Rhodes? Nothing. Well, they were crusaders, Mr. Spade. In 1539, these crusading knights persuaded the emperor Charles V to give them the island of Malta. Yeah? He made but one condition. They were to pay him each year the tribute of a falcon in acknowledgment that Malta was still under Spade. You follow me? Yeah, so far. Good. Well, sir, the knights were profoundly grateful to the emperor for his generosity toward them. Mm-hmm. The very first year, they sent him not an insignificant live bird, but a glorious golden falcon and crusted from head to foot with the finest jewels in their coffers. Well, sir, what do you think of that? I don't know. These are facts, historical facts. They sent this jeweled bird to Charles, who was then in Spain. But it never reached Spain. A famous admiral of Buccaneers took the knights' galley and the bird. In 1713, it turned up in Sicily. In 1840, it appeared in Paris. It had, by that time, acquired a coat of black enamel so that it looked like nothing more than a fairly interesting black statuette. Then in 1922, a Greek dealer named Charaleaus found it in an obscure shop. No thickness of enamel could conceal value from his eyes. Drink up, sir. Yeah, well, go on. Well, sir, to hold it safe, Charaleaus re-enameled the bird. I got wind of his fine, but when I arrived in Athens, I discovered that the bird was gone. And Charaleaus murdered it. That was over 20 years ago. Well, sir, it took me 20 years to locate that bird, but I did. I traced it to the home of a Russian general, one Kemidov in Istanbul. I sent some agents to get it. Well, sir, they got it. And I haven't got it. Where's Kemidov? Oh, Kemidov? He died. Very subtle. Yes. His heart. Was there a knife in it or a bullet? Your grasp, sir? There you go. Now, before we start to talk prices, how soon are you willing to produce the falcon? A couple of days. Now, that's quite satisfactory. Well, sir, here's to a fair bargain. Break up. Well, what's your idea of a fair bargain? $25,000. When you deliver the falcon to me at another $25,000 later on. Or I'll give you one quarter of what I realize on the falcon. That would amount to a vastly greater sum. How much greater? Oh, no. Shall I say $100,000? That would be the minimum. And what's the maximum? What would you say to a quarter of a million? Well, then you think the thing is worth a million, huh? At least. Well, that's a lot of dough. A lot of dough. No, no. And the maximum? What's the matter, Mr. Spade? Are you feeling you? I feel... What was that? What was in that drink? The drink? Oh, I drugged it. Yeah? You'll be unconscious very shortly, Mr. Spade. You'd better lie down. I wouldn't want you to fall. Well, that's very good. That's very... Oh, Joel. Joel, come in. Unconscious? Yes. You know, he's a very interesting person, Joel. The kind of a man I enjoy dealing with. We pause now for station identification. This is the Columbia Broadcasting System. After a brief intermission, Edward G. Robinson, Gail Patrick, and Laird Kriegar will return in the third act of the Maltese Falcon. Now, here's a question for the women in our audience. If you could make your stockings last far longer, just by doing one very easy thing, would you do it? Of course you would. Then listen to this. Recent tests show how to cut down stocking runs over 50%. Yes, a famous laboratory, the United States testing company incorporated, repeatedly washed rayon stockings different ways. Then tested them on an almost human machine, a sort of mechanical leg that strains stockings the way you do in actual wear. Here's what they found. Washing with new, improved lux, cut down runs over 50%. Yes, the lux stockings tested on the machine didn't go into runs nearly as easily as stockings washed with a strong soap or rubbed with cake soap. They lasted ever so much longer. You see, new, improved lux saves elasticity, so stockings can take extra strain without breaking into runs so easily. And here's what girls find in actual experience. Why, I got over twice the wear for my lux stockings. Lux cut my runs almost in half. That means a lot now that stockings are so precious. Better stick to lux and avoid those enemies of stockings, cake soap rubbing and strong soaps. One special hint about rayons. They need 24 to 48 hours drying time. Get new, improved lux tomorrow. It's in the same familiar box and your dealer has it right now. Now, Mr. DeMille returns to the microphone. One of tonight's stars flew the Atlantic recently. We'll hear about it right after the play. Now the third act of the Maltese Falcon, starring Edward G. Robinson, Gale Patrick and Laird Prieger. When Sam Spade woke up, he was alone in the hotel room. Pale and still shaking from the effects of the drug, he's gone to his office where Effie stares at him in alarm. What happened to you? I went visiting this afternoon with that knockout drops and came to just a little while ago and spread out on a man's floor. Who did it? The fat man. But why? Didn't have a chance to ask. Evidently, he wanted to get me out of the way for something. But I don't get it. Hello? Yes? What? I can't hear you. Who is it? Give it to me again. Yes, I've got that. Captain who? Jacobi? Yes, I... Hello? Hello? She's gone. Who's gone? Who? It was the Shaughnessy girl. She wants you. Here's the address. 26 Ancho Street. She's in some kind of trouble, Mr. Spade. She was telling me something about a captain, a ship captain named Jacobi. And then... And then something happened to her. What happened? I don't know. Like she was being choked. Listen, is that the outside door? I'll see. Yes? What do you... Oh! Who is it, Epi? Mr. Spade. Yes? This package. For you. He told me. For you. What's the matter with you? For... you. Baby! Shut up! Lock the door. Yes. Yeah. Now, give me the scissors from the desk. William, I want to see what's in this package. Here. Is he... Is he dead? He's got about four slugs in him, that's all. Come on, pull yourself together. I'm all right. Well, now we'll see. This is what I think it is. Yeah? Yeah. What is it? You've got it, Angel. We've got it. The Maltese Falcon. The Falcon? Look at it. The Blackbird. A million bucks under a coat of enamel. She sent him with it. That's what he tried to tell us. He must be Captain Jacobi. Listen, I've got to get to her. As soon as I've gone, phone the police. Tell them how it happened. Let's forget he brought a bundle. Here, get it straight now. Yes. I'll leave the bird in the safe. When I call you, bring it to that Ancho Street address. Got it? Yeah. And after you bring it to me, go out and call Dante. Tell him to come on the roundabout. There's about six cops. No mistakes, Sefi. I may need them. Just keep your hands up, Mr. Spade, and come in. We're going to shut the door. Well, sir, we're all here waiting for you. Now let's sit down, Mr. Spade, and be comfortable. Sure. Sam, I tried to call you. I wanted to tell you. Oh, it's all right, honey. Take it easy. But they've been holding me here all last night and today. But you've come to no harm, Miss Shaughnessy, as yet. Oh, Mr. Spade, I believe you know Mr. Cairo. Yeah. How do you do? And Wilmer, of course. You carrying a rod? Let me see. All right, get away. You're not going to frisk me. Stand still. Put your paw on me, and I'm going to make you use that gun. Ask your boss if he wants to be shut up before we talk. Sit down, Wilmer. Mr. Spade, you're certainly a most headstrong individual. Well, let's talk. Yeah. You ready to make the first payment and take the falcon off my hands? You're sure you have it? Sam, have you? I didn't this afternoon, but I have now. Then I am willing to pay. Joel, the money, please. Yeah, wait. There's another thing to be taken care of first. We've got to have a fall guy. Take your pardon? Well, the police have got to have a victim. Somebody, they can stick with those three murders. Two? Only two murders, Mr. Spade. First, be undoubtedly killed your partner. All right, two. The point is, I've got to come through with somebody, a victim. When the time comes, if I don't, I'll be it. And whom do you recommend as this victim? Oh, well, I'm not fussy. How about giving him Wilmer here? He'll do. Why you? Get away, punk. By God, Mr. Spade, you are a character. That's our best bet. If we turn him over, the cops will be happy. It won't be free as the air. Well, what do you think of this, Wilmer? It's mighty funny. Yeah, mighty funny. Well, anyway, he killed Thursday, didn't he? He's made a order for the park. Get up on your feet. Go away, punk. I've taken all the riding through you. I'm going to take it up and shoot it out. On yourself, Wilmer. Mr. Spade, your plan is not at all practical. Let's not say anything more about it. All right. I've got another suggestion. Want to hear it? Most assuredly. I'll give them Joe Cairo. Suppose we give them you, Mr. Spade, or Miss Shaughnessy. How about that? All right. You people want the falcon. I've got it, and the falcon is part of the prize. As for Miss Shaughnessy, well, if you think she can be rich for the part, I'm perfectly willing to discuss it with you. Sam. What's the matter? You don't mean that you couldn't. No, because I don't think the cops will be happy here, Joe. Well, personally, I see only one guy who's really right. That's Wilmer. I'll kill him. I'll kill him! Stop it! Stop it! Don't you hear? Don't let him go. I told him away off me. I warned him. I hid it to do that, but the punk had it coming to him. There's your fall guy, Mr. Gutman. What do you say? I don't like it, sir. Well, either you say yes right now, or I'll turn the falcon and the whole lot of you in. All right. You can have, Wilmer. Carry him inside, Joe. I, uh, secretary left an hour ago with the falcon, sure to be here in a few minutes. What about money, Gutman? In a few minutes. When she gets here. Good enough. Now, uh, let's get the details fixed. Now, why did Wilmer kill Thersby, and why and where did he shoot Captain Picobi? Well... I shall be candid with you, sir. Thersby was Miss Shaughnessy's ally. We believe that disposing of him would frighten Miss Shaughnessy into patching up her differences with us. That sounds all right. Now, uh, Jacoby. Captain Jacoby's death was entirely Miss Shaughnessy's fault. That's a lie. Tell me what happened. Cairo saw in the newspaper that Jacoby's ship was arriving. He remembered that Jacoby and Miss Shaughnessy had been seen together in Hong Kong. Well, sir, he put two and two together and guessed the truth. She had given the bird to Jacoby to bring here. Yes, and at that juncture, you decided to slip me in the makey, huh? Well, I'm sorry. There was no place for you in our plans, Mr. Stade. Mr. Cairo and Wilma and I went to the boat to call on Captain Jacoby and Miss Shaughnessy. We persuaded Miss Shaughnessy to come to terms, or so we thought. Well, sir, we mere men should have known better. En route to my hotel, Captain Jacoby and the Falken slipped completely through our fingers. Except that Wilma put a few bullets in him while he was running away. Oh, by the way, you said Jacoby died? Yes, but not until after he brought me the Falken. Ah. Well, there's a bright side to everything, isn't there? I'll get it, it's my secretary. Do you don't mind if I go to the door with you? All right, come on. Mr. Stade. Well, thanks a lot, Effie. I wrapped it up again. Is there anything else? No, thanks, sir. Bye, Effie. Goodbye, Mr. Stade. Let me see it quickly. Here, I guess the pleasure ought to be, Mr. Gutman. After 20 years. 20 years. Yes, there it is. There you are, beauty. Is it the Falken origin? We will make sure, your knife, Joel. Here. Thank you. Just a tiny cut in the enamel, and underneath we find... Gutman, what's the matter? It's a fake! It's lead! It's a fake! But it can't be. All right, Shaughnessy. You've had your little joke now. Tell us about it. No, Sam. No, that's the one I got from Chemidoff, I swear. You bungled it, Gutman. You and your stupid attempt to buy it. Chemidoff caught on how valuable it was. He put a fake in its place. Yes. That is Chemidoff's hand. There's no doubt of it. Well, Joel. What do you suggest? Shall we stand here and shed tears and call each other names? Or shall we go to Istanbul? Istanbul? You are still going to look for the Falken? For 20 years I have wanted that little item and have been trying to get it. I'll go on trying. Very well. I'll... I'll go with you. Get Wilmer. We'll start tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow. Wilmer, we... Why, he's gone! The window is open. He's gone! Well, it's well out of these. We have little enough to boast about, sir. But the world hasn't come to an end just because we've run into a little setback. I'm sorry about your money, Mr. Spade, but of course you didn't earn it. Well, I held up my end. You got your Falken. Your hard luck, not mine, but it wasn't what you wanted. My hat, Joel. Now, wait a minute. Mr. Spade, it will do you no good to argue. I haven't the money with me anyhow. Well, I had an idea that was it. Now, sir, we'll say goodbye to you. And since the shortest farewells are the best, adieu. And to you, Miss Shaughnessy, I leave the Lead Falken as a little memento. Adieu. Sam, Sam, what are you going to do? Nothing. But those murders, you were mixed up in them. You said yourself the police needed a victim. Call them now. Tell them about Gutman. I don't have to call them. Gutman will be nailed before he goes a block. But when he's nailed, he'll talk about you. Now, we're sitting on dynamite. We've only got a couple of minutes to get all set for the cops. Now, give me all of it fast. Talk. Well, where shall I begin? Well, the day you first came to my office. Why did you want Thersby's shadow? I told you, Sam. I suspected him of betraying me, and I wanted to find out. Now, that's a lie. You had Thersby hooked, and you knew it. You wanted to get him out of the way before Jacobi came with the bird. Isn't that so? Yes. What was your scheme? Well, I thought that if he saw someone following him, he might be frightened into going away. Well, then you must have told Thersby that Archie was following him. Yes, I told him. But please believe me, Sam. I wouldn't have told him if I thought Thersby would kill him. Well, if you thought he wouldn't kill Archie, you were right, Angel. Didn't you? No. Archie had been a cop too long to be caught like that up a blind alley with his gun tucked away and his hip and his overcoat buttoned. But he would have gone up there with you, Angel. He was just dumb enough for that. Sam. And then you could have stood as close to him as you liked in the dark and put a hole through him with a gun you had gotten from Thersby that night. Don't talk to me like that, Sam. You know I didn't. Oh, shut up. This isn't the spot for the schoolgirl act. Why did you shoot him? No, I didn't mean to at first. I didn't really. But when I saw that Thersby couldn't be frightened, I... Sam, don't... Go on, go on. When you found the Thersby, it didn't mean to tackle Archie. You borrowed the gun and did it yourself, right? Yes. You didn't know then that Gutman was here hunting for you until you heard Thersby had been shot. And then you knew you needed another protector so you came back to me. Yes, but... but Sam, it wasn't only that. I would have come back to you sooner or later. From the very first minute I saw you, I knew that I... Oh, you, Angel. Well, if you get a good break, you'll be out of San Quentin in 20 years and you can come back to me then. What? Oh, no, you're not going to... I'm going to send you over. Oh, no, don't, Sam. Don't say that. You're taking the fall, Dolly. You're doing this to me? Don't you understand, Sam? I'm in love with you. That's great. But you can't, you can't. Yes, I can. You killed the man, Dolly, remember? You know deep down in your heart. You know that in spite of anything I've done, I love you. I don't care who loves who. I'm not going to play the sucker. I won't walk in Thersby's and I don't know how many others foot steps. You killed Miles and you're going over for it. Sam. That's the cops. Don't let them in, please. Sit tight, honey. Hello, Spade. Come in. Did you get the fat boy? We got them. The kid, too. Well, here's another one for you. She killed Miles. Can you prove it? Can I, Miss Shaughnessy? Can I prove it? Go on, tell them. Yes. All right, come on. Go on, Miss Shaughnessy. This... This doesn't mean anything to you, does it? Maybe. But you're going anyway. The chances are you'll get off for 20 years. If you do, I'll wait for you. And if they hang you, Angel, I'll always remember you. The microphone in just a moment. But now listen a minute. Ammunition for attack. Shells for defense against the enemy. Our boys must have these things to win the war. And you may be unknowingly throwing away material needed to help them win. Waste fats and greases from your kitchen contain glycerin, one of the things that goes into the making of explosives. No amount is too small to save. Think of it this way. One man doesn't make an army. Yet together, millions of individual Americans make up the finest army in the world. If every American housewife turns in one pound of waste household fats a month, together that will make 540 million pounds of smokeless powder a year. Now, here's what our government asks us to do. Waste fats and greases into a can. Any clean, smooth-edged can. Don't use glass or paper containers because they break or leak. The cans you use will be salvaged later. Keep the can in a cool place. And when it's full, take it to your local meat dealer. He'll pay you cash for each pound of fat. Try to do this early in the week when he's not so busy as weekends. Remember, only waste fats and oils are wanted. Not anything you can use or reuse yourself. Every bit is precious. Save it carefully. 21 days of the time you turn it into your butcher, it will be on its way to send your message to the axis. Now, here's Mr. DeMille. Next week's play asks a very vital question. So vital, I'm taking it to the man on the street for an answer before I introduce our stars. The question, are husbands necessary? Now, here's a man who's just come in from the street. What do you think, sir? Are husbands necessary? My wife says yes, my draft board says no. Me, I just do what they tell me. Now, let's see what this young lady has to say. In your opinion, Miss, are husbands necessary? Are you kidding? Well, that's the way it goes. Nobody agrees. But we'll go into that matter later because the big news has to do with George Burns and Gracie Allen. Tonight, DeMaltese Falcon had its share of thrills. But in recent weeks, Edward G. Robinson has been on the road to adventure in real life. We'll get the inside story now, as he and Gail Patrick and Laird Grieger come back for a curtain call. It must have been pretty exciting crossing the Atlantic in wartime, Eddie. Well, we went over by plane, Gail, and as we approached the other side, it was nip and tuck there for a few minutes. I wasn't sure whether I'd make it or not. Nazi planes go after you? No, I just doubled and redoubled. Did you fly back, too, Eddie? I came back on a ship, Laird. I was sure I got a chance to see a submarine, but nothing happened. The word must have gone out that Little Caesar was aboard. I don't care about that, CV. Purely because of Little Caesar, I received a great distinction. The fellows made me an honorary member of the gun crew. Well, seriously, Eddie, in entertaining our soldiers in England, how did you find them? Are they cheerful? I determined, CV, as for the English people, nothing seems to bother them. They've had rationing so long it isn't the topic of conversation now. That great clock, big bin, was symbolic of the whole country to me. Every time it strikes, it seems to be saying, it's later than you think, Adolf Hitler. I suppose you did some broadcasting yourself while you were there, Eddie. Well, one afternoon I broadcast six messages to the continent in French, Spanish, Romanian, German, Danish, and Italian. What? No Greek? Well, I'm working on Russian at the moment. I want to be able to say thank you to all the Russians I meet from now on. You've had many successes on the screen, but in years to come, I think you will value most the success you achieved in this job for your country. Thank you, CV. What are you doing here next week? That's when the big question comes up again, Eddie. Because next week, our play is the paramount comedy hit that our husbands necessary. And in it, we'll present those eminent thespians, George Burns and Gracie Allen. In the play, George works in a bank, and Gracie is secretly trying to help his career. So tune in next Monday night and get Gracie Allen's answer to that burning question, our husbands necessary. Sounds like a lot of fun, CV. Good night. Good night. Good night. Don't miss George and Gracie, our sponsors, the makers of Lux Flakes, join me in inviting you to be with us again next Monday night. And the Lux Radio Theatre presents George Burns and Gracie Allen in Our Husbands Necessary. This is Cecil B. DeMille saying good night to you from Hollywood. Edward G. Robinson will soon be seen in the Columbia Picture Destroyer. Gail Patrick, a star in the Republic production, hit parade of 1943. And Laird Kregar's next picture is the 20th Century Fox Technicolor production, Hello Frisco, Hello. Heard in tonight's play were Charlie Lung as Cairo, B. Bennett-Darrott as Effie, Eddie Marr as Wilmer, and Warren Ash, Charles Seal, Leo Cleary, Fred Mackay, and Norman Field. Our music was directed by Louis Silvers, and this is your announcer, John M. Kennedy, reminding you to tune in next Monday night to hear George Burns and Gracie Allen in Our Husbands Necessary. Here's what Betty said. Hasn't Jane got a lot of pep and charm? But here's what Betty thought. That woman gets in my hair. What does she get all that energy? Do you envy others because they have more pep than you? Maybe your trouble is plain vitamin deficiency. VIMS may help you feel better than you ever thought you could. VIMS have the six vitamin formula doctors endorse. Three vital minerals also. Get that VIMS feeling. It's VI for vitamins, double MS for minerals. VIMS, this is the Columbia Broadcasting System.