Don't let the title fool you - this is the second and rarely seen version of The Maltese Falcon, with the black bird transmogrified into a legendary trumpet filled with jewels. Warren William, who plays the part later immortalised by Humphrey Bogart in 1941, was a suave hero of thrillers in the Thirties and Forties. He also portrayed the gentleman crook the Lone Wolf, but he was destined to die at 52 of an obscure form of bone cancer. Back in 1931, it was Ricardo Cortez who played Sam Spade in the original version, opposite Bebe Daniels in the role played here by Bette Davis.


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