Feb 24, 2012

The Maltese Falcon starring Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet... A True Classic

As part of their 31 days of Oscar celebration, TCM is featuring California based films with a Saturday line up that includes more than a few all time favorites. Essential viewing includes The Maltese Falcon (1941), Bullitt (1968) and The Grapes of Wrath (1940). Check your local listing for showtimes.
The banter between Humphrey Bogart's character Sam Spade and Kasper Gutman, so perfectly played by Sydney Greenstreet, is the stuff of legend. Greenstreet's delivery of his many "I like a Man" antidotes never fail to impress and is just one of the reasons he was deserving of the nomination for best supporting actor for his role.
A sample of Kasper Gutman feeling out Sam Spade -  "I distrust a close-mouthed man. He generally picks the wrong time to talk and says the wrong things. Talking is something you can't do judiciously unless you keep in practice... Now, then, we'll talk if you like. I tell you right out I am a man who likes talking to a man who likes to talk."

Other memorable performances include Peter Lorre as Joel Cairo and Elisa Cook Jr. as Wilmer Cook.
Joel Cairo's scolding of Kasper aka The Fatman provided this gem "You imbecile!! You bloated idiot!!"

Spade dropped this classic line on Wilmer "When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it!"

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