In this thrilling episode, we dive into the world of classic cinema with a radio adaptation of "The Maltese Falcon," featuring the legendary Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet. The story unfolds with private detective Sam Spade navigating a web of deceit, murder, and the pursuit of a priceless artifact known as the Maltese Falcon. As Spade encounters a series of dubious characters, including the mysterious Bridget O'Shaughnessy and the dangerous Joel Cairo, he must use his wits to unravel the mystery and survive the treacherous game of greed and betrayal.
Throughout the episode, listeners are treated to a gripping narrative filled with suspense and intrigue, as Spade confronts the sinister forces vying for the coveted black bird. With a backdrop of 1940s noir, the episode captures the essence of the era, complete with sharp dialogue and dramatic tension. As the plot thickens, Spade finds himself entangled in a dangerous dance with criminals and the law, ultimately leading to a climactic showdown where the true value of the Maltese Falcon is revealed.
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The House of Squibb presents Academy Award. Every week, SQUIV brings you Hollywood's finest. The great picture plays, the great actors and actresses, techniques and skills chosen from the honor roll of those who have won or been nominated for the famous golden Oscar of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
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and Sciences.
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And now, ER Squibb and Sons, manufacturing chemist of the medical profession since 1858, bring you the distinguished star, mister Humphrey Bogart, who as best actor of the year was nominated for the 1943 Academy Award. You will also hear miss Mary Astor who won the 1941 Academy Award as best supporting actress of the year and Sydney Greenstreet who was nominated for the 1941 Academy Award as best supporting actor. Tonight, mister Bogart, miss Astor, and mister Greenstreet will play the famous roles they created for the screen in The Maltese Falcon, the thrilling mystery which was nominated as best production of the year for the 1941 Academy Award.
[00:02:18] Unknown:
My name is Spade, Sam Spade. License number 357896 issued by the police department of San Francisco. Occupation, private detective. Sometimes known as private eye. My files in the case of the Maltese Falcon are closed, but I've got the Maltese Falcon. I got it and some dough. My partner got murdered and a very slick chick went up for life. I'll tell you about it. The slick dame comes to see me one day, gives me a song and dance about her sister and a guy called Floyd Thursby. She wants us to get her sister back before her mother and father get in from Hawaii. I put my partner, Miles Archer, on the case.
At night, he gets murdered, and so does this guy, Thursby. I go around to the apartment where the dame is living, the one called Bridget O'Shaughnessy. She had something I seem to go for.
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Oh, mister Spade,
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come in. I have come in.
[00:03:19] Unknown:
Oh, yes. So you have. Mister Spade, tell me,
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am I to blame for last night? You warned us that Thursby was dangerous. Of course, you lied to us about your sister and all that, but that doesn't count. We didn't believe you. Oh,
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help me, mister Spade. I I need help so badly. I have no right to ask you, but I do ask you. Help me.
[00:03:38] Unknown:
You won't need much of anybody's help. You're good. You're awful good. It's cheap for your eyes, I think, and that throb you get into your voice when you say things like, help me, mister Spade. I deserve that.
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But, oh, the lie was in the way I said it and not at all in what I said. If I'm going to help you, I've got to have some sort of a line on your Floyd Thursby. I met him in the Orient. We came here from Hong Kong last week. Did he kill Archie? Yes, sir.
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Picked a nice sort of playmate.
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Only that sort could have helped me if if he had been loyal. How bad a hole are you actually in? As bad as could be. Physical danger? I'm not heroic. I don't think there's anything worse than death. And it's that? It's that as surely as we're sitting here. Unless you help me. Who killed Thursby?
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Your enemies or his?
[00:04:27] Unknown:
I don't know. His, I suppose. I'm afraid. I I don't know. Who are these enemies? Well, there's a small dark man with white teeth and a
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smooth dangerous fat man. Oh, this is hopeless. Well, how much money have you got? I have about $500 left. Give it to me.
[00:04:52] Unknown:
There's only 400 here. I had to keep some to live on.
[00:04:55] Unknown:
Okay. I'll be back as soon as I can. You needn't come to the door with me. I can let myself out. I went by the office then and found a dark little guy with very white teeth waiting for me. His name was Joel Cairo. He was a Greek.
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Mister Spade, I'm trying to recover an an ornament that has been, shall we say, mislaid. I thought and hoped you could assist me. Uh-huh. The ornament is a statuette, the black figure of a bird. I'm prepared to pay the sum of $5,000 for its recovery, and no questions asked. 5,000 is a lot of money. It's a very interesting figure. You will put your hands together back of your neck, mister Spade. Oh, sure. I shall shoot you if you try to stop me, mister Spade.
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But I must search your office. You won't find anything but a pair of worn out rubbers, a half pint of rum, and a pack of chewing gum. We shall see.
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Please stand up. So
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Sure. This way? No. The other way. Sure. So I'll take the gun, mister Cairo, and I'll get up. I am very slow in things like that, unfortunately.
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Yeah. I'm still prepared to pay $5,000 for the return of the figure. Do you have it, mister Spade? No. If it is not here, why did you just risk serious injury to prevent my searching for it? Well, I should sit around and let people come in and stick me up. You wish some assurance of my sincerity? A retainer?
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I might. Say $100. You better make it 200. Thanks. Your first guess was that I had the bird. What's your second guess? That you know where it is or where you can get it. You're not hiring me to murder or do burglary, but to get back the figure in some lawful way,
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Say, from a dame with red hair or a smooth, dangerous fat man. Oh, so you know. You must beware of them. They would stop at nothing. May may I have my pistol now? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Sure. I'd forgotten it. Thank you. Now, mister Spade, you will kindly clasp your hands behind your neck. What the Don't move, mister Spade. This time, I might shoot. I insist on searching your office. Sure. Go
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ahead. I finally got rid of the Greek and started back for Bridget O'Shaughnessy's apartment. Matter of fact, I had a hunch that the Greek was going there himself and started to tailor his cab when a sad faced guy poked something into my back and said,
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come on. That fat man wants to see you. Here he is, mister Guttman.
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The guy who was talking to the dame in the Greek. Ah, mister Spade. Mister Guttman? We begin well, sir. I distrust a man who talks too much. I like to talk. Of course. Talking is something you can't do judiciously unless you keep in practice. Yeah. Now, sir, we'll talk if you like. And I'll tell you right out that I'm a man who likes talking to a man who likes to talk. Swell.
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Will we talk about the blackbird?
[00:08:04] Unknown:
You're the man for me, sir. No beating about the bush right to the point. Let us talk about the blackbird by all means. Mister Spade, have you any conception of how much money can be got for that blackbird? No. Well, sir, if I told you, if I told you half, you'd call me a liar. Oh, no. Not even if I thought so. But you just tell me what it is, and I'll figure out the profits. You mean you don't know what that bird is? Well, I know what it's supposed to look like. I know the value in human life you people put on it. So Shaughnessy didn't tell you what it is?
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And Cairo didn't I ever? He offered me 10,000 for it. 10,000?
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And dollars, I mean, you're not even powerless. They must know what it is. Or do they? What is your impression? I can't tell. They're both lying. If they don't know, I'm the only one in the whole wide, sweet world. Just swell. What you've told me, that'll make two of us. Mathematically correct, sir.
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They don't know for certain that I'm going to tell you. 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? Don't be silly. You see, I must tell you what I know, but you will not tell me what you know. That is hardly equitable, sir. No. No. I don't think we can do business along those lines. Yeah. Well, think think again and think fast. I can get along without you and keep that gunsel gunsel away from me while you're making up your mind. I'll kill him. Well, sir, I must say you're the most violent chemist. Well, what are you wasting time for? You've got a 05:30, then you're either in or out for keeps. Three characters and a blackbird.
Well, all I knew was my partner was dead and the cops were getting very uncooperative about the whole thing, including who killed Floyd Thursby. I thought I'd better get back to see that O'Shaughnessy dame before it was too late. And sure enough, it almost was. They came here and took him away. Took who away? Who? The police. They they wanted to talk to you too. They took mister Caro with them. What was he doing here? He came to talk about the bird. What is this bird? This falcon that everybody's all steamed up about.
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Suppose I wouldn't tell you anything at all about it. What would you do? Something wild and unpredictable?
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Maybe.
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Well, it's a black figure as you know. Smooth and shiny of a bird, a hawk or falcon about 12 inches high. Now what makes it so important? I don't know. They wouldn't tell me. But they promised me 500 if I helped them get it from the man who had it. Go ahead. They promised me £500 to help them, and I did. Then we found that Joel Cairo was gonna take the falcon and desert Floyd and me, so we did that to Joel first.
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You are a liar.
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I am a liar. I've always been a liar. Well, don't brag about it.
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Is there any truth at all in that yarn? Some? Not very much. Well, we've got plenty of time. I'll put some coffee on and we'll try again.
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Oh, I'm so tired. So tired of lying and thinking up lies and not knowing what is a lie and what is the truth. Oh, darling, don't stare at me like that. Come closer, darling.
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It is something to do while waiting. Why not?
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Kiss me, Sam Spade. Kiss me. Why not?
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It happens every time. I'll get it. Be careful, darling.
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Okay.
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Come on, you. He wants to see you. Well, if it isn't the fat man's killer, hello, pale face. How many did you bump off today? Shut up. Kuppin's waiting for you. No kidding. What kept you? Darling, what'd he want? He wants me. The fat man's been thinking things over.
[00:11:51] Unknown:
Well, mister Spade, I must apologize for sending you in this fashion. Never mind. Let's talk about the bird. Alright. Let's. What do you think of the order of the hospitalist Saint John of Jerusalem? Crusaders or something, weren't they? Very good. In 1539, these crusading knights persuaded emperor Charles the fifth to give them the island of Malta. He made it one condition. They were to pay him each year for the tribute of a falcon, an acknowledgment that the mortar was still under Spain. Do you follow me? Yeah. Have you any conception of the extreme and measurable wealth of the order of that time? Well, I imagine they were pretty well fixed. They were ruling in wealth, sir. They hit upon the happy thought of sending the emperor for the first year's tribute, not an insignificant laybird, but a glorious golden falcon encrusted from head to foot with the finest jewels in their coffers.
Allow me to replenish your drink, sir.
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Well,
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what do you think of these nights? I don't know. Well, sir, the glorious folk can never reach Spain. Buccaneers raided the galleon. In 1713, the bird showed up in Sicily in 1840 in Paris, and it had, by that time, acquired a coat of black enamel looking like nothing but a fairly interesting black statue. In 1923, a Greek dealer found it in an obscure Paris shop. He knew what it was. I heard about it in London and rushed over to buy it, but the Greek was murdered and the falcon gone. That was twenty three years ago. For twenty three years, I searched for the bird. I traced it to the home of a Russian general, Kamadov, but he wouldn't sell, even though he knew nothing of its value.
I was forced to send my agents after it. They got it, sir, but I haven't got it. But I'm going to get it, sir. How soon can you, how soon are you willing to produce the Falcon? Couple of days. That is satisfactory. Whereas, I hear is a fair bargain and profits large enough for both of us. Well, what's your idea of a fair bargain? Should I say 100,000? Why not? What did you say to a quarter of a million?
[00:13:57] Unknown:
Oh, then you think the dingus is worth a million, no? Why not? Yeah. Why not? Hey,
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I I feel kind of funny, Gutman. That drink. My dear man, how could you suggest anything so cruel? I I Wilma. Wilma. Yeah.
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The drink got them,
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Put your guns away, Wilma. You must learn to be subtle in these things, like me.
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Out like a light,
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If I owe him something to us, he thinks he's tough.
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Let's see if he can take this.
[00:14:40] Unknown:
That's enough, Wilma. You kicked him enough. Never do to kill him here. Besides, Wilma, you know how I hate the sight of blood.
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Taste, feel, and see the refreshing difference. Use script after grade. In a moment, you will hear part two of the Maltese Falcon. But first, we want to thank Warner Brothers for making this story available. And one thing more, on August 6, Warner Brothers will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of sound pictures. Yes. It has been that long since the silent shadows of the screen found a voice. We congratulate Warner Brothers on this historic anniversary. And now the House of Squibb presents part two of Academy Awards, starring Humphrey Bogart in the Maltese Falcon with Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet.
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I guess the name of Sam Spade was a cinch for the back page obituaries, but I came out of it somehow and managed to get up and stagger out of that apartment. I went around to the hotel where Joel Cairo had a room and made a deal with a house dick to let me search it. All I could find was the newspaper in the wastebasket folded back to the steamship news. There was a list of arrivals, and one was marked. It said eight 7AM, La Paloma from Hong Kong. That was good enough for me. I got a cab and rode down to the docks. La Paloma was on fire and burning beautifully. I went back to my office to hold my aching head and think things over when the door opened.
The tall guy in a long black overcoat stood there with a package in his hands, making gurgling noises before he fell like a tree. He should have. He was dead. I took a good look at him. He was the maid off the La Paloma. I unwrapped his package and there it was, a black bird, a Maltese Falcon. I grabbed the phone and listened. It was British Bridgetis, Bridgetis, and she said she was in trouble. I found her shivering in the dark corner of an office building. I took her and the Falcon home to my apartment. I put her on the couch.
I put the falcon in the icebox where no one would think to look for anything, including ice. I came back in and switched on the lights and found a surprise party waiting to greet me. Well, sir, we're all here. Now let's sit down and be comfortable and talk. Sure. Get away from me, Gunther. You're not gonna fess me. Stand still. Shut up. Put your paw on me and I'm gonna make you use that gun. Ask your boss if he wants me shut up before we talk. Never mind, Wilma.
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You're certainly a most headstrong individual, mister Spade. Well,
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let's be seated. You too, Cairo. You can put down your gun too. Of course, mister Spade. I was only using caution as it were. You ready, Gutman? Are you ready to make the first payment and take the forking off my hands? Well, sir, as to that, here are $10,000, sir. Oh, we were talking about more money than this. Yes, sir. We were.
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But this is genuine coin of the realm, sir. With a dollar of this, you can buy $10 of talk. Besides, the more of us would be taken care of now. That may be, but I have got the falcon. I should not think it would be necessary to remind you, mister Spade, that though you may have the falcon,
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yet we certainly, have you? Yes, sir. I'm trying not to let that worry me. We'll come to the money later. There's another thing to be taken care of first. We've got to have a fall guy. The police have to have a victim. Somebody they can stick for those three murders. Two. Only two murders, mister Spade. Thursby undoubtedly killed your partner. Alright. Two. What difference does it make? The point is we've got to give the police Come come, mister Spade. You can't expect us to believe at this late date. You are the least afraid of the police or that you're not able to hang I'm up to my neck, Gutman. I've got to come through with somebody, a victim, when the time comes. If I don't, I'll be it.
Let's give him the gun so he actually did shoot Thursby and the other one, didn't he? Anyways, made to order for the part. Let's turn him over to the cops. Get up on your feet.
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I've taken all the writing from you I'm gonna take. Get up. Shoot it out. No. No, Willman. Don't shoot.
[00:20:10] Unknown:
Hey. Hey. Gonsal. That'll take care of you. Put him on the sofa. Sorry, Bridget, but you seem to have recovered. I'm I'm alright. Good. Well, gentlemen, there's our fall guy. And now, gentlemen, you agree or I'll turn the falcon and a whole lot of you win. Mister Spade, I don't like this.
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What if we, took matters into our own hands and killed you?
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You won't, or you'll never find the falcon. True. But there are other ways we could make you talk. No. I take it and make you kill me, and then you'd end up the same way.
[00:20:41] Unknown:
No. I believe you would too. Well? I've always felt toward Wilmer like a father, but you can have him.
[00:20:52] Unknown:
Swell. Let's get the details fixed. Why did he shoot Thursby? Thursby was miss O'Shaughnessy's ally.
[00:20:58] Unknown:
We thought in disposing of him, we would teach miss O'Shaughnessy to patch up our differences with us regarding the fort. And the mate from the La Paloma. That was miss O'Shaughnessy's fault. Cairo got in touch with me when he saw the notice of the ship's arrival. He remembered that the mate and miss O'Shaughnessy had been friendly in Hong Kong. He called on this man, but he, with miss O'Shaughnessy, and the bird slipped through our fingers. We followed them to her department, and Wilma shot the mate as he was coming down the fire escape. He shot him many times, but the man was tough, and he did not drop the fork in. We, persuaded mister O'Shaughnessy to call your office.
But unfortunately, she did not call in time to prevent you from meeting the meat and getting the falcon. I see. And now, sir, would it be presumptuous if we ask to see the falcon?
[00:21:46] Unknown:
Okay.
[00:21:47] Unknown:
In my icebox. Icebox, I see. You are a character, sir. Yes. Very, very clever of you. Very I've got it. I've got it. Bring it in here at
[00:21:58] Unknown:
once. Here. One to this.
[00:22:00] Unknown:
Now after twenty three years, it is it. We'll make sure. Hear me or Nysa? Here. I peel off some of this disfiguring enamel.
[00:22:14] Unknown:
It's a fake.
[00:22:16] Unknown:
Alright, O'Shaughnessy. You've had your little joke. Now tell us about it. No, Sam. No. That's the one I got from the Russian. I swear. You bungled it, Gutman. You and your stupid attempt to buy it. The Russian caught on how valuable it was. No wonder we had so little trouble stealing it. You imbecile. You bloated idiot.
[00:22:35] Unknown:
Yes. This is the Russian's hand. There's no doubt of it. Well, sir, what do you suggest? Shall we stand here and shed tears and call each other names? Or shall we go to Istanbul and to interview our Russian friend? Go to Istanbul. For twenty three years, I have wanted that enlightenment. I've been trying to get it. If I must spend another year on the quest, well, that will be an added expenditure in time only. I go with you.
[00:23:03] Unknown:
Wilma's gone.
[00:23:04] Unknown:
Wilma's gone. So he has. That makes it imperative that we go to. Oh, by the way, sir, I'll trouble you for my envelope containing the $10,000.
[00:23:15] Unknown:
I kept my end of the bargain, but I'll settle for a thousand for expenses. Thank you. I'll allow you the thousand. That'll take care of my time. Now, sir, we will say goodbye to you unless you care to undertake the Istanbul expedition with us.
[00:23:27] Unknown:
You don't? That's too bad. Well, sir, the shortest farewells are best. Adieu? And you, mister O'Shaughnessy, I leave the rarer abyss there on the table as a little memento. The Maltese Falcon.
[00:23:47] Unknown:
Alright, O'Shaughnessy. Talk. Where should I begin? You came to me and asked me to have Thursby followed. I put my partner on it. He followed Thursby. He was killed. You must have told Thursby he was being followed. I told him yes, but please believe me, Sam. I wouldn't have told him if I thought Floyd Thursby would kill your partner. Miles had many brains, but he had too many years experience as a detective to be caused like that by a man he was shadowing up a blind alley with his gun tucked away and his hip and his overcoat buttoned. But it had gone up there with you, Angel.
He was just dumb enough for that. And then you could have stood as close to him in the dark as you liked and put a bullet through him. Don't don't talk like that to me, Sam. You know I didn't know Why did you shoot him?
[00:24:25] Unknown:
I I didn't mean to at first. I
[00:24:28] Unknown:
I can't look at you and tell you this bad. You thought Thursby would tackle him. If he got Thursby, then you were rid of him. Miss Thursby won, you had something on him. Enough to be rid of him for good. Wasn't that it? Something like that. But when Thursby backed down, you took the gun and did the job yourself. Oh, Sam, sweetheart. From the very first instant I saw you, I knew. You angel. Well, if you get a good break, you'll be out of San Quentin in twenty years and you can come back to me then. I hope they don't hang you, Precious, by that sweet neck.
You know deep down in your heart 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 sap for you. I won't walk in Thursdays and I don't know how many others footsteps.
[00:25:06] Unknown:
You killed my partner and you're going over for it. Why must you do this to me, Sam? Surely your partner wasn't as much to yours? Listen. Listen to me.
[00:25:14] Unknown:
This won't do any good. You'll never understand me, but I'll try once and then give it up. Listen. When a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do something about it. And it happens, we're in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed, it's bad business to let the killer get away with it. Bad all around. Bad for every detective everywhere.
[00:25:34] Unknown:
You can't send me to the Sam, you can't. You love me. You love me.
[00:25:40] Unknown:
Maybe I do. What of it? Maybe next month I won't. I've been through it before. I'll have some rotten nights after I've sent you over, but that'll pass. I want you sure, but I won't take you at the price because of all because all of me wants to, regardless of consequences. Because you counted on that with me the same as you counted on that with all the others.
[00:26:00] Unknown:
Darling, kiss me. Kiss me.
[00:26:05] Unknown:
Sure. Sure, baby.
[00:26:14] Unknown:
What are you doing? Who are you calling? The cops, baby.
[00:26:21] Unknown:
The cops to come and take you away.
[00:26:47] Unknown:
Just as thrilling as tracking down some fabulous treasure is the search for the unknown which goes on unceasingly in the Squibb Research Laboratories. Well, that is the search that leads to the discovery of new life saving drugs and new life saving uses for existing drugs. Streptomycin is one of the newest products of the searching. In the new field of medicine opened up by penicillin, streptomycin, still in the testing stages, shows great promise against additional enemies of mankind. That is why scrib scientists are working night and day to unlock the secrets of streptomycin, to improve the strain, to find and test all the ways in which it may be used in the conquest of disease.
It is this same questing spirit, this refusal to stop anywhere short of perfection, that inspires all endeavors of the house of squib. It is one reason why, wherever you come across it in the service of human health, Squibb is a name you can trust. Next Wednesday, another great picture. The House of Squibb will present Academy Awards starring Henry Fonda in Young Mister Lincoln. Today's performance of the Maltese Falcon was written for radio by Frank Wilson with an original musical score composed and conducted by Lee Stevens. Our producer director is Dee Engelbach. Humphrey Bogart is soon to be seen in Warner Brothers' Big Sleep. Mary Astor appeared through the courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer, producers of the Technicolor musical Easy to Web. Sydney Greenstreet is soon to be seen in Warner Brothers The Verdict.
This is Hugh Grundage, bidding you good night until next Wednesday at the same time when you're invited to listen again to Academy Award, presented by the House of Squid, a name you can trust. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
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The House of Squibb presents Academy Award. Every week, SQUIV brings you Hollywood's finest. The great picture plays, the great actors and actresses, techniques and skills chosen from the honor roll of those who have won or been nominated for the famous golden Oscar of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
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and Sciences.
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And now, ER Squibb and Sons, manufacturing chemist of the medical profession since 1858, bring you the distinguished star, mister Humphrey Bogart, who as best actor of the year was nominated for the 1943 Academy Award. You will also hear miss Mary Astor who won the 1941 Academy Award as best supporting actress of the year and Sydney Greenstreet who was nominated for the 1941 Academy Award as best supporting actor. Tonight, mister Bogart, miss Astor, and mister Greenstreet will play the famous roles they created for the screen in The Maltese Falcon, the thrilling mystery which was nominated as best production of the year for the 1941 Academy Award.
[00:02:18] Unknown:
My name is Spade, Sam Spade. License number 357896 issued by the police department of San Francisco. Occupation, private detective. Sometimes known as private eye. My files in the case of the Maltese Falcon are closed, but I've got the Maltese Falcon. I got it and some dough. My partner got murdered and a very slick chick went up for life. I'll tell you about it. The slick dame comes to see me one day, gives me a song and dance about her sister and a guy called Floyd Thursby. She wants us to get her sister back before her mother and father get in from Hawaii. I put my partner, Miles Archer, on the case.
At night, he gets murdered, and so does this guy, Thursby. I go around to the apartment where the dame is living, the one called Bridget O'Shaughnessy. She had something I seem to go for.
[00:03:14] Unknown:
Oh, mister Spade,
[00:03:16] Unknown:
come in. I have come in.
[00:03:19] Unknown:
Oh, yes. So you have. Mister Spade, tell me,
[00:03:23] Unknown:
am I to blame for last night? You warned us that Thursby was dangerous. Of course, you lied to us about your sister and all that, but that doesn't count. We didn't believe you. Oh,
[00:03:31] Unknown:
help me, mister Spade. I I need help so badly. I have no right to ask you, but I do ask you. Help me.
[00:03:38] Unknown:
You won't need much of anybody's help. You're good. You're awful good. It's cheap for your eyes, I think, and that throb you get into your voice when you say things like, help me, mister Spade. I deserve that.
[00:03:52] Unknown:
But, oh, the lie was in the way I said it and not at all in what I said. If I'm going to help you, I've got to have some sort of a line on your Floyd Thursby. I met him in the Orient. We came here from Hong Kong last week. Did he kill Archie? Yes, sir.
[00:04:05] Unknown:
Picked a nice sort of playmate.
[00:04:07] Unknown:
Only that sort could have helped me if if he had been loyal. How bad a hole are you actually in? As bad as could be. Physical danger? I'm not heroic. I don't think there's anything worse than death. And it's that? It's that as surely as we're sitting here. Unless you help me. Who killed Thursby?
[00:04:25] Unknown:
Your enemies or his?
[00:04:27] Unknown:
I don't know. His, I suppose. I'm afraid. I I don't know. Who are these enemies? Well, there's a small dark man with white teeth and a
[00:04:38] Unknown:
smooth dangerous fat man. Oh, this is hopeless. Well, how much money have you got? I have about $500 left. Give it to me.
[00:04:52] Unknown:
There's only 400 here. I had to keep some to live on.
[00:04:55] Unknown:
Okay. I'll be back as soon as I can. You needn't come to the door with me. I can let myself out. I went by the office then and found a dark little guy with very white teeth waiting for me. His name was Joel Cairo. He was a Greek.
[00:05:13] Unknown:
Mister Spade, I'm trying to recover an an ornament that has been, shall we say, mislaid. I thought and hoped you could assist me. Uh-huh. The ornament is a statuette, the black figure of a bird. I'm prepared to pay the sum of $5,000 for its recovery, and no questions asked. 5,000 is a lot of money. It's a very interesting figure. You will put your hands together back of your neck, mister Spade. Oh, sure. I shall shoot you if you try to stop me, mister Spade.
[00:05:43] Unknown:
But I must search your office. You won't find anything but a pair of worn out rubbers, a half pint of rum, and a pack of chewing gum. We shall see.
[00:05:51] Unknown:
Please stand up. So
[00:05:54] Unknown:
Sure. This way? No. The other way. Sure. So I'll take the gun, mister Cairo, and I'll get up. I am very slow in things like that, unfortunately.
[00:06:06] Unknown:
Yeah. I'm still prepared to pay $5,000 for the return of the figure. Do you have it, mister Spade? No. If it is not here, why did you just risk serious injury to prevent my searching for it? Well, I should sit around and let people come in and stick me up. You wish some assurance of my sincerity? A retainer?
[00:06:25] Unknown:
I might. Say $100. You better make it 200. Thanks. Your first guess was that I had the bird. What's your second guess? That you know where it is or where you can get it. You're not hiring me to murder or do burglary, but to get back the figure in some lawful way,
[00:06:43] Unknown:
Say, from a dame with red hair or a smooth, dangerous fat man. Oh, so you know. You must beware of them. They would stop at nothing. May may I have my pistol now? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Sure. I'd forgotten it. Thank you. Now, mister Spade, you will kindly clasp your hands behind your neck. What the Don't move, mister Spade. This time, I might shoot. I insist on searching your office. Sure. Go
[00:07:15] Unknown:
ahead. I finally got rid of the Greek and started back for Bridget O'Shaughnessy's apartment. Matter of fact, I had a hunch that the Greek was going there himself and started to tailor his cab when a sad faced guy poked something into my back and said,
[00:07:29] Unknown:
come on. That fat man wants to see you. Here he is, mister Guttman.
[00:07:42] Unknown:
The guy who was talking to the dame in the Greek. Ah, mister Spade. Mister Guttman? We begin well, sir. I distrust a man who talks too much. I like to talk. Of course. Talking is something you can't do judiciously unless you keep in practice. Yeah. Now, sir, we'll talk if you like. And I'll tell you right out that I'm a man who likes talking to a man who likes to talk. Swell.
[00:08:02] Unknown:
Will we talk about the blackbird?
[00:08:04] Unknown:
You're the man for me, sir. No beating about the bush right to the point. Let us talk about the blackbird by all means. Mister Spade, have you any conception of how much money can be got for that blackbird? No. Well, sir, if I told you, if I told you half, you'd call me a liar. Oh, no. Not even if I thought so. But you just tell me what it is, and I'll figure out the profits. You mean you don't know what that bird is? Well, I know what it's supposed to look like. I know the value in human life you people put on it. So Shaughnessy didn't tell you what it is?
[00:08:33] Unknown:
And Cairo didn't I ever? He offered me 10,000 for it. 10,000?
[00:08:39] Unknown:
And dollars, I mean, you're not even powerless. They must know what it is. Or do they? What is your impression? I can't tell. They're both lying. If they don't know, I'm the only one in the whole wide, sweet world. Just swell. What you've told me, that'll make two of us. Mathematically correct, sir.
[00:09:00] Unknown:
They don't know for certain that I'm going to tell you. 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? Don't be silly. You see, I must tell you what I know, but you will not tell me what you know. That is hardly equitable, sir. No. No. I don't think we can do business along those lines. Yeah. Well, think think again and think fast. I can get along without you and keep that gunsel gunsel away from me while you're making up your mind. I'll kill him. Well, sir, I must say you're the most violent chemist. Well, what are you wasting time for? You've got a 05:30, then you're either in or out for keeps. Three characters and a blackbird.
Well, all I knew was my partner was dead and the cops were getting very uncooperative about the whole thing, including who killed Floyd Thursby. I thought I'd better get back to see that O'Shaughnessy dame before it was too late. And sure enough, it almost was. They came here and took him away. Took who away? Who? The police. They they wanted to talk to you too. They took mister Caro with them. What was he doing here? He came to talk about the bird. What is this bird? This falcon that everybody's all steamed up about.
[00:10:04] Unknown:
Suppose I wouldn't tell you anything at all about it. What would you do? Something wild and unpredictable?
[00:10:11] Unknown:
Maybe.
[00:10:13] Unknown:
Well, it's a black figure as you know. Smooth and shiny of a bird, a hawk or falcon about 12 inches high. Now what makes it so important? I don't know. They wouldn't tell me. But they promised me 500 if I helped them get it from the man who had it. Go ahead. They promised me £500 to help them, and I did. Then we found that Joel Cairo was gonna take the falcon and desert Floyd and me, so we did that to Joel first.
[00:10:39] Unknown:
You are a liar.
[00:10:42] Unknown:
I am a liar. I've always been a liar. Well, don't brag about it.
[00:10:48] Unknown:
Is there any truth at all in that yarn? Some? Not very much. Well, we've got plenty of time. I'll put some coffee on and we'll try again.
[00:10:57] Unknown:
Oh, I'm so tired. So tired of lying and thinking up lies and not knowing what is a lie and what is the truth. Oh, darling, don't stare at me like that. Come closer, darling.
[00:11:11] Unknown:
It is something to do while waiting. Why not?
[00:11:17] Unknown:
Kiss me, Sam Spade. Kiss me. Why not?
[00:11:23] Unknown:
It happens every time. I'll get it. Be careful, darling.
[00:11:28] Unknown:
Okay.
[00:11:30] Unknown:
Come on, you. He wants to see you. Well, if it isn't the fat man's killer, hello, pale face. How many did you bump off today? Shut up. Kuppin's waiting for you. No kidding. What kept you? Darling, what'd he want? He wants me. The fat man's been thinking things over.
[00:11:51] Unknown:
Well, mister Spade, I must apologize for sending you in this fashion. Never mind. Let's talk about the bird. Alright. Let's. What do you think of the order of the hospitalist Saint John of Jerusalem? Crusaders or something, weren't they? Very good. In 1539, these crusading knights persuaded emperor Charles the fifth to give them the island of Malta. He made it one condition. They were to pay him each year for the tribute of a falcon, an acknowledgment that the mortar was still under Spain. Do you follow me? Yeah. Have you any conception of the extreme and measurable wealth of the order of that time? Well, I imagine they were pretty well fixed. They were ruling in wealth, sir. They hit upon the happy thought of sending the emperor for the first year's tribute, not an insignificant laybird, but a glorious golden falcon encrusted from head to foot with the finest jewels in their coffers.
Allow me to replenish your drink, sir.
[00:12:42] Unknown:
Well,
[00:12:44] Unknown:
what do you think of these nights? I don't know. Well, sir, the glorious folk can never reach Spain. Buccaneers raided the galleon. In 1713, the bird showed up in Sicily in 1840 in Paris, and it had, by that time, acquired a coat of black enamel looking like nothing but a fairly interesting black statue. In 1923, a Greek dealer found it in an obscure Paris shop. He knew what it was. I heard about it in London and rushed over to buy it, but the Greek was murdered and the falcon gone. That was twenty three years ago. For twenty three years, I searched for the bird. I traced it to the home of a Russian general, Kamadov, but he wouldn't sell, even though he knew nothing of its value.
I was forced to send my agents after it. They got it, sir, but I haven't got it. But I'm going to get it, sir. How soon can you, how soon are you willing to produce the Falcon? Couple of days. That is satisfactory. Whereas, I hear is a fair bargain and profits large enough for both of us. Well, what's your idea of a fair bargain? Should I say 100,000? Why not? What did you say to a quarter of a million?
[00:13:57] Unknown:
Oh, then you think the dingus is worth a million, no? Why not? Yeah. Why not? Hey,
[00:14:05] Unknown:
I I feel kind of funny, Gutman. That drink. My dear man, how could you suggest anything so cruel? I I Wilma. Wilma. Yeah.
[00:14:24] Unknown:
The drink got them,
[00:14:26] Unknown:
Put your guns away, Wilma. You must learn to be subtle in these things, like me.
[00:14:30] Unknown:
Out like a light,
[00:14:32] Unknown:
If I owe him something to us, he thinks he's tough.
[00:14:35] Unknown:
Let's see if he can take this.
[00:14:40] Unknown:
That's enough, Wilma. You kicked him enough. Never do to kill him here. Besides, Wilma, you know how I hate the sight of blood.
[00:14:59] Unknown:
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Taste, feel, and see the refreshing difference. Use script after grade. In a moment, you will hear part two of the Maltese Falcon. But first, we want to thank Warner Brothers for making this story available. And one thing more, on August 6, Warner Brothers will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of sound pictures. Yes. It has been that long since the silent shadows of the screen found a voice. We congratulate Warner Brothers on this historic anniversary. And now the House of Squibb presents part two of Academy Awards, starring Humphrey Bogart in the Maltese Falcon with Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet.
[00:16:56] Unknown:
I guess the name of Sam Spade was a cinch for the back page obituaries, but I came out of it somehow and managed to get up and stagger out of that apartment. I went around to the hotel where Joel Cairo had a room and made a deal with a house dick to let me search it. All I could find was the newspaper in the wastebasket folded back to the steamship news. There was a list of arrivals, and one was marked. It said eight 7AM, La Paloma from Hong Kong. That was good enough for me. I got a cab and rode down to the docks. La Paloma was on fire and burning beautifully. I went back to my office to hold my aching head and think things over when the door opened.
The tall guy in a long black overcoat stood there with a package in his hands, making gurgling noises before he fell like a tree. He should have. He was dead. I took a good look at him. He was the maid off the La Paloma. I unwrapped his package and there it was, a black bird, a Maltese Falcon. I grabbed the phone and listened. It was British Bridgetis, Bridgetis, and she said she was in trouble. I found her shivering in the dark corner of an office building. I took her and the Falcon home to my apartment. I put her on the couch.
I put the falcon in the icebox where no one would think to look for anything, including ice. I came back in and switched on the lights and found a surprise party waiting to greet me. Well, sir, we're all here. Now let's sit down and be comfortable and talk. Sure. Get away from me, Gunther. You're not gonna fess me. Stand still. Shut up. Put your paw on me and I'm gonna make you use that gun. Ask your boss if he wants me shut up before we talk. Never mind, Wilma.
[00:18:40] Unknown:
You're certainly a most headstrong individual, mister Spade. Well,
[00:18:44] Unknown:
let's be seated. You too, Cairo. You can put down your gun too. Of course, mister Spade. I was only using caution as it were. You ready, Gutman? Are you ready to make the first payment and take the forking off my hands? Well, sir, as to that, here are $10,000, sir. Oh, we were talking about more money than this. Yes, sir. We were.
[00:19:04] Unknown:
But this is genuine coin of the realm, sir. With a dollar of this, you can buy $10 of talk. Besides, the more of us would be taken care of now. That may be, but I have got the falcon. I should not think it would be necessary to remind you, mister Spade, that though you may have the falcon,
[00:19:20] Unknown:
yet we certainly, have you? Yes, sir. I'm trying not to let that worry me. We'll come to the money later. There's another thing to be taken care of first. We've got to have a fall guy. The police have to have a victim. Somebody they can stick for those three murders. Two. Only two murders, mister Spade. Thursby undoubtedly killed your partner. Alright. Two. What difference does it make? The point is we've got to give the police Come come, mister Spade. You can't expect us to believe at this late date. You are the least afraid of the police or that you're not able to hang I'm up to my neck, Gutman. I've got to come through with somebody, a victim, when the time comes. If I don't, I'll be it.
Let's give him the gun so he actually did shoot Thursby and the other one, didn't he? Anyways, made to order for the part. Let's turn him over to the cops. Get up on your feet.
[00:20:04] Unknown:
I've taken all the writing from you I'm gonna take. Get up. Shoot it out. No. No, Willman. Don't shoot.
[00:20:10] Unknown:
Hey. Hey. Gonsal. That'll take care of you. Put him on the sofa. Sorry, Bridget, but you seem to have recovered. I'm I'm alright. Good. Well, gentlemen, there's our fall guy. And now, gentlemen, you agree or I'll turn the falcon and a whole lot of you win. Mister Spade, I don't like this.
[00:20:28] Unknown:
What if we, took matters into our own hands and killed you?
[00:20:32] Unknown:
You won't, or you'll never find the falcon. True. But there are other ways we could make you talk. No. I take it and make you kill me, and then you'd end up the same way.
[00:20:41] Unknown:
No. I believe you would too. Well? I've always felt toward Wilmer like a father, but you can have him.
[00:20:52] Unknown:
Swell. Let's get the details fixed. Why did he shoot Thursby? Thursby was miss O'Shaughnessy's ally.
[00:20:58] Unknown:
We thought in disposing of him, we would teach miss O'Shaughnessy to patch up our differences with us regarding the fort. And the mate from the La Paloma. That was miss O'Shaughnessy's fault. Cairo got in touch with me when he saw the notice of the ship's arrival. He remembered that the mate and miss O'Shaughnessy had been friendly in Hong Kong. He called on this man, but he, with miss O'Shaughnessy, and the bird slipped through our fingers. We followed them to her department, and Wilma shot the mate as he was coming down the fire escape. He shot him many times, but the man was tough, and he did not drop the fork in. We, persuaded mister O'Shaughnessy to call your office.
But unfortunately, she did not call in time to prevent you from meeting the meat and getting the falcon. I see. And now, sir, would it be presumptuous if we ask to see the falcon?
[00:21:46] Unknown:
Okay.
[00:21:47] Unknown:
In my icebox. Icebox, I see. You are a character, sir. Yes. Very, very clever of you. Very I've got it. I've got it. Bring it in here at
[00:21:58] Unknown:
once. Here. One to this.
[00:22:00] Unknown:
Now after twenty three years, it is it. We'll make sure. Hear me or Nysa? Here. I peel off some of this disfiguring enamel.
[00:22:14] Unknown:
It's a fake.
[00:22:16] Unknown:
Alright, O'Shaughnessy. You've had your little joke. Now tell us about it. No, Sam. No. That's the one I got from the Russian. I swear. You bungled it, Gutman. You and your stupid attempt to buy it. The Russian caught on how valuable it was. No wonder we had so little trouble stealing it. You imbecile. You bloated idiot.
[00:22:35] Unknown:
Yes. This is the Russian's hand. There's no doubt of it. Well, sir, what do you suggest? Shall we stand here and shed tears and call each other names? Or shall we go to Istanbul and to interview our Russian friend? Go to Istanbul. For twenty three years, I have wanted that enlightenment. I've been trying to get it. If I must spend another year on the quest, well, that will be an added expenditure in time only. I go with you.
[00:23:03] Unknown:
Wilma's gone.
[00:23:04] Unknown:
Wilma's gone. So he has. That makes it imperative that we go to. Oh, by the way, sir, I'll trouble you for my envelope containing the $10,000.
[00:23:15] Unknown:
I kept my end of the bargain, but I'll settle for a thousand for expenses. Thank you. I'll allow you the thousand. That'll take care of my time. Now, sir, we will say goodbye to you unless you care to undertake the Istanbul expedition with us.
[00:23:27] Unknown:
You don't? That's too bad. Well, sir, the shortest farewells are best. Adieu? And you, mister O'Shaughnessy, I leave the rarer abyss there on the table as a little memento. The Maltese Falcon.
[00:23:47] Unknown:
Alright, O'Shaughnessy. Talk. Where should I begin? You came to me and asked me to have Thursby followed. I put my partner on it. He followed Thursby. He was killed. You must have told Thursby he was being followed. I told him yes, but please believe me, Sam. I wouldn't have told him if I thought Floyd Thursby would kill your partner. Miles had many brains, but he had too many years experience as a detective to be caused like that by a man he was shadowing up a blind alley with his gun tucked away and his hip and his overcoat buttoned. But it had gone up there with you, Angel.
He was just dumb enough for that. And then you could have stood as close to him in the dark as you liked and put a bullet through him. Don't don't talk like that to me, Sam. You know I didn't know Why did you shoot him?
[00:24:25] Unknown:
I I didn't mean to at first. I
[00:24:28] Unknown:
I can't look at you and tell you this bad. You thought Thursby would tackle him. If he got Thursby, then you were rid of him. Miss Thursby won, you had something on him. Enough to be rid of him for good. Wasn't that it? Something like that. But when Thursby backed down, you took the gun and did the job yourself. Oh, Sam, sweetheart. From the very first instant I saw you, I knew. You angel. Well, if you get a good break, you'll be out of San Quentin in twenty years and you can come back to me then. I hope they don't hang you, Precious, by that sweet neck.
You know deep down in your heart 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 sap for you. I won't walk in Thursdays and I don't know how many others footsteps.
[00:25:06] Unknown:
You killed my partner and you're going over for it. Why must you do this to me, Sam? Surely your partner wasn't as much to yours? Listen. Listen to me.
[00:25:14] Unknown:
This won't do any good. You'll never understand me, but I'll try once and then give it up. Listen. When a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do something about it. And it happens, we're in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed, it's bad business to let the killer get away with it. Bad all around. Bad for every detective everywhere.
[00:25:34] Unknown:
You can't send me to the Sam, you can't. You love me. You love me.
[00:25:40] Unknown:
Maybe I do. What of it? Maybe next month I won't. I've been through it before. I'll have some rotten nights after I've sent you over, but that'll pass. I want you sure, but I won't take you at the price because of all because all of me wants to, regardless of consequences. Because you counted on that with me the same as you counted on that with all the others.
[00:26:00] Unknown:
Darling, kiss me. Kiss me.
[00:26:05] Unknown:
Sure. Sure, baby.
[00:26:14] Unknown:
What are you doing? Who are you calling? The cops, baby.
[00:26:21] Unknown:
The cops to come and take you away.
[00:26:47] Unknown:
Just as thrilling as tracking down some fabulous treasure is the search for the unknown which goes on unceasingly in the Squibb Research Laboratories. Well, that is the search that leads to the discovery of new life saving drugs and new life saving uses for existing drugs. Streptomycin is one of the newest products of the searching. In the new field of medicine opened up by penicillin, streptomycin, still in the testing stages, shows great promise against additional enemies of mankind. That is why scrib scientists are working night and day to unlock the secrets of streptomycin, to improve the strain, to find and test all the ways in which it may be used in the conquest of disease.
It is this same questing spirit, this refusal to stop anywhere short of perfection, that inspires all endeavors of the house of squib. It is one reason why, wherever you come across it in the service of human health, Squibb is a name you can trust. Next Wednesday, another great picture. The House of Squibb will present Academy Awards starring Henry Fonda in Young Mister Lincoln. Today's performance of the Maltese Falcon was written for radio by Frank Wilson with an original musical score composed and conducted by Lee Stevens. Our producer director is Dee Engelbach. Humphrey Bogart is soon to be seen in Warner Brothers' Big Sleep. Mary Astor appeared through the courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer, producers of the Technicolor musical Easy to Web. Sydney Greenstreet is soon to be seen in Warner Brothers The Verdict.
This is Hugh Grundage, bidding you good night until next Wednesday at the same time when you're invited to listen again to Academy Award, presented by the House of Squid, a name you can trust. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
Introduction to Academy Award
Star-Studded Cast Announcement
The Maltese Falcon: The Case Begins
A Dangerous Encounter with Joel Cairo
Meeting the Fat Man: Gutman
The Falcon's History Unveiled
The Quest for the Falcon Continues
The Final Showdown
The Truth Revealed
Closing Remarks and Next Episode Preview
