The Black Bird

This article is about the 1975 film. For the 1926 film, see The Blackbird. For other films with similar titles, see Blackbird (disambiguation).

The Black Bird
Theatrical poster by Drew Struzan
Directed by	David Giler
Screenplay by	David Giler
Story by	Gordon Cotler Don Mankiewicz
Produced by	George Segal Ray Stark Lou Lombardo Michael Levee
Starring	George Segal Stéphane Audran Lionel Stander Lee Patrick
Cinematography	Philip H. Lathrop
Edited by	Lou Lombardo
Music by	Jerry Fielding
Production company	Rastar
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	December 25, 1975 (1975-12-25)
Running time	110 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Black Bird is a 1975 comedy film written and directed by David Giler and starring George Segal and Stéphane Audran. It is a comedic sequel to the John Huston film version of The Maltese Falcon (1941) with Segal playing Sam Spade's son, Sam Spade, Jr., and Lee Patrick and Elisha Cook Jr. reprising their roles of Effie Perrine and Wilmer Cook. It was Giler's first and only directorial effort.

Plot

When San Francisco private detective Sam Spade dies, his son, Sam, Jr., inherits his father's agency, including the sarcastic secretary, Effie Perine (also known as "Godzilla"). He must also continue his father's tradition of "serving minorities" (with "spade" double-entendres). When Caspar Gutman is killed outside Spade's building, his dying words are, "It's black and as long as your arm."

Spade is given an offer by a member of the Order of St. John's Hospital to purchase his father's useless copy of the Maltese Falcon. A thug named Gordon Immerman has been hired to make sure Spade delivers the bird. Spade later gets an offer from Wilmer Cook for the Falcon, but before they can negotiate, Cook is killed. Shortly thereafter Spade meets a beautiful and mysterious Russian woman named Anna Kemidov, daughter of the general who once owned the real Maltese Falcon. She also wants Spade's copy and is willing to seduce him to get it. Spade is soon dealing with Litvak, a bald Nazi dwarf who is surrounded by an army of Hawaiian thugs. In the ensuing chaos, Immerman tries to become Spade's partner. Spade discovers that his "false" copy may be the real thing.

Cast

• George Segal as Sam Spade, Jr.
• Stéphane Audran as Anna Kemidov
• Lionel Stander as Gordon Immerman
• Lee Patrick as Effie
• Elisha Cook, Jr. as Wilmer Cook
• Felix Silla as Litvak
• Signe Hasso as Dr. Crippen
• John Abbott as DuQuai
• Connie Kreski as Decoy Girl
• Howard Jeffrey as Kerkorian
• Ken Swofford as Brad McCormack

Production

Ray Stark owned the rights to The Maltese Falcon and hired David Giler to adapt. Giler tried to work on the script with his friend John Milius but they were unable to collaborate. Giler then decided to turn the project into a comedy, and Stark let him direct. It was his first and only directorial effort. During principal photography, frequent clashes occurred between Stark and star George Segal.

Lee Patrick and Elisha Cook, Jr., reprised their roles from the John Huston version of The Maltese Falcon (1941).

Reception

Panned by critics and audiences alike, the film is considered the weakest adaptation of the novel. Pauline Kael wrote that it is "a dumb comedy, with an insecure tone and some good ideas mixed with some terrible ones". On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an aggregated score of 33% based on 12 reviews.

See also

• List of American films of 1975

External links

• The Black Bird at IMDb
• The Black Bird at the TCM Movie Database
• The Black Bird at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• The Black Bird at Rotten Tomatoes