Maltese Falcon

[The Wolf]

I just watched chapter ten of "The Spider's Web" serial and Wentworth had an inkstand with an eagle on it that reminded me of Spade's.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[JavBanda]

maltese falcon carafe

This is everything I've managed to collect up to this point. Ashtrays have been elusive so far. Finding the carafe put my skills to the test.

Does the carafe have a brand name on it?

 

[JavBanda]

Maltese falcon's missing dog

I shall I shall, I just bought a Philco floor cabinet radio for the office, and am currently converting it to play off Ipod so I can have all my radio shows play. Gotta love Richard Diamond.

But yes I will. Granted I will not have the desk as I like mine.. which has more room however I do know of a man who will make exact replicas of both desks in Spade and Archer.

I really do need more info on all pieces found on the desk of Sam as well as what the heck the certificate on the wall is.

Anyone know what type of dog is on Sam Spades desk that appears and disappears also what is its purpose?

 

[Argee]

Does the carafe have a brand name on it?

My carafe is a Manning Bowman. This handle design is not the most common. They are all over ebay with the wrong handle (later model). However, I believe the original designer was Alfi. Alfi still makes this type of carafe but they have a different stopper and handle now (and are very expensive). I managed to find a historical illustration of the right type on their website. You might also have luck with Landers Frary & Clark. I’ve seen several similar ones by them, but no exact matches so far. They have compatible Mercury Glass stoppers. I know because I had to replace my original stopper with one from a Landers Frary & Clark pitcher after the original ran afoul of Newton’s first law of motion.

 

[BogartsHat]

Wow, I'm amazed. There's some great sleuthing going on here. Where does one find a Maltese Falcon like that? I know you said eBay, but I'm wondering who made/makes them in the first place?

Okay, found something on it. Created by Acclaimed California Sculptor Peter Schifrin, jet black statue is 12" high and weighs about 5 pounds. Made with high density resin. $100.

 

[JPH]

Where does one get a falcon figure like the movie?

That one was sculpted, glazed, and fired by me. As for widely available reproductions, Haunted Studios had a not accurate version for years. They apparently have a new version now that certainly looks a lot closer to the movie bird than what they used to offer. Don't have any first hand knowledge of its quality.

About 27 or so years ago I was a student taking some classes on film at the local JC. The instructor had worked in the industry for a while when he was younger. I belonged to a core group of students who took several of his classes, and as such we had a slightly more familiar relationship with him than the majority of the other students. Thus, we were invited to a birthday party at his home.

While standing in his living room, chatting with each other, a few of us noticed a figurine sitting on a small table in a corner of the room, and mused amongst our small cadre if it could possibly be what it appeared to be. We knew that during his stint in the industry, he had at some point worked at Warner Bros. in the PR Dept. So, we called him over and asked the burning question about the familiar looking black bird on the table. Was it a reproduction or was it what several believed to be impossible, the bird? His answer was an ambiguous "Sort of."

Upon pressing him for a more specific answer he informed us that he had indeed acquired the figurine while he was working at WB, and that while it wasn't an actual figurine used in the filming, it was a genuine "Maltese Falcon" figurine, not a copy or reproduction. It was cast from the original mold still stored away in the prop department. In other words, an actual younger sibling to the on screen figurines, and according to studio rules, wasn't even supposed to exist as it's casting wasn't ordered by the studio. He confirmed that over the years a small number of figurines, the exact total is unknown, have been surreptitiously cast and smuggled out of the studio.

We convinced him to let us each hold the falcon for several (all too brief) seconds for quick personal examination and feel the weight (we kept it short to assuage his anxieties) but it was an experience I'll never forget. It was indeed "the stuff that dreams are made of."

Of the the figurines I've seen on eBay, the Studio 303/Haunted Studios falcons are the closest to the sibling falcon I saw, touched, and held those many years ago. There is someone marketing a resin falcon claiming it to be superior to the others, but to my eye, the surface finish is too rough, the head is different, and it leans forward at too much of an angle, it just ain't right. Just my .02¢.

The seller also disparages plaster/stone castings as being cheap and unrealistic, which is funny, as the on screen falcons that the cast handled were either lead or (horror of horrors) plaster. By the way, the sibling falcon was also cast of.... wait for it.... you got it, plaster.

Good luck with your Spade office.

Joseph

 

[Blackjack]

You may find it tough to find a stick lighter like he had on his desk too. I've been looking for one of those for years on and off....
But it's a great idea you have !!!!!!!:eusa_clap

 

[ScionPI2005]

About 27 or so years ago I was a student taking some classes on film at the local JC. The instructor had worked in the industry for a while when he was younger. I belonged to a core group of students who took several of his classes, and as such we had a slightly more familiar relationship with him than the majority of the other students. Thus, we were invited to a birthday party at his home.

While standing in his living room, chatting with each other, a few of us noticed a figurine sitting on a small table in a corner of the room, and mused amongst our small cadre if it could possibly be what it appeared to be. We knew that during his stint in the industry, he had at some point worked at Warner Bros. in the PR Dept. So, we called him over and asked the burning question about the familiar looking black bird on the table. Was it a reproduction or was it what several believed to be impossible, the bird? His answer was an ambiguous "Sort of."

Upon pressing him for a more specific answer he informed us that he had indeed acquired the figurine while he was working at WB, and that while it wasn't an actual figurine used in the filming, it was a genuine "Maltese Falcon" figurine, not a copy or reproduction. It was cast from the original mold still stored away in the prop department. In other words, an actual younger sibling to the on screen figurines, and according to studio rules, wasn't even supposed to exist as it's casting wasn't ordered by the studio. He confirmed that over the years a small number of figurines, the exact total is unknown, have been surreptitiously cast and smuggled out of the studio.

We convinced him to let us each hold the falcon for several (all too brief) seconds for quick personal examination and feel the weight (we kept it short to assuage his anxieties) but it was an experience I'll never forget. It was indeed "the stuff that dreams are made of."

Of the the figurines I've seen on eBay, the Studio 303/Haunted Studios falcons are the closest to the sibling falcon I saw, touched, and held those many years ago. There is someone marketing a resin falcon claiming it to be superior to the others, but to my eye, the surface finish is too rough, the head is different, and it leans forward at too much of an angle, it just ain't right. Just my .02¢.

The seller also disparages plaster/stone castings as being cheap and unrealistic, which is funny, as the on screen falcons that the cast handled were either lead or (horror of horrors) plaster. By the way, the sibling falcon was also cast of.... wait for it.... you got it, plaster.

Good luck with your Spade office.

Joseph

That's a very cool story. Makes me wonder exactly how many of those figurines were made over the years, and where they've ended up.

 

[feltfan]

Flood Building

Anyone visited the Flood Building on Market Street in San Francisco?

If you did, you'd see this on display in the lobby:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/treatzone/3285457242/

Not my photo, but I probably couldn't do better... Try to read
the fine print. There is a plaque with claims of authenticity.

 

[Shangas]

*something*
Home of
The Maltese Falcon
***
San Francisco"

 

[The Wolf]

It says "Historic John's Grill....".
Spade eats there in the book and they are still around.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[Shangas]

I suspected that's what it said, but I wasn't sure!

 

[feltfan]

Sorry, I woulda typed it out if I thought it was that hard to read.
Easier to read if you've seen the original within the week I guess...

No idea where that one falls in the continuum of authenticity.

 

[Katzenjammer]

Slightly off-topic, slightly on (sorry). This plaque marks the alley off Post St. that kicked off the events of the novel...not far from the corner of Post & Hyde. I lived on that block for a few years in the early 2000s, and the aura of intrigue remains. Check it out if you find yourself in SF.

 

[feltfan]

Geez, spoiler alert!

 

[Brian Sheridan]

Slightly off-topic, slightly on (sorry). This plaque marks the alley off Post St. that kicked off the events of the novel...not far from the corner of Post & Hyde. I lived on that block for a few years in the early 2000s, and the aura of intrigue remains. Check it out if you find yourself in SF.

I wonder how many young people think this was an actual historical event and wonder why this murder received a plaque....

 

[Katzenjammer]

Geez, spoiler alert!

No kidding! It should have read "done in by __________"

 

[lastdiplomat]

Great story, JPH!

I've been trying to trace just how many original Maltese Falcons are out there. So far, we've got the two lead birds, the resin version, and perhaps another 10 birds cast in plaster for the film. One of which was stolen in 1975 from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and another stolen from John's Grill in 2007. Harry Anderson claims to have another that he obtained from an old WB prop man when he was working on 'Night Court.'

I recently found this article: http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/736

It states Hank Risan owns 3 plaster Falcons said to be authenticated. It's also where I found the claim that 10 plaster casts were made. If we add these 3 to the other 3 (two of which are still missing), we've got 6 plaster versions known to exist -- though I'm still unsure about the Harry Anderson version as I've never seen a photo of it. If there were in fact 10 made, then there are at least 4 more out there somewhere.

The article goes on to say Risan's plaster versions have been "conservatively" valued at $1 million each. Not sure I agree with this estimation. The resin version, which is believed to be one of a kind, only sold for $100,000 ten years ago. Given inflation and interest in the prop, I can imagine it going for more today. And I can certainly see one of the lead versions going for over a million. But a plaster cast that's one of possibly 10? Not sure it's worth as much as one of the lead birds used on screen.

Does anyone have (or can anyone access) the PDF located here: http://vcu.sagepub.com/content/6/2/219.citation

Seems like it could be a worthwhile read about the Maltese Falcon prop, but I don't have a login for the site.

 

[Decodence]

Great story, JPH!

I've been trying to trace just how many original Maltese Falcons are out there. So far, we've got the two lead birds, the resin version, and perhaps another 10 birds cast in plaster for the film. One of which was stolen in 1975 from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and another stolen from John's Grill in 2007. Harry Anderson claims to have another that he obtained from an old WB prop man when he was working on 'Night Court.'

I recently found this article: http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/736

It states Hank Risan owns 3 plaster Falcons said to be authenticated. It's also where I found the claim that 10 plaster casts were made. If we add these 3 to the other 3 (two of which are still missing), we've got 6 plaster versions known to exist -- though I'm still unsure about the Harry Anderson version as I've never seen a photo of it. If there were in fact 10 made, then there are at least 4 more out there somewhere.

The article goes on to say Risan's plaster versions have been "conservatively" valued at $1 million each. Not sure I agree with this estimation. The resin version, which is believed to be one of a kind, only sold for $100,000 ten years ago. Given inflation and interest in the prop, I can imagine it going for more today. And I can certainly see one of the lead versions going for over a million. But a plaster cast that's one of possibly 10? Not sure it's worth as much as one of the lead birds used on screen.

Does anyone have (or can anyone access) the PDF located here: http://vcu.sagepub.com/content/6/2/219.citation

Seems like it could be a worthwhile read about the Maltese Falcon prop, but I don't have a login for the site.

Pretty sure MK has debunked most of that.

 

[Decodence]

BTW, no S&A office should be complete without this: