21: The Maltese Falcon - David Avallone

Writer David Avallone (@DAvallone) is back on the show to discuss another post- WWI pulpy text: Dashiell Hammett's THE MALTESE FALCON. What is it about the chaos after the first World War that led us to this cynicism? Where does a Private I stand on sex? And is there a sea change in the power binaries of male vs. female? 

Summary of THE MALTESE FALCON

Sam Spade and his partner, Miles Archer, are approached by a beautiful woman named Miss Wonderley, who claims her sister has been taken by a no-goodnik gangster named Floyd Thursby. Archer takes the first night of surveillance, and is mysteriously shot-- as is the prime suspect of Thursby. Thrown onto the case, Spade quickly uncovers many secrets-- that Miss Wonderley is actually a treasure-hunter named Brigid O'Shaughnessy, and that she's in bed with another court of criminals to abscond with a bird figurine made on the island of Malta by the Knights Templar that is worth millions of dollars. Spade, who was sleeping with Archer's wife and begins hooking up with O'Shaugnessy almost immediately, is being followed by the police as the lead suspect in both murders. Two other men after the falcon-- Joel Cairo and Caspar Gutman-- continually make attempts on Spade's life, as Spade tracks down the falcon and uncovers the figurine's secret, and the identity of his partner's murderer. 

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