C.H. Booth Library will sponsor two screenings of the 1941 film The Maltese Falcon on Thursday, May 31, at 2 and 7 pm. The screenings will be offered Edmond Town Hall Theatre, 45 Main Street.The Maltese Falcon (1931) and a loose comedic adaptation called Satan Met a Lady (1936).fb.me/somedaycinemaseries for up-to-date details on the entire series.somedaycinemaseries@gmail.com.[naviga:img class="aligncenter wp-image-321592" src="https://newtownbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Someday-Cinema-Series-Maltese-Falcon-updated-poster.jpg" alt="Someday Cinema Series -- Maltese Falcon updated poster" width="600" height="918" /]Attendees of the May 31 Someday Cinema Series offering will have a chance to win a modern graphic poster of The Maltese Falcon, donated by artist Michael Gelén of Inkwell Studios, and their own copy of the book.

Tickets are $3, and the matinee will be shown with captions for the benefit of the hearing impaired.

Since the 1930 publication of Dashiell Hammett's novel about a private detective who takes a mysterious case, Warner Brothers produced two other unsuccessful versions of the story:

The studio took one more chance on an unlikely team. John Huston, who thought the other versions were "wretched pictures," had his directorial debut with the 1941 release. His novel approach was essentially to "shoot the book." Working with cinematographer Arthur Edesen, they carefully crafted the look of each scene to emphasize the underlying suspense.

Humphrey Bogart landed the lead role of Sam Spade after George Raft declined, which helped change the trajectory of Bogart's acting career from a B-movie thug to strong leading man.

Sydney Greenstreet (Kasper Gutman, the film's main antagonist) was a prominent stage actor who made his film debut in this picture at age 60. His pairing with Peter Lorre worked so well, they appeared together in nine more films, including Casablanca with Bogart, as well.

One would think that the salacious private life of Mary Astor, splashed across the tabloids from her stolen diaries, would prevent her from getting good roles, but in this case, it made her perfect for the femme fatale role of Brigid O'Shaughnessy.

Ironically, because of the title, the audience knows more about Sam Spade's latest case than he does. At the outset, all he knows is that the sister of his lovely client (Astor) is in trouble, and the sister's boyfriend needs to be tailed. From there, he never really knows what he is chasing or who to trust, including his own client, Miss Wonderly, also known as Brigid O'Shaughnessy (Astor).

Patrons will have a chance to win a modern graphic poster of the film, donated by artist Michael Gelén of Inkwell Studios, and their own copy of the book.

The Someday Cinema Series will continue on Sunday, June 24, with Jaws. Visit tiny.cc/SomedayCinema2018 or

Sponsorships available for several films in the fall. Those interested are invited to contact series coordinator Jen Rogers at

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