Satan Met a Lady (1936)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

William Dieterle

Writers:

Brown Holmes (screenplay)
Dashiell Hammett (novel)

Release Date:

22 July 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Sardonic detective Shane, thrown out of one town for bringing trouble, heads for home and his ex-partner's detective agency...

Plot Keywords:

Horn | Train | Shot To Death | Widow | Spoof

Cast

Bette Davis	...	Valerie Purvis
Warren William	...	Ted Shane
Alison Skipworth	...	Madame Barabbas
Arthur Treacher	...	Anthony Travers
Marie Wilson	...	Miss Murgatroyd
Wini Shaw	...	Astrid Ames (as Winifred Shaw)
Porter Hall	...	Milton Ames
Olin Howland	...	Detective Dunhill
Charles C. Wilson	...	Detective Pollock (as Charles Wilson)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Alexander	...	Black Porter (uncredited)
J.H. Allen	...	Bootblack (uncredited)
May Beatty	...	Mrs. Arden (uncredited)
Barbara Blane	...	Babe (uncredited)
Billy Bletcher	...	Father of Sextuplets (uncredited)
Raymond Brown	...	Fourth City Fathers Committee Member (uncredited)
James P. Burtis	...	Detective (uncredited)
Frank Darien	...	Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
William B. Davidson	...	Spokesman - City Fathers Committee (uncredited)
Don Downen	...	Reporter (uncredited)
John Elliott	...	City Fathers Committee Member (uncredited)
Sol Gorss	...	Jackie Farrow (uncredited)
Kid Herman	...	Bootblack (uncredited)
Maynard Holmes	...	Kenneth - Barabbas's Young Gunman (uncredited)
Joe King	...	Detective (uncredited)
Alice La Mont	...	Mother of Sextuplets (uncredited)
Alphonse Martell	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
Edward McWade	...	City Fathers Committee Member (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Extra on Dance Floor (uncredited)
Edmund Mortimer	...	Extra on Dance Floor (uncredited)
Jack Richardson	...	Second Photographer (uncredited)
Cliff Saum	...	Patrol Officer (uncredited)
Francis Sayles	...	Detective (uncredited)
Eddie Shubert	...	Detective (uncredited)
Ray Turner	...	The Porter (uncredited)
Huey White	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Leo White	...	Room Service Waiter (uncredited)
Douglas Williams	...	Dock Walloper (uncredited)
Jack Wise	...	Pushy Photographer (uncredited)

Directed by
William Dieterle

Writing credits
Brown Holmes		(screenplay)
Dashiell Hammett		(novel)

Cinematography by
Arthur Edeson

Film Editing by
Warren Low

Art Direction by
Max Parker

Costume Design by
Orry-Kelly		(gowns)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director (uncredited)
M.K. Jerome	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)
Bernhard Kaun	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)
Heinz Roemheld	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)

Other crew
Gene Lewis	....	dialogue director
Henry Blanke	....	supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1936) (USA) (theatrical)
• Vitaphone Corporation, The (1936) (USA) (theatrical) (as The Vitaphone Corp'n.)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (video)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

The Man in the Black Hat (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #1869)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The second of three film adaptations of Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon," this film has notable connections to both other versions. First, this film's screenwriter, Brown Holmes, was also credited as a screenwriter on the 1931 version, directed by Roy Del Ruth. Second, this film's cinematographer, Arthur Edeson, was also the director of photography for John Huston's version in 1941. Third, Warren William, who plays the Sam Spade character (Ted Shane) in this film, also played Perry Mason in a series of films beginning in 1934, but was replaced in 1936 by Ricardo Cortez - who had played Sam Spade in the 1931 "Maltese Falcon". Finally, Bette Davis filled in for Raymond Burr when he had to have surgery in "The Case of the Constant Doyle".

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In his discussion with Madame Barabbas, Shane tells her the item she seeks is so valuable that it is worth her paying him plenty to find it. But actor Warren William muffs the line, saying "It's worth playing me plenty."

Quotes:

Anthony Travers: Then you have the trumpet?
Ted Shayne: No.
Anthony Travers: But you know where it is?
Ted Shayne: Nope.
Anthony Travers: What? You've just inveigled me into telling you what it is. I say that's a pretty rotten trick, old boy. That's not cricket!

Movie Connections:

References King Kong (1933)

Soundtrack:

Sweet Georgia Brown

From A Black Bird To A French Horn

This was the film that Bette Davis finally walked out of Warner Brothers because she'd had enough. Satan Met A Lady is a comic version of the Dashiell Hammett novel, The Maltese Falcon it in fact is the second of three versions of the story that was filmed, all by Warner Brothers. It was that third one with Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor that is the beloved classic come down to us.

I wouldn't be surprised, but that Bette might have thought that this was a straight version of the story, that she'd be doing the part that Mary Astor made famous. Instead the version she got was something that might have worked with Joan Blondell doing the part, but Bette was clearly unhappy and just going through the motions.

As for Warren William, his Ted Shayne is far different from the laconic and cynical Humphrey Bogart. He's one unapologetic rogue just breezing through the film as he did with so many others on charm and a Barrymore light profile.

Instead of the loyal and efficient Effie that we all remember Lee Patrick for, we get the scatterbrained and clueless Marie Wilson doing her usual shtick. The parts that Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet made classic were done by Arthur Treacher and Allison Skipworth. I thought Arthur was going to offer some fish and chips to William at many points during the film.

The famous Hitchcockian McGuffin is not a black bird allegedly crusted over to hide a jeweled coat, but an old ram's horn, purportedly the trumpet that French legendary hero Roland sounded as he covered Emperor Charlemagne's retreat. It too was stuffed with jewels according to legend.

At the end of the film Warren William actually got a few notes out of the French horn. It blew well and some might say the film did also.