I recently watched this movie and I saw something that looked very much like the black bird, the "Maltese Falcon", on top of the filing cabinet in the police office. Was that the prop on top of the cabinet or am I seeing things?
shareWow, you're very observant. If that's not the Falcon (at approx 53:00) it is certainly similar in appearance.
I came to Casablanca for the waters.....
Thank you, noki53,for looking. It has haunted me since I saw it. Since then I learned that there were at least two Maltese Falcons made for the film by the same name, if not more.
The first one was dropped by Bogart and suffered damage to the tail. "The original is on display to this day in Warner Brothers' movie museum, its tail feathers visibly dented from Bogart's accident. Only two 45 lb. lead falcons and two 5 lb., 5.4 oz resin falcons are verified to exist today." (Wiki)
The second one was cut into by Gutman near the end of the film. I was thinking maybe someone from the prop room just wanted something to stick up there for visual interest, not realizing it was the Maltese Falcon, or maybe it was a sly homage to Bogie.
Sam Spade: Don't be too sure I'm as crooked as I'm supposed to be.
I noticed this too. I think maybe it was a subtle homage, as you mention, or it could just be coincidence. The bird in this movie looked to be a peacock, judging by the very long tail feathers, and not a falcon. But when you get a movie with Bogart and Greenstreet in it and there's a black bird, it immediately registers.
Nobody gets to be a cowboy forever.
It looked sort of like a pheasant to me.
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I found this in "Trivia":
The statue of the Maltese Falcon is clearly displayed as an ornament on the top of the wooden filing cabinet in Det. Lt. Egan's office when Richard visits. A few years earlier, Bogart and Greenstreet has appear in the movie about this statue, by the same name. No reference to it in the dialogue is made.
Difficult to say, but perhaps true. Greenstreet and Bogart were paired in a number of very good movies, and The Maltese Falcon was the first of those as well as Greenstreet's first motion picture appearance. My only question is where was the third Musketeer, Peter Lorre. In any case a very well done and enjoyable film.
And as someone once said anything I've haven't seen before is new to me. So finding this gem is like going out to a theater and seeing a great recently released movie, only I saved a few bucks on the price of admission.
For me it was hard to tell, certainly was similar, I think the head looked different to me, could have been the Maltese Falcon though. Even if it isn't, it could have been placed there as a refrence.
I always thought the Maltese Falcon was a dumpy looking piece as far as art goes and I thought the bird on the cabinet looked better. Could be just the angle.