THE HUMPHREY BOGART MURDER CASE

Humphrey Bogart, on the brink of stardom as soon as The Maltese Falcon can be produced and released, tangles with homicidal burglars in pursuit of a Falconesque prize: a horn of plenty brought to Europe by Marco Polo when the Templars were still in training pants—and allegedly deposited with the Bogarts by the seafaring father of Bogie's third wife, battling Mayo Methot. Paired with Inspector Herb Villon (The Bette Davis Murder Case, 1994, etc.), Bogie wades through Baxt's trademark gossip, badinage, and cameos (Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Lillian Hellman) as manfully as Sam Spade sorting out gangsters. Fans of Dashiell Hammett, though, will know better than to expect a pot of gold, for either Bogart or Baxt, at the end of this rainbow. The Maltese Falcon with additional dialogue by Robin Leach.