Sam Spade

For the network-query tool designed to hunt down spammers, seeSam Spade (software).For the Without a Trace character, seeSamantha Spade.

Sam Spade
Humphrey Bogartas Sam Spade in the trailer forThe Maltese Falcon
First appearance	The Maltese Falcon
Last appearance	Spade and Archer
Created by	Dashiell Hammett
Portrayed by	Ricardo Cortez Humphrey Bogart Edward G. Robinson Howard Duff Steve Dunne Mike O'Malley Tom Wilkinson Michael Madsen Clive Owen
In-universe information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Private detective
Spouse	Unnamed wife (deceased)
Children	Sam Spade Jr. (son)
Religion	Christian
Nationality	American

Sam Spadeis a fictional character and theprotagonistofDashiell Hammett's 1930 novelThe Maltese Falcon.Spade also appeared in four lesser-known short stories by Hammett.

The Maltese Falcon,first published as a serial in the pulp magazineBlack Mask,is the only full-length novel by Hammett in which Spade appears. The character, however, is widely cited as a crystallizing figure in the development ofhard-boiledprivate detective fiction—Raymond Chandler'sPhilip Marlowe,for instance, was strongly influenced by Spade.

Spade was a departure from Hammett's nameless and less-than-glamorous detective,The Continental Op.Spade combined several features of previous detectives, most notably his detached demeanor, keen eye for detail, and unflinching determination to achieve his own justice.

Portrayals

Spade was a new character created specifically by Hammett forThe Maltese Falcon;he had not appeared in any of Hammett's previous stories.Hammett says about him:

Spade has no original. He is a dream man in the sense that he is what most of the private detectives I worked with would like to have been and in their cockier moments thought they approached. For your private detective does not—or did not ten years ago when he was my colleague—want to be an erudite solver of riddles in the Sherlock Holmes manner; he wants to be a hard and shifty fellow, able to take care of himself in any situation, able to get the best of anybody he comes in contact with, whether criminal, innocent by-stander or client.

Screen

From the 1940s onward, the character became closely associated with actorHumphrey Bogart,who played Spade in thethird and best-known film versionofThe Maltese Falcon.Though Bogart's slight frame, dark features and no-nonsense depiction contrasted with Hammett's vision of Spade (blond, well-built and mischievous), his sardonic portrayal was well-received, and is generally regarded as an influence on bothfilm noirand the genre's archetypal private detective.

Spade was played byRicardo Cortezin thefirst film versionin 1931. Despite being a critical and commercial success, an attempt to re-release the film in 1936 was denied approval by theProduction CodeOffice due to the film's lewd content. SinceWarner Bros.could not re-release the film, a second version was made. For the comedySatan Met a Lady(1936), the central character was renamed Ted Shane and was played byWarren William.The film was a box-office failure.

George Segalplayed Sam Spade, Jr., son of the original, in the film spoof,The Black Bird(1975).The Black Birdwas panned by critics.Peter Falkdelivered a more successful spoof the following year as Sam Diamond inNeil Simon'sMurder by Death.This was preceded by the spoof character Sam Diamond inThe Addams Familyepisode "Thing Is Missing"(1965) portrayed by Tommy Farrell.

Clive Owenstars as Spade in the television seriesMonsieur Spade,a co-production betweenAMC,AMC+andCanal+.

Audio

On the radio, Spade was played byEdward G. Robinsonin a 1943Lux Radio Theatreproduction, and by Bogart in both a 1943Screen Guild Theaterproduction and a 1946Academy Award Theaterproduction.

The 1946-1951 radio showThe Adventures of Sam Spade(on ABC, CBS, and NBC) starredHoward Duff(and laterSteve Dunne) as Sam Spade andLurene Tuttleas Spade's devoted secretary Effie Perrine, and took a considerably more tongue-in-cheek approach to the character.

BBC Radio 4adaptedThe Maltese Falconin 1984, withTom Wilkinsonas Spade, while a 2009 dramatisation for theHollywood Theater of the EarstarredMichael Madsen.

Literary pastiches

In 2009, with the approval of the estate of Dashiell Hammett, the veteran detective-story writerJoe GorespublishedSpade & Archer: The Prequel to Dashiell Hammett's THE MALTESE FALCONwithAlfred A. Knopf,the original publisher of Hammett'sThe Maltese Falcon.

Books

• The Maltese Falcon(1930)
  • Serialized in five parts, in the September 1929 to January 1930 issues ofBlack Mask
• Spade and ArcherbyJoe Gores(2009)
• The Radio Adventures of Sam Spade(2007) byMartin Grams,Jr., OTR Publishing, Churchville,Maryland.ISBN978-0-9703310-7-6

Short stories

• "A Man Called Spade" (July 1932,The American Magazine;also collected inA Man Called Spade and Other Stories)
• "Too Many Have Lived" (October 1932,The American Magazine;also collected inA Man Called Spade and Other Stories)
• "They Can Only Hang You Once" (November 19, 1932,Colliers;also inA Man Called Spade and Other Stories)
• "A Knife Will Cut for Anybody" (Unpublished in Hammett's lifetime—published in 2013)

Collections

• A Man Called Spade and Other Stories(1944) (contains three Sam Spade stories fromThe American MagazineandColliers—listed above)
• Nightmare Town(1999) (contains three Sam Spade stories fromThe American MagazineandColliers—listed above)

Films

• The Maltese Falcon(1931,Warner Bros.) (also known asDangerous Female), starringRicardo Cortezas Sam Spade
• Satan Met a Lady(1936, Warner Bros.) (based onThe Maltese Falcon,with the character names and the object of their search changed), starringWarren Williamin the lead role
• The Maltese Falcon(1941, Warner Bros.), starringHumphrey Bogartas Sam Spade
• The Black Bird(1975, Columbia), a comedysequelto the 1941 film, starringGeorge Segalas "Sammy" Spade Jr.
• The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It(1977), played by Mike O'Malley; aSherlock Holmesspoof in which Spade is killed by the granddaughter ofProfessor Moriarty

Radio

• Screen Guild Theater:"The Maltese Falcon" (1943,CBS:30-minute version of the story, starringHumphrey Bogartas Spade,Mary Astoras Brigid O'Shaughnessy,Sydney Greenstreetas Casper Gutman, andPeter Lorreas Joel Cairo.)
• Lux Radio Theatre:"The Maltese Falcon" (1943,CBS): a 60-minute version of the novel, starringEdward G. Robinsonas Spade andLaird Cregaras Gutman
• Academy Award Theatre:"The Maltese Falcon" (1946, CBS): 30-minute version of the story, starringHumphrey Bogart,Mary Astor,andSydney Greenstreet
• The Adventures of Sam Spade(1946, ABC): 13 30-minute episodes, starringHoward Duff
• The Adventures of Sam Spade(1946–1949, CBS): 157 30-minute episodes, starringHoward Duff
• The Adventures of Sam Spade(1949–1950, NBC): 51 30-minute episodes, starringHoward Duff
• The Adventures of Sam Spade(1950–1951, NBC): 24 30-minute episodes, starringSteve Dunne
• Suspense:"The House in Cypress Canyon" (December 5, 1946, CBS): 30 minutes, featuringHoward Duff
• Suspense:"The Kandy Tooth Caper" (January 10, 1948, CBS): 60 minutes, starringHoward Duff
• Maxwell House Coffee Time(aka The Burns And Allen Show): "Gracie Sends Sam Spade to Jail" (February 10, 1949NBC) a 30-minute episode starringHoward Duff—both as himself and as Sam Spade.
• The Adventures of Babe Lincoln(circa 1950, CBS): unaired, starringHoward Duff
• Charlie Wild, Private Detective(September 24, 1950, NBC): premiere broadcast only, guest appearanceHoward Duff
• BBC Radio 4: "The Maltese Falcon" (1984): starringTom Wilkinson,Jane Lapotaire,andNickolas Grace
• The Maltese Falcon(2009):Grammy-nominated audio play, starringMichael Madsenas Spade,Sandra Ohas Brigid andEdward Herrmannas Gutman, produced by TheHollywood Theater of the Earand published byBlackstone Audio.

Television

• Monsieur Spade(2024): Television series, starringClive Owen,a co-production between byAMC+andCanal+.

Comics

• The Maltese Falcon(1946, Feature Books #48, David McKay Publications) Artist:Rodlow Willard
• Sam SpadeWildroot Hair TonicAds (1950s)
  • Single-page comic strips, appeared in newspapers, magazines, comic books. Tie-in with radio showThe Adventures of Sam Spade,which Wildroot also sponsored. Artist:Lou Fine.
• Spade was highlighted in volume 21 of theDetective Conanmanga's edition of "Gosho Aoyama's Mystery Library ", in the section (usually the last page) where the author introduces a different detective (or occasionally, a villain) from mystery literature, television, or other media.

External links

• Smith, Kevin Burton (2018-11-18)."Sam Spade".The Thrilling Detective Web Site.Retrieved2023-02-11.
• "Dashiell Hammett Tour".Up and Down These Mean Streets.2011-01-09.Retrieved2023-02-11.