The Saint in Palm Springs

The Saint in Palm Springs is a crime melodrama released by RKO Pictures in early 1941. The film continued the screen adventures of the Robin Hood-inspired anti-hero, Simon Templar, alias "The Saint", created by Leslie Charteris.

The Saint in Palm Springs
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJack Hively
Produced byHoward Benedict
Screenplay byJerry Cady
Story byLeslie Charteris
StarringGeorge Sanders
Wendy Barrie
Jonathan Hale
Music byRoy Webb
CinematographyHarry J. Wild
Edited byGeorge Hively
Distributed byRKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • January 24, 1941 (1941-01-24)
Running time
66 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

This sequel was based upon a story by Charteris; however, many changes to his concept were made. Charteris later novelised his version of the film story as the novella "Palm Springs", contained within the 1942 collection The Saint Goes West. This was the sixth of eight in RKO's film series about The Saint.

The central cast was identical to the previous entry, The Saint Takes Over. George Sanders returned as Templar (his final performance in the role), with Jonathan Hale making his own final appearance as Inspector Farnack. (The character would next be seen in The Saint in Manhattan, a 1980s television pilot.) Wendy Barrie makes her third and final appearance, once again playing a different character, as does Paul Guilfoyle, reprising the role of Clarence "Pearly" Gates from the previous film.

The storyline involves The Saint pursuing rare stamps at a Palm Springs, California hotel.[1]

Plot

Simon Templar is asked by his friend, Inspector Farnack, to protect Peter Johnson, a man trying to transport a cache of rare stamps from New York City to his niece Elna, a tennis pro for a hotel in Palm Springs, California. In an attempted robbery, Simon strikes an unseen assailant in the face with his "Saint" ring.

On the train west, Simon is introduced to Margaret Forbes, who will be a guest at the Palm Springs hotel. There the stamps are stolen from Templar, so Simon employs his pal, pickpocket "Pearly" Gates, to steal belongings from every other hotel guest. The stamps are found in a pillbox, but Pearly doesn't know who he took it from.

Simon sets a trap for the thief at the hotel, where Elna is accosted at gunpoint by Margaret, who turns out to be a foreign agent. Simon sets another trap at Joshua Tree National Park, where another hotel guest is revealed to be the mastermind of the plot to steal the stamps. Templar tricks him into confessing the earlier murders, and the mark from Simon's ring on his face is additional proof of his guilt.

Cast

Reception

The film made a profit of $90,000.[2]

References
  1. The Saint in Palm Springs at the American Film Institute Catalog
  2. Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, The RKO Story. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p. 156
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