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The Saint in Palm Springs
The Saint in Palm Springs
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jack Hively
Screenplay by	Jerry Cady
Story by	Leslie Charteris
Produced by	Howard Benedict
Starring	George Sanders; Wendy Barrie; Jonathan Hale
Cinematography	Harry J. Wild
Edited by	George Hively
Music by	Roy Webb
Production; company	RKO Radio Pictures
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release date	January 24, 1941;
Running time	66 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Saint in Palm Springs is a 1941 American mystery crime film directed by Jack Hively and starring George Sanders, Wendy Barrie and Jonathan Hale.^[1] It was produced and released by Hollywood studio RKO Pictures. The film continued the screen adventures of the Robin Hood-inspired anti-hero, Simon Templar, alias "The Saint", created by Leslie Charteris. 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. 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. Paul Guilfoyle reprises the role of Clarence "Pearly" Gates from the previous film. The director, Jack Hively, was the son of the film's editor, George Hively. The storyline involves The Saint pursuing rare stamps at a Palm Springs, California hotel.^[2]

Plot

Simon Templar is asked by his friend, Inspector Farnack, to protect Peter Johnson, a man trying to transport three stamps, valued at $200,000, from New York City to his niece Elna, a tennis pro for a hotel in Palm Springs, California. Templar interrupts an attempted robbery, but is too late to save Johnson's life. He does strike the unseen assailant in the face with his ring, which bears his distinctive Saint sign.

On the train west, Templar introduces himself to the attractive Margaret Forbes, who will be staying at the same Palm Springs hotel. There the stamps are stolen from Templar, which does not endear him to Elna Johnson. Templar's friend, reformed pickpocket Clarence "Pearly" Gates, is employed by the hotel to provide security, so Templar persuades him to steal the belongings from every other hotel guest in an effort to identify the thief. The stamps are found in a pillbox, but Gates cannot remember who it belongs to. An attempt to trap the thief by allowing the guests robbed to reclaim their property fails and ends in the murder of a policeman, but Templar avoids losing the stamps again and returns them to Elna.

Templar sets a trap for the thief. Johnson is held up at gunpoint by Forbes, who turns out to be an agent for the country from which the stamps were smuggled. Forbes is killed by a rival thief while making her getaway, but the stamps are safe. Simon sets another trap at Joshua Tree National Park, where another hotel guest is revealed to be the mastermind of the other crooks. Templar tricks him into confessing to the murders of Peter Johnson, the policeman and Margaret Forbes in the presence of the Police Commissioner and his men, and the whole gang is arrested. The mark from Templar's ring on his face is additional proof of the murderers guilt.

Elna Johnson shows her romantic interest in Templar, but he tells her that, while he is tempted, he prefers to play singles, rather than doubles.

Cast

George Sanders as Simon Templar
Wendy Barrie as Elna Johnson
Jonathan Hale as Inspector Farnack
Paul Guilfoyle as "Pearly" Gates
Linda Hayes as Margaret Forbes
Harry Shannon as Chief Graves
Ferris Taylor as Evans
Eddie Dunn as Detective Barker
Frank O'Connor as Detective Brady
Charles Quigley as Mr. Fletcher
Henry Roquemore as Thomas Flannery
George Lynn as Jimmy
Edmund Elton as Peter Johnson
Vinton Hayworth as Charlie, Desk Clerk
Arthur Loft as Detective Grady
Richard Crane as Whitey
Brooks Benedict as Hotel Guest
Mary MacLaren as Hotel Maid

Reception

The film made a profit of $90,000.^[3]

References

^ Backer p.6
^ The Saint in Palm Springs at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
^ Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, The RKO Story. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p. 156

Bibliography

Backer, Ron. Mystery Movie Series of 1940s Hollywood. McFarland, 2010.
Fetrow, Alan G. Feature Films, 1940-1949: a United States Filmography. McFarland, 1994.