FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2024-187

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (October 3, 2024) – In this edition of Fun with Maps we celebrate the release of a classic film – not really about a bird at all.  

THE, UH, STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF

The classic noir film, The Maltese Falcon, was released on October 3, 1941.

Here are some fun facts about the film:

Eight falcon statues were made for the film, 2 made of lead and 6 plaster ones.  If the facts can be believed, the two lead ones are in the Warner Brothers studio museum and in the possession of Las Vegas hotel owner, Steve Wynn.  Valued at over $1 million each, they are worth more than three times what it cost to make the movie.

The Maltese Falcon had already been used as a movie title in 1931, so the suggested but eventually rejected title from the film was “The Gent from Frisco.”

Much of the film was shot over Humphrey Bogart’s shoulder to give the viewer the impression of being in the action.  Given six weeks by the studio for the project, John Huston managed to finish filming in just three weeks.

Here is British Admiralty Chart of Malta and Gozo from 1868.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.