Â鶹Éç

"When one of your organisations gets killed, it's bad business to let the killer get away with it. It's bad all around - bad for that one organisation, bad for every detective everywhere".

1928, San Francisco: When his partner is murdered on an assignment, private detective Sam Spade suspects their client is holding back information about the case.

And then he learns about the priceless black statuette of a falcon...

Starring Tom Wilkinson and Jane Lapotaire.

Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 detective novel.

Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.

Sam Spade ....Tom Wilkinson
Brigid O'Shaughnessy .... Jane Lapotaire
Mr Gutman .... Peter Vaughan
Joel Cairo .... Nickolas Grace
Effie .... Mia Soteriou
Miles Archer .... William Hope
Iva .... Liza Ross
Wilmer .... Peter Acre
Tom Polhaus .... Norman Jones
Lt Dundy .... Harry Towb
DA Bryan .... Don Fellows
Newspaper Man …. Robin Summers
Taxi Driver …. Keith Edwards
Man with the Key …. Arnold Diamond

Director: Jane Morgan

First broadcast on Â鶹Éç Radio 4 in December 1984.