The Saint in Palm Springs

Two cops attempt to arrest the Saint as he comes ashore from the SS Monrovia. He's wanted in connection with a murder case, they explain—Inspector Fernack sent them. The Saint nods agreeably…then adroitly handcuffs them to each other and runs off—straight to Fernack's office, where (as he suspected) his old friend Fernack just wanted his help.

George Sanders and Jonathan Hale appear once again as Simon Templar and Inspector Fernack in this fast moving and frequently amusing mystery. Fernack requests the Saint's assistance delivering some postage stamps to Palm Springs, three rare stamps worth $200,000. Sensing reluctance, Fernack offers encouragement: "Of course, it would be dangerous…."

Wendy Barrie returns for her third Saint movie, playing a third unique role. This time around she is Elna Johnson, intended recipient of the rare stamps—a family fortune converted into stamps for easier transport out of wartime Europe. Needless to say, a gang is also after the stamps, led by a charming female (Linda Hayes) who meets Templar on the train ride west and is tracking him long before he catches on to her.

Paul Guilfoyle also returns from the previous series entry as Clarence "Pearly" Gates. When last seen, Pearly was a reforming pickpocket assisting the Saint; out here in Palm Springs, his probation officer has signed him up as a house detective at a ritzy resort. (Sure it makes sense.)

The plot is nothing too surprising, but the veteran cast and a lively script add up to an enjoyable hour. Sanders, Barrie and Guilfoyle certainly look awfully familiar together.

A very solid if unspectacular production all the way around.

Saint in Palm Springs, The (1941)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

The sixth film in RKO's series has George Sanders returning in the role of The Saint but this here would turn out to be his last in the series as he was replaced for the next two films. This time out The Saint takes a vacation to Palm Springs where he gets involved with a strange motel where some expensive stamps have been stolen from a safe. Out of the five Saint films Sanders appeared in I'd say this one here is the best but it still can't reach the height of the first film in the series. This film here runs 66-minutes and is well paced throughout and it also contains a pretty good story for us to follow. The biggest problem with the screenplay is that the ending really comes out of no where and the bad guy is picked out without too much thrill. Sanders never thought too much of this series or The Falcon series but I think he was actually pretty good here. It seems he has a lot more energy in the role but I guess this could have been due to him knowing this was his last one. Wendy Barrie is nice in her supporting role but it's Paul Guilfoyle who steals the film as the sidekick who's on probation and worried about going to prison.

There isn't much to the story in this entry to George Sander's The Saint series for RKO. The sinister forces bumping off some one every fifteen minutes to steal three rare stamps are kept well informed by Sanders' teling everyone what is going on; beautiful women saunter by continually; and Paul Guilfoyle provides comic relief with a look of baffled despair and a variety of hats. Wendy Barrie is the woman at risk for the third time in the series.

In sum, it's a lousy movie. Why do I rate it above average? George Sanders of course, amiably ambling through the featherweight plot. His lines are nothing much, but he delivers them with such indifference that I can't help be charmed.

If you want to see a bad process shot, take a look at the shots in which Sanders and Guilfoyle are bicycling through the desert.

George Sanders again plays "The Saint" Simon Templar, in the murder mystery series, helping to solve some crime, while whistling and trying to avoid jail time himself. (Roger Moore would play the title character in the very successful TV Series in the 1960s). Sanders, with his quick, proper British accent, is probably best known for his roles in "All About Eve", or "Rebecca". Good story, but WHY do they keep taking the valuables that everyone is after out of the hotel safe ?? It gets a little confusing later in the story on who actually has the coveted valuables, but maybe that's part of the mystery. Also some competition over Templar on the parts of Elna Johnson (Wendy Barrie) and Margaret Forbes (Linda Hayes). It would be interesting to know if ANY of it were filmed in the Palm Springs area, as there is liberal use of stills and backdrops. Pretty good story, some clever scriptwriting, but the ending is a little silly. --- note that many of the actors in the background were also used in "The Falcon" films, another Sanders mystery murder series from RKO.

The sixth RKO Saint film is the last for star George Sanders before he moved over to the similar Falcon series. The plot this time involves rare stamps. So wake the kids. As a favor for Inspector Fernack, the Saint agrees to help watch over an old friend who's in possession of some rare postage stamps. Because "competent bodyguard" isn't among his many skills, the Saint fails to prevent the guy being killed. So he sets out to deliver the stamps to the dead guy's daughter in Palm Springs and hopefully catch the killer as well.

Sanders' final Saint film is a good one, filled with action and humor. There's a rear projection biking scene that's worth a chuckle and the climax of the film involves a fake eyebrow, of all things. Also making their final appearances in the series are Jonathan Hale as Inspector Fernak and Wendy Barrie as the Saint's love interest, her third role in as many films. Paul Guilfoyle returns as Pearly Gates and provides most of the movie's laughs. After this, RKO launched their own series The Falcon, also starring George Sanders. The Falcon is a pretty obvious ripoff of the Saint (minus the calling cards and whistling) made because RKO was tired of dealing with Saint creator Leslie Charteris. I have to admit I enjoy the Falcon movies more than the Saint ones, outside of the first couple.