The Saint in Palm Springs

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.

This film or possibly the Leslie Charteris book from which the Saint is derived might very well have been the inspiration over 20 years later for the film Charade. If you remember the Hitchcockian McGuffin in that film were rare postage stamps.

In what would turn out to be George Sanders last appearance as Simon Templar, the Saint is asked by his good friend Inspector Fernack played in the series by Jonathan Hale to guard an old friend on his way west with a fortune that was smuggled out of occupied Europe. And like the fortune in Charade it is contained in three priceless postage stamps.

Sanders proves too late to save Hale's friend, but the stamps are saved and he couriers them to Palm Springs to give to Wendy Barrie who is the daughter of the late friend. Of course news of this kind of loot gets out and all kinds of people are trying for them.

It must have been deja vu all over again for Sanders. In addition to Hale, two members of the cast of the previous Saint film, The Saint Takes Over return. Wendy Barrie died in the last film, but apparently the movie-going public liked her and Sanders together. So she came back as the damsel in distress whom the Saint must aid.

And Paul Guilfoyle repeats his same role as the luckless crook who is determined to go straight in this film. As in the last he's on Simon Templar's side, but his help is somewhat dubious.

The Saint In Palm Springs is a nice entry in the Saint series and a good one for Sanders to go out on.

George Sanders has often been quoted as calling the Saint and Falcon films the "nadir" of his career. Looking at "The Saint's Double Trouble" it is easy to see why he felt that way (badly scripted, poor supporting cast, etc, etc) but his four other Saint entries, at least, are well up to scratch. If this one is a little slack in the chase and gun play departments, never mind. It is an old-fashioned "whodunnit" and Sanders and Paul Guilfoyle (as Pearly Gates, a series regular) seem to enjoy themselves in this tale of missing stamps (worth a fortune) and suspicious characters at a luxury Palm Springs hotel. The plot may bear absolutely no resemblance to Leslie Charteris's short story, but never mind; it is a pleasant little cocktail with which to waste an hour or so. By the way, you're guaranteed not to guess whodunnit, although the chief suspects are shown quite often. No one except Sanders would think of this amiable film as a career low-point; it's a pity he didn't make a few more like this as his career went on.

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 is really the reason you should watch this film. He is always cool, suave and sophisticated. Rarely caught by surprise. Of the five Saint films he made, this is second best(after The Saint in London). This one has sunny Palm Springs and a decent mystery. Wendy Barrie(once again) is also ok. The identity of the killers is a bit of a surprise, especially the head of the gang, but this does not take away from the fun of the film. Some of the back screen projection(in the desert scenes) is dreadful but there are enough location shots to compensate. Overall fun with a good performance by Sanders. I give it 7 stamps out of 10.