The Saint in Palm Springs

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.

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.

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.

After now seeing all five films, 'The Saint Strikes Back' was a decent film though had somewhat of a finding-its-feet feel, 'The Saint in London' while not perfect was an improvement, 'The Saint Takes Over' was the best of the series and 'The Saint's Double Trouble' the weakest.

'The Saint in Palm Springs' is bang in the middle when ranking all five films. Like all the films, it's not great, but like 'Takes Over' and 'London' it's good ('Strikes Back', as said, was decent, while 'Double Trouble' was disappointingly average). The pros do outweigh the cons, but 'The Saint in Palm Springs' does suffer from a lack of suspense ('Takes Over' is the darkest of the five, despite the high body count here, and adheres closest to the tougher edge when Louis Hayward was in the role).

As well as an ending that is far too confused and comes far too suddenly with little build up. The screen projection agreed is obvious at times.

On the other hand, the sets are atmospheric and the photography doesn't look hasty or low-budget. Scripting is smart and with the right balance of fun and mystery, while the music is jaunty but also atmospheric. The direction is suitably brisk, as well as a story, that although lacking in suspense, is paced in a lively way and diverting, never dull at least.

George Sanders himself, as said with my previous reviews of his Saint outings, is super-suave, sophisticated and wonderfully caddish, while also giving a charming and humorous edge and delivering some cutting lines with aplomb. Jonathan Hale is fine support, while Wendy Barrie gives one of her better performances of her three appearances in the Saint films. Paul Guilfoyle comes very close to stealing the film in an amusing performance, and Linda Hayes is charming.

In conclusion, good fun and bang in the middle of the five Saint film starring Sanders. 7/10 Bethany Cox

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.