dougdoepke That old smoothie George Sanders is about the only reason to catch this otherwise disappointing edition of the Saint. The rare stamp premise is promising, but the screenplay proves choppy and lacking in suspense. It's not at all clear that this is supposed to be a whodunit. But, if it is, then the suspects remain regrettably under-developed. Thus, what revelation comes at the end is rather confusing and not much of a disclosure. It's as if the script decided to change direction halfway through-- perhaps, political events in Europe were again heating up. After all, the year is 1940, and the movie business is well known for chasing international developments. Anyway, the pick-pocketing montage with Pearly Gates is amusingly done, showing that actor Guilfoyle could do comedy as well as sinister eccentrics. Also, there's one eye-catching set, a well-designed resort courtyard that's nicely utilized. Otherwise, the staging and set design are lackluster at best. In fact, the big-Joshua-tree exterior at the climax, along with the several process shots, almost screams "phony". I'm not trying to nit- pick, just to point out that this entry lacks care in both the story department and the technical end. I suspect Sanders recognized this during the shoot and thus added to his decision to leave the series.

blanche-2 The Saint is in charge of $200,000 worth of stamps in "The Saint in Palm Springs," a 1941 entry into the series starring George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, Paul Guilfoyle and Jonathan Hale. Simon needs to deliver the stamps, a young woman's inheritance, safely to Palm Springs and into her hands. The formula in this one is similar to the one used in "The Saint Takes Over," though it's not quite as effective: valuables in a safe, the hand holding a gun coming through the window and murder - in this case, three of them.Sanders is wonderful as usual and in this film, he wears some casual clothes and looks terrific, so tall and broad-shouldered. Paul Guilfoyle is funny as Pearly Gates, trying to keep his nose clean while on probation. Wendy Barrie again is the female interest and again playing a woman with an aura of sadness around her."The Saint in Palm Springs" is perhaps most notable for some of the worst-looking process shots on record - the obvious filmed background while the actors are in front of it riding bikes or horses. If you think the walking scene in "All About Eve" is obvious, catch these.Mildly entertaining.

tedg Spoilers herein.There are a few things I really enjoy in thinking about film. One is comparing remakes and sequels to their originals. Its odd how some work and some don't. And those that work often work for completely different reasons. The Alien series are four films as different from each other as any are from this.Another joy is comparing projects that fail that have almost the same recipe as those that succeed, or are thought to succeed. This movie features William Powell in pretty much the same character he had in several projects at about the same time. Many, like this one, had A-list actresses. The writing isn't particularly different from one project to the next.It seems almost that 'The Thin Man' was accidentally good. And this, accidentally bad.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Albert Ohayon 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.