The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

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.

The premise here is very straightforward but faulty. Who would entrust as bodyguard a man ("The Saint") who appoints himself guardian of the valuable stamps but fails within minutes of being designated the caretaker, by allowing the owner to leave his sight and enter a room to retrieve the valuable stamps (worth $200,000) from a vault. What kind of bodyguard is that? Naturally, an open window nearby allows the wealthy man to be shot...or does this only happen in the movies? It allowed this viewer to stay one step ahead of the script.The Saint's mission is to get the stamps to the man's daughter (WENDY BARRIE) in Palm Springs. This he manages to do, but only after several confrontations with a devious woman who tries to set a trap for Barrie, and the bungling attempts of Pearly Gates (PAUL GUILFOYLE) to help The Saint accomplish his mission.WENDY BARRIE is pleasant as the female interest. The rear screen projection used for the horseback riding scenes in the desert is painfully obvious for the outdoor shots. Otherwise, production values are standard for a B-film of this sort but this is a bland entry in "The Saint" series with little novelty to make it worthwhile.

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.