Satan Met a Lady is a 1936 Warner Bros. film loosely based on the novel The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett and starring Bette Davis (who reportedly considered it one of the worst films of her career) and Warren William. Adapted for the screen by Brown Holmes (the co-writer of the 1931 version of The Maltese Falcon), it was directed by William Dieterle.

In 1936, Warner Brothers had attempted to re-release the 1931 version of The Maltese Falcon, but was denied approval by the Production Code Office due to the film's "lewd" content. They therefore made this light comedy in order to capitalize on the popularity of the earlier film. In this version the character names have all been changed (although their function and relationships for the most part are the same) and the macguffin is an 8th century ram's horn full of jewels rather than a statuette of a falcon.

The film has been shown under various alternative titles, including Hard Luck Dame, Men on Her Mind and The Man In (or With) the Black Hat. The film began production on December 1, 1935, and was originally released on July 22, 1936.

Sardonic detective Shane, thrown out of one town for bringing trouble, heads for home and his ex-partner's detective agency. The business is in a sad way, and Shane, who has had the forethought to provide himself with a 250-dollar commission from an old lady on the train, is welcomed with open arms. When pretty Valerie Purvis walks in the next day willing to pay over the odds to put a tail on the man who did her wrong, Shane's way with the ladies looks like paying off yet again. But things start to go wrong when his partner is murdered, and Shane himself comes home to find his apartment wrecked by a gentlemanly crook who comes back to apologise -- and to tell him a fascinating fairy-story about the fabled Horn of Roland that looks like not being so mythical after all. Miss Purvis wants protection. The police want answers. And all sorts of people want the 'French horn'... but Shane is one jump ahead of everyone all the way. Well, almost. Written by Igenlode Wordsmith

Watch carefully and you'll realize that this is, in fact, a movie based on the novel "The Maltese Falcon". John Huston's more famous version (starring Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade) stays close to the original story, where this re-telling changes names and objects (e.g., the Falcon is ... not a falcon). Still, this lighter version is entertaining, with its slightly comedic overtones and fun performances by Warren Williams and Bette Davis. Written by Doug Elliott