to get his gun and kill Canino. They drive back together and Marlowe calls Mars from Geiger's house, pretending to be still in Realito. Mars arrives with four men, who set up an ambush outside. When Mars enters, surprised to see Marlowe, Marlowe says Mars has been blackmailing Vivian, as Carmen had killed Regan; Mars claims she did this in a mental haze, though Marlowe doubts Mars' credibility. He then forces Mars outside, where he is shot by his own men. Marlowe calls the police, telling them that Mars killed Regan, which may be the truth. He also convinces Vivian that her sister needs psychiatric care, and Vivian says to Marlowe of her own problems that there's "Nothing you can't fix." Cast Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe Lauren Bacall as Vivian Sternwood Rutledge John Ridgely as Eddie Mars Martha Vickers as Carmen Sternwood Sonia Darrin as Agnes Lowzier (uncredited) Dorothy Malone as Acme Bookstore proprietress Regis Toomey as Chief Inspector Bernie Ohls Peggy Knudsen as Mona Mars Charles Waldron as General Sternwood Charles D. Brown as Norris, Sternwood's butler Bob Steele as Lash Canino Elisha Cook, Jr. as Harry Jones Louis Jean Heydt as Joe Brody Trevor Bardette as Art Huck, gas station owner (uncredited) Tommy Rafferty as Carol Lundgren (uncredited) Ben Welden as Pete, Mars' henchman (uncredited) Tom Fadden as Sidney, Mars' henchman (uncredited) Theodore von Eltz as A.G. Geiger (uncredited) Production Writing The Big Sleep is known for its convoluted plot. Similar to To Have and Have Not, there was no finalized script during filming due to the constant changes during production. The composition of the screenplay involved Hawks and three writers. Leigh Brackett and William Faulkner wrote alternating sections of the initial draft before exiting once they turned in their final draft. Jules Furthman and Hawks rewrote during production to help appease censorship from the Hays Office, which was vehement about excluding sexual themes. In the novel, Geiger is selling pornography – then illegal and often associated with organized crime – and is a homosexual having a relationship with Lundgren. Carmen is described as being nude in Geiger's house and later nude and in Marlowe's bed. The sexual orientation of Geiger and Lundgren goes unmentioned in the film because explicit references to homosexuality were prohibited. Carmen's sexuality from the novel also became more thinly veiled. To pass the censorship Carmen had to be fully dressed and the