THE FALCON STRIKES BACK
Dir. Edward Dmytryk
66 Minutes
1943
USA Starring: Tom Conway, Harriet Nelson, Jane Randolph, Edgar Kennedy, Cliff Edwards, Rita Corday
First of nine Tom Conway solo films in the Falcon series (taking over from George Sanders, killed in the previous installment). The mystery involves Tom Lawrence (The Falcon) being set-up for a robbery of war bonds, with himself, his reporter love interest (Jane Randolph, a carry over from the last film), and trusty sidekick Goldie Locke (here played by Cliff Edwards). The script is fairly snappy and moves along at a solid clip for a little over an hour. Conway as the lead is serviceable, though a little stiff and lacking Sanders' obvious charisma (but there is a reason why Sanders escaped the trappings of series work and went on to better things). But the supporting players give a little life to the proceedings, as does director Edward Dmytryk who offers some nice visual moments, in particular a scene around a swimming pool that is quiet and unsettling with a surprisingly violent conclusion (also some great puppets, including a Goofy cameo!) It stands to elevate such standard fare into something a bit more engaging, though this is a genre effort through and through.
Short, lean mystery B-picture that passes the time nicely, though not much to see beyond that.
THE FALCON IN DANGER
Dir. William Clemens
69 Minutes
1943
USA
Starring: Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Elaine Shepard, Amelita Ward, Cliff Clark, Edward Gargan, Clarence Kolb
Second of nine Tom Conway-led Falcon films.
Begins with an intriguing set-up for its mystery with the crash landing of a plane that has nobody onboard ("maybe it was gremlins!" quickly dismissed as an early theory). When Falcon Tom Lawrence is found he is engaged to Texan Bonnie Caldwell (played by Amelita Ward, taking over for Jane Randolph whose character, apparently, grew tired of Lawrence's shenanigans). Bonnie begs him not to take the case, insisting that he is finished with that life, though Lawrence is lured by the mystery and the appearance of Nancy Palmer who asks him to locate her missing father, also on the plane but not with the passengers when they are found near a rest stop.
While the opening has some interest, the film very quickly falls into standard serialized mystery fare with its beautiful women, herrings, and side characters performed by reliable character players. Director William Clemens (taking over for the more ambitious Edward Dmytryk, though Clemens has some moments in the more interesting proceeding installment) does not particularly give much life to the serviceable script, aside from the opening sequence and a somewhat creepy introduction to an antique shop (which quickly runs out of steam). The mystery is solved, the killer caught (though the motive feels a little murky, as they somewhat often do), and The Falcon is titillated by the promise of another mystery (and another woman), neither of which are seen when The Falcon returns.
THE FALCON AND THE CO-EDS
Dir. William Clemens
67 Minutes
USA
1943
Starring Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Rita Corday, Amelia Ward, Isabel Jewell, George Givot, Cliff Clark, Edward Gargan
Third of nine Tom Conway-led Falcon films.
Fascinating entry in the Falcon series that meshes standard serialized B-detective fare with a creepy possibly supernatural turn. Upon the call of student Jane Harris (Amelita Ward, playing a different character after the fiancee in the previous The Falcon in Danger), Falcon Tom Lawrence travels to the Bluecliff Seminary for Girls to investigate the apparent suicide of Professor Jamison. Jane's suspicions come from the fact that the death was predicted by her roommate Marguerita Serena (Rita Corday) who may possibly be psychic. Naturally there are motives all over the joint: psychology teacher Anatole Graelich who reveals his desperation for American immigration (the second film after The Falcon Strikes Back that has some undercurrent about immigrants and the immigration process), drama teacher Vicky Gaines (played by Jean Brooks, joining Ward as a returning-player-but-different-character), and music teacher Mary Phoebus (Isabel Jewell). Naturally, Lawrence is working with/avoiding some detectives also on the case.
All of this business is serviceably entertaining (and absolutely more engaging than the bland previous effort). But the real appeal to The Falcon and the Co-Eds (and what makes it stand out from the other films in the series, even if it is not entertaining successful) is the Marguerita character, troubled and haunted by the possibility of having second sight. And William Clemens actually explores the supernatural side of this premise, though these sequences do not always work against the light and carefree nature of the series' trademark. The Val Lewton-vibes are apparent, and it is no surprise that the story and screenplay come from Ardel Wray, who wrote some brilliant Lewton produced or directed works like I Walked With A Zombie, Cat People, and Isle of the Dead. One almost wishes that RKO would have put Lewton (or even herself) behind the camera to give some more direction to its tone. While the film ends strong by leaning into terror for the climax, most of the hour is a struggle with these two styles almost at odds with each other. But this is a real interesting effort that gives some surprising life to what could have been a fairly routine outing (especially with such a title!)
THE FALCON OUT WEST
Dir. William Clemens
64 Minutes
USA
1944
Starring: Tom Conway, Carole Gallagher, Barbara Hale, Joan Barclay, Cliff Clark, Edward Gargan, Minor Watson
Fourth of nine Tom Conway-led Falcon films.
Dry, dull, and tiring quickie installment in the series that finds Tom Lawrence investigating the death of wealthy Tex Irwin, who is killed by a rattlesnake bite while in a fancy night club. Lawrence encounters the usual tropes, with the only difference being the western setting to keep the atmosphere novel (which appears to be the motive behind attempts of longevity for the series). But unlike the previous film The Falcon and the Co-Eds which gives a Lewton-air of the supernatural, director William Clemens does nothing with the western landscape, leaning more into a comedic tone with some awful jokes, such as a repeated gag where an Indian responds to a solumn "How?" with a genuine response, or Edward Gargan as a bumbling police officer. The whole thing mainly stumbles along for barely an hour, and the reveal is as unexciting and tepid as the rest of it. An entry that feels like its only existence for being was to get a new Falcon mystery released as soon as possible.
THE FALCON IN MEXICO
Dir. William Berke
70 Minutes
USA
1944
Starring: Tom Conway, Mona Maris, Martha Vickers, Nestor Paiva, Mary Currier, Cecilia Callejo, Emory Parnell, Joseph Vitale
Fifth of nine Tom Conway-led Falcon films.
Serviceable, though entertaining enough, entry in the Falcon series, beginning with Falcon Tom Lawrence being wrongfully accused of a crime and finding himself in Mexico trying to figure out how an artist dead for fifteen years could be producing new works. Much like the previous entries The Falcon and the Co-Eds and The Falcon Out West, the push for longevity in the series comes more from applying the tried and true mystery formula across different places and/or genres, and the Mexico setting is meant to juice up the affair. It does not entirely work, though it does allow for a revolving door of entertaining supporting characters (the highlight here being Nestor Paiva's cab driver who promises the best of Mexico with him at the wheel). Oddly enough this is the longest installment to date at 70 minutes, but moves along at a nice clip under the new direction of William Berke (who seems like a reliable director B-pictures across the studios with over 90 credits!). All in all, a modestly enjoyable feature that marks the midpoint of Conway's Falcon tenure, though not much to see otherwise.
THE FALCON IN HOLLYWOOD
Dir. Gordon Douglas
67 Minutes
USA 1944
Starring: Tom Conway, Barbara Hale, Veda Ann Borg, John Abbott, Sheldon Leonard, Emory Parnell, Frank Jenks
Sixth of nine Tom Conway-led Falcon films.
Enjoyable entry in the Falcon series made interesting because of its setting: a Hollywood backlot! The RKO backlot to be precise, allowing for Falcon Tom Lawrence to solve a mystery in a novel setting and for RKO to get the film out fast. Director Gordon Douglas (of Them! fame) keeps things moving at a nice clip as the vacationing Lawrence gets wrapped up a murder case on a sound stage. Side players include the usual not-so-helpful detectives working the case, costume designer Roxanna (played by reliable Falcon player Jean Brooks), exhausted and Shakespeare quoting Martin Dwyer (played with some fun by the nicely dramatic John Abbott), and sassy and wisecracking taxicab driver Billie Atkins (a very fun Veda Ann Borg, functioning as the sidekick of sorts for the adventure).
Audiences for these B-mystery films do not ask for much, and The Falcon in Hollywood delivers serviceable entertainment in spades, with the primary appeal coming from Lawrence confusing actual foulplay with filmmaking: not an actual brawl, but a scene. . . not a corpse, but a prop, etc. Herrings abound, motives present themselves, and characters reveal conflict with others, with the best of luck attempting to string together the logic of the narrative. But it does not particularly matter because what the audience will remember is the conclusion, and there is a nice, and "movie-logical" conclusion here in the final reveal. Interestingly, the film does not end with an embrace into the next, inevitable case, but Conway would be back for three more films. A breezy installment and certainly one of the more memorable in the series.
THE FALCON IN SAN FRANCISCO
Dir. Joseph H. Lewis
66 Minutes
USA
1945
Starring: Tom Conway, Rita Corday, Edward Brophy, Sharyn Moffett, Fay Helm, Robert Armstrong, Carl Kent
Seventh of nine Tom Conway-led Falcon films.
Overly confusing Falcon entry that is certainly not without its pleasures along the way to its improbable conclusion. Once again, the vacationing Falcon Tom Lawrence stumbles upon a corpse, this time belonging to the nurse of little girl Annie who comes running up to Lawrence and his pal Goldie Locke (not seen since The Falcon Strikes Back, and played by a different actor) looking for her missing dog. She takes an instant liking to Lawrence and has nothing nice to say about the future cadaver taking care of her. Against Goldie's wishes, Lawrence investigates. A bizarre comedic subplot has Goldie looking for a wife in order to lower his annual income tax.
While these little hour-long mystery films can sometimes become bogged down in twists that make it nearly impossible to recap (though the need to do such a thing is questionable to begin with), The Falcon in San Franciscoeven seems lost in its own plot lines. The best scenes come from Conway working with little Sharyn Moffett, and it is somewhat nice seeing him explore a new type of dynamic. Location importance appears to be in title only, with San Francisco not playing much of an intriguing space for the action. Though director Joseph H. Lewis shows some promise that would be satisfied with films like My Name Is Julia Ross and Gun Crazy, with some longer takes and nice compositions (for example, a shot-reverse-shot canted angle sequence when Lawrence has his first conversation with Rita Corday) giving the film a little bit more of a visual flair not seen since the first solo Conway appearance.
THE FALCON’S ALIBI
Dir. Ray McCarey
61 Minutes
USA
1946
Starring: Tom Conway, Rita Corday, Vince Barnett, Jane Greer, Elisha Cook Jr., Emory Parnell, Al Bridge
Eighth of nine Tom Conway-led Falcon films.
The penultimate installment in this phase of the series finds the production with a much lower budget, but The Falcon’s Alibi remains an entertaining curiosity because of two members of its supporting cast: Jane Greer and Elisha Cook Jr. Narrative hits familiar beats: Falcon Tom Lawrence is hired by Joan Meredith (series regular Rita Corday) to find missing jewels she fears will be blamed on her. Naturally a body shows up. The film is pleasantly straightforward, moving along at a quick and steady pace without being bogged down in convolution like some of the weakest entries. Greer already has that magnetism, and her musical number introduction is quite delightful. And Cook Jr. has that nice balance of innocence and menace of some of his best character work (was reminded heavily of his performance in I Wake Up Screaming). The film is worth seeing alone for the climax, which sets aside unlikely scenarios for a simple motive, nice acting, and a memorable finish.
THE FALCON’S ADVENTURE
Dir. William Berke,
61 Minutes
USA 1946
Starring: Tom Conway, Madge Meredith, Edward Brophy, Robert Warwick, Myrna Dell, Steve Brodie, Ian Wolfe
The last of nine Tom Conway-led Falcon films.
Tom Lawrence's Falcon exits stage left with a pretty tepid outing. The film starts with Lawrence and sidekick Goldie Locke about to go fishing until a pretty girl (Madge Meredith) in a bad situation wraps him up in a mystery. Director William Berke (in his second Falcon film after The Falcon in Mexico) delivers nothing but service work, and the piece fulfills its destiny as a B-programmer. Not dull, but basically without anything of note to elevate it beyond the most simple entries in the series. RKO would ditch the FALCON series, but the character would return for three more films starring John Calvert (as a different character) two years later.
July 9th, 2020
Part of a long-running B-programming series project.