The Falcon Strikes Back

Plot synopsis:
The famous detective is framed for murder by crooks running a war bonds racket.Tom Lawrence (Tom Conway) the debonair sleuth known as The Falcon is suffering from a hangover when a young lady Mia Bruger (Rita Corday) bursts into his bedroom begging for his help locating her missing brother. Tom agrees to accompany Mia to a cocktail bar her brother frequents - but when he enters he gets knocked out. Tom wakes in the backseat of his car, which is parked at the side of a country road. But when Tom drives back towards the city he is soon pulled over by a police officer on a motorcycle. The cop (Ralph Dunn) promptly arrests The Falcon for the murder of a bank official. Tom is turned over to Inspector Timothy Donovan (Cliff Clark), he interrogates The Falcon regarding the theft of a quarter of a million dollars in Government War Bonds and the murder of the bank official. He tells Tom that six people witnessed his car leaving the scene of the crime, but Tom tells him that he was with his fiancée - reporter Marcia Brooks (Jane Randolph). When questioned however, Marcia refutes Tom's story.Donovan agrees to go with Tom to the cocktail bar where he was knocked out, but when they enter they find that the 'bar' is now the headquarters of a knitting society. Donovan has now had enough of The Falcon's stories and arrests him, but Marcia and Tom's sidekick Goldie Locke (Cliff Edwards) have followed the Inspector to the bar and The Falcon is able to jump into her car and speed off. Tom sends Marcia to infiltrate the knitting circle back at the bar and she discovers that the leader of the group a Mrs Geraldine Lipton (Wynne Gibson) resides in a resort hotel out in the countryside. When she reports this information back to The Falcon, he and Goldie drive out there to investigate.The Falcon and Goldie frame the hotel detective for theft to get him fired and then quickly persuade the hotel manager Gwynne Gregory (Harriet Hilliard) to replace him with Goldie. Down by the swimming pool Tom spots Mia talking to Rickey Davis (Erford Gage) a criminal that The Falcon helped send to prison years ago. Rickey is posing as a nurse to an invalid, Bruno Steffen (Andre Charlot), who is staying at the hotel. When Tom tries to speak to Mia she pretends she doesn't know him and then dives into the pool to avoid him. As soon as Mia hits the water a shot rings out and Mia is killed. Tom immediately searches the hotel rooms that overlook the pool but the only person he finds is the puppeteer Smiley Dugan (Edgar Kennedy) performing his puppet show. Tom then enters the office of Gwynne, where he finds she is arguing with Rickey. Tom finds a spent cartridge on the rug and covertly takes Gwynne's cigarette case and slips it to Marcia - asking her to go and get it fingerprinted. Tom follows Gwynne when she goes on a cycle ride, but they are both nearly knocked down by a car which Tom discovers belongs to Steffen. This prompts him to break into Steffen's room in search of the missing bonds, but he is bizarrely interrupted by Smiley who begins to rant and rave about waste and extravagance.Smiley alerts Donovan to the The Falcon's presence at the hotel and the Inspector goes there to arrest Tom - only to discover that he cannot do so as it is outside his jurisdiction. Marcia returns with the results of the fingerprint test and reveals that the cigarette case belongs to a notorious thief known as "The Duchess". Tom hatches a plan and phones his houseboy Jerry (Richard Loo) and gets him to come to the hotel posing as the Chinese Trade Commissioner. In this guise Jerry learns from Steffen that he is going to buy some War Bonds from Gwynne. Tom confronts her about the cigarette case but she denies it is hers and just at that moment Mrs Lipton enters and claims the cigarette case is hers. Tom announces that Lipton is "The Duchess" and accuses her of stealing the bonds, but Donovan returns with a warrant for the arrest of The Falcon. He promptly arrests Tom, Marcia, Goldie and Jerry but once again The Falcon manages to give the police the slip and returns to the hotel.There he overhears Lipton and Rickey trying to blackmail Gwynne into selling the bonds to Steffen, Tom enters to stop them and Lipton confesses that it was Rickey who framed Tom in revenge for having put him behind bars. As Rickey enters the room to confront The Falcon a shot is fired and Rickey crashes to the floor dead, a terrified Gwynne confesses that she was married to Rickey and that he was blackmailing her. Mrs Lipton is afraid that she will be the killer's next target and goes to her room while Tom and Gwynne take the elevator down to the lobby. Suddenly the power to the elevator is cut trapping them. Tom begins to suspect that Smiley may be the killer as he is familiar with the operation of the hotel. After getting out of the lift he goes to find Smiley but discovers that his puppet show is automatic - providing the puppeteer with the perfect alibi. The Falcon rushes back to Mrs Lipton's room, where he finds Smiley accusing her of stealing all his savings. When Tom bursts in, Smiley flees and then plunges to his death from a rooftop. Donovan returns to the hotel and finally arrests the right person as he arrests Lipton for stealing the bonds. With the case solved Marcia and Tom are about to return to the city when suddenly a glamorous, foreign lady rushes into the lobby and begs Tom for help.

Tags: revenge, mystery, murder

Review:
This is the fifth Falcon film, the first with Tom Conway in the role, and the first with a major director, Ed Dmytryk.
An ingenious tracking shot of Conway walking along the edge of a swimming pool talking to a woman who is swimming was replicated in 1985, 42 years later, in 'The Sure Thing' directed by Rob Reiner.
The screenwriters of the previous film have been dumped because they did not provide enough humour, and this time humour is back, and plenty of it.
I taped the whole Falcon series from UK TV in 1988, I guess I must have seen every entry at least 10 times so far since and this is one of my favourites.
It's the usual inconsequential mix of comedy and crime, smart ass one-liners and murders, non-serious but jealous romances, and atmospherically photographed melodrama that can keep you pleasantly occupied for just over an hour, that is if you like the genre.Tom Lawrence (Tom Conway's first solo flight as the Falcon) while recovering from a hangover is disturbed by an exotic woman who's just come in through the bedroom window.
That is the ruse to ensnare and frame him in a USD 250,000 War Bond robbery, his efforts to clear himself from the chasing cops and get the real baddies is the plot.
The search takes him and Goldie via the Volunteer Knitters For America to a rather splendid (studio bound) Pinecrest Hotel, where it seems all of the guests are shifty about something and who deserve watching  even old RKO stock slapstick characters.
Favourite bits: the 5 second interchange between the hotel bellgirl, the Falcon checking in and the receptionist  an incredible lightness of touch!
Also Inspector Cliff Clark's terse command to give Mr. Wong a bong and bring him along  though it wouldn't win praise from the pc brigade today.Overall, a nice watch for fans of 40's b&w b features, one I hope to be spared to watch another 10 times  where's the Deluxe Complete Collection Edition DVD??.
An enjoyable entry in the b-movie series that has a consistent pace.
Tom Lawrence gets off to a good start on his own as he wakes up with a hangover but with a sexy Latino lady standing over his bed.
Mia Bruger is her name and she tells the Falcon of her concern for her missing brother.
When he is arrested for a bank robbery and a murder, Lawrence works put that he has been set up and goes on the lamb to solve the crime and why he was set up.In his first film on his own, Tom Conway opens with a typically suave turn in bed, hungover from his night on the town and waking with a beautiful woman in his room.
Much more enjoyable than the previous entry (Falcon's Brother) in this regard, the film is well written and well delivered.After a so-so start in the last film, Conway seems like he was made for the role and within a few seconds of the first scene he is into it and great fun.
Hilliard works well alongside him but, unusually for the series, there are quite a few strong female performances from Randolph, Gibson and Corday.
After Lefty in the last film we get Goldie returning but this time played by Edwards.
Better comic support value comes from the pairing of Clark and Gargan (straight man and stupid man respectively); the simple comic scenes involving them are not imaginative but they do provide a few laughs.Overall then a good entry in the series that is much more assured than The Falcon's Brother had been the year before.
Consistent and with a good pace the film benefits from solid characters and good performances to produce a typically enjoyable film in this famous b-movie series..
First in the series in which Tom Conway stars fully on his own as the Falcon.
Tom starts and ends this movie by being dragged into danger by a beautiful damsel in distress  Rita Corday starts her appearances in the series with this film.
Some good comic bits include two tramps telling Tom the time by an improvised sundial (and then commenting on how fortunate they are for their state of affairs compared to Tom).
The basic plot involves a war bond theft, a murder at a swimming pool, and Tom's relationship with Jane Randolph (who swoons to his kiss).
Cliff Edwards' only appearance as Goldie Locke (better portrayed in later films by Edward Brophy).
An early Harriet Hilliard as a resort manager will be more remembered in the Ozzie and Harriet TV series.
Good directing saves this entry into what is otherwise only a fair series..
Great Tom Conway Classic Film!.
Always enjoyed the Falcon series and especially the acting of Tom Conway who acted his part with great easy and especially since he was on his own in this second Falcon film.
In the first series, his brother in real life was George Sanders who played a role with Tom. This film is a typical B film, however, there were great veteran actresses like Harriet Hillard,(Gwynne Gregory), Jane Randolph(Marcia Brooks), and Richard Loo,(Jerry), "The Bamboo Prison",'54, who gave a great supporting role.
Richard Loo was famous for his vicious roles as a horrible Japanese Soldier in many WWII films.
TOM CONWAY, sounding amazingly like his brother George Sanders who originated the role of the Falcon, does a commendable job of mixing sleuthing with romance.Jane Randolph is good as the romantic interest, but Harriet Hilliard offers little evidence of either acting ability or future possibilities as a romantic lead.
She had a much brighter future on TV.The plot has something to do with war bonds but only serves to provide a modicum of interest until the murderer is finally revealed.
Edgar Kennedy has one of his more memorable roles here.A breezy entry in the series, very watchable.
Amusing to see Cliff Edwards (of "Pinocchio" fame) in a supporting role..
The Falcon series on DVD?.
After doing some internet searching it appears that the Falcon series has not been put on DVDs. Does anyone know if there is a reasonable chance that that will happen?
I'd sure buy a DVD set of the series if it were available.The three films we saw were The Falcon's Brother, The Falcon and the Co-Eds and The Falcon Strikes Back.
I read a comment that the earlier George Sanders films had a more film noir atmosphere, in which case we'd definitely like to see those.Thanks,.
One of the best of the Falcon series.
The Falcon films with George Sanders were mostly very enjoyable, with only 'The Falcon's Brother' being lacking.
Tom Conway's first solo outing in the title role is one of the better films in the Falcon series, and Conway is every bit as good as his brother.Faults are few.
One is Harriet Hilliard (or Harriet Nelson), who comes over as a stiff and one-note actress in a pretty limited role.
The other is Cliff Clark, who mugs in a buffoonish manner, makes one miss James Gleason who would have been a much better choice.Conway however is perfectly cast, bringing the very same qualities to the character that Sanders did and is very clearly enjoying himself.
Cliff Edwards is amusingly solid as Goldie (the character making a welcome return after being sorely missed in 'The Falcon's Brother'), a worthy replacement for the admittedly still superior Allen Jenkins.
Jane Randolph and Rita Corday are very charming support, and Edgar Kennedy proves in his splendidly malevolent performance that he is much more than a slapstick stooge.
Edward Gargan's material is much stronger here, and he's fun.Advantaging them all the way are the playful, crackling script, an absorbing story that balances humorous comedy with suspenseful mystery (if occasionally rushed, which is the fault of the short running time) and superior direction from Edward Dmytryk.
Production values-wise, 'The Falcon Strikes Back' is slick and atmospheric, and the music lively.On the whole, very entertaining film and one of the best of the series.
Falcon Strikes Back, The (1943) *** (out of 4) Edward Dmytryk directs this fifth film in the series, which has The Falcon (Tom Conway) trying to track down war bond thieves.
Up to this point in the series, this film here is clearly the best as it deals with a very interesting story and also features Conway in fine form.
The story of the war bonds being stolen adds a great interest and I'm sure it was even more fascinating back when the film was released.
The supporting cast is also in fine form with Cliff Edwards really coming into form as The Falcon's partner.
The film also manages to be quite funny with several neat little twists including a great gag on how The Falcon gets away from the police.
Not a great film, but very watchable and slightly better than average for the genre.
In this episode of the Falcon, Tom Lawrence is investigating a theft of war bonds and murder.
Considering it was made during WWII, it isn't surprising that they added the patriotic angle--something that happened in other similar films, such as some of the Sherlock Holmes and Charlie Chan movies.This is a pretty good Falcon movie that stars Tom Conway (real-life brother of George Sanders who had played the Falcon in several earlier films).
While not his best of the series (for example, I liked THE FALCON AND THE CO-EDS and THE FALCON'S BROTHER just a bit more), it was enjoyable and engaged me.
However, no matter how good this film was, I found myself comparing it to the earlier Sanders films again and again.
While there is a lot of similarity between the actors (both physically and in their melodious voices), the earlier films seemed to have a bit more energy and charm--probably because by now the series seemed a bit formulaic and predictable.
Still, for a B-detective series film from the era, it's slightly better than average and is definitely worth a watch.By the way, the Harriet Hilliard who plays one of the ladies that turns the Falcon's head is the same Harriet from "The Ozzie and Harriet Show".
While competent in the film, she didn't seem especially like the ladies the Falcon usually fell for or rescued..
Good 1940's lighthearted series adventure.
Jane Randolph makes her second and final appearance as a feisty reporter with a yen for the Falcon.
Rita Corday, also very attractive, makes the first of her five appearances in a Falcon film.
In common with all the 1930's and 1940's series movies of this type, the police are portrayed very broadly for comedy.
The period costumes are good, especially on the ladies, and there are a couple of great old cars shown--the Falcon drives a stunning white convertible!
Not as crystal clear as on the Fox Chan films, or the Universal Holmes ones, but still pretty good.
There are some good exterior sets, especially at the country hotel.
The new Falcon tries to help a woman find her brother and winds up investigating murder and theft of war bonds.
Tom Conway eases into the lead role in this series effortlessly.
His style is very similar to his brother George, which helps.
The character of Goldie Locke returns but with Cliff Edwards playing the role.
Cliff Clark and Edward Gargan return as Inspector Donovan and his sidekick Bates.
Jane Randolph makes her second and final appearance in the series as the Falcon's lady reporter love interest.
In addition to Randolph, the lovelies this time are Harriet Hilliard and Rita Corday.
Now that George Sanders had been killed off his real and reel life brother Tom Conway has taken over the title The Falcon, he's even retained the retainer Goldie Locke, in this film played by Cliff Edwards.In this film Conway with the reputation of the Falcon preceding him Conway is neatly framed for the theft of war bonds.
Remember this film made during World War II.The big surprise here is the dramatic performance of comedian Edgar Kennedy famous for his slow burn routine in feature films and a large number of two reel shorts.
He plays a puppeteer with a traveling show and no laughs for Kennedy in The Falcon Takes Over.Fans of the series should be pleased..
Director: EDWARD DMYTRYK.
66 minutes.NOTES: Number 5 of the 16 "Falcon" pictures, and the only one to be directed by Edward Dmytryk.
COMMENT: The cast is four times more appealing and the direction about twice as inventive as the plot, — a lot of meaningless waffle about stolen war bonds.
Dmytryk's direction is likewise smooth, though it only really rouses the rafters in the action spots, e.g. the long tracking shot of Rita Corday swimming the length of the pool; the camera in the driver's seat of a speeding station wagon; the business with the Velma Dawson Puppets, including a "Goofy" puppet, courtesy of Walt Disney.
The movie itself is a fairly routine Falcon.
Seems a war bond scam is going on at the hotel, but who's behind it and how does it tie in with a series of murders.
Leave it to the Falcon to sort out, along with his humorously dim-witted sidekick, Goldie (Edwards).
Note too that the director is Ed Dmytryck who went on to direct such noir classics as Murder, My Sweet (1944) and Crossfire (1947).
Instead, it's the suave Conway, snappy throwaway lines, and, of course, the comely girls, which makes this latter a special treat.(1) The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, (1952-1966).
The fifth film in the Falcon series was directed by Edward Dmytryk.
Directed by Edward Dmytryk, this is Tom Conway's first film as the Falcon and he's got a new sidekick, Goldie (Cliff Edwards), and houseboy (Richard Loo) though he retains his journalist, girlfriend Marcia Brooks (Jane Randolph).
The police inspector (Cliff Clark) and his detective (Edward Gargan) also return from the preceding Falcon film, The Falcon's Brother (1942) (George Sanders' last film in the title role).Mia Bruger (Rita Corday) shows up in the Falcon's bedroom one morning while he's recovering from a hangover.
While he is unconscious, his car is used in a burglary of $250,000 in war bonds and a warrant is issued for his arrest.
When the Falcon regains consciousness, he finds himself in his car and there's a comic scene involving two bums that tell him where he is (out in the country) as well as the day and time, using a stick sundial.The police soon catch the Falcon, who take him to the "bar" only to find that the establishment is now a sewing school run by Gwynne Gregory (Wynne Gibson).
Though still jealous over the bedroom scene, Ms. Brooks helps the Falcon establish his alibi for the police and then reluctantly agrees to pose as a sewing girl to learn what she can about the sewing school.
In the purse of Ms. Gregory, she discovers the name of a hotel in the country (which becomes the setting for the rest of the movie).Shortly after arriving at the hotel, the Falcon and his sidekick humorously "eliminate" the hotel's house detective so that Goldie can be hired to replace him.
Quite a few characters are introduced into the storyline at this point including: a puppeteer (Edgar Kennedy) who is doing charity shows at the hotel, the hotel manager (Harriet Hilliard - Ozzie and Harriet), an ex-con (Erford Gage) that the Falcon helped send "up the river" working as a nurse for a German refugee (Andre Charlot), and even Ms. Bruger and Ms. Gregory turn up again.As is typical, murder becomes part of the plot-line, as do the stolen war bonds (with the aide of the Falcon's houseboy) and a fingerprint laden cigarette case.
But, as usual, he escapes (with the same trick used earlier in the film by his sidekick), returning to the hotel in time to solve the crime ...
except this time, the police inspector actually gives the Falcon some credit.The film ends with a woman's scream and her running to the Falcon for assistance, introducing the next case and/or film in the series.FYI, the very recognizable character actor Byron Foulger plays the hotel clerk in this film..
***SPOILERS*** The high flying "Falcon" Tom Lawrence, Tom Conway, is laid low after a night of heavy drinking and is awaken in his office by Mia Berger, Rita Corday,an what seems like escapee from fascism-Nazi German occupied Europe- begging him to track down her missing brother.
Not in the best shape Lawrence goes to this bar where Mia's brother is known to frequent and not only doesn't find him but is knocked out and left outside town in a car that was involved in the robbery of $250,000.00 of US Government bonds where a number of people were killed!
Arrested on a tip by the police Lawrence, and later after escaping from them,is now more then determined to prove his innocence by finding Mia or whoever she is in order for him to prove he was with her when the robbery occurred.
Things don't look so good for Lawrence when he finds Mia refuses to help him and is later, at the hotel she was staying in, killed by being shot by a sniper while diving off a plank at the hotel swimming pool!
***SPOILERS****Now in real hot water in not only being accused of a robbery of $250,000.00 in US Government Bonds, at the very height of WWII,but the murder of Mia as well Lawrence uses all his wits and savvy to elude the police as well as to get him out of the mess that he now finds himself in.
The killer himself is caught in a trap that Lawrence-the Falcon-set for him using Mrs. Lipton as bate.With Lawrence hot on his tail and having really nowhere to go the killer ends up falling to his death as he slipped off the roof of the hotel that he, using an assumed name, worked at!