The Falcon Strikes Back

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. It is agreed that the murderer's alibi is a bit on the feeble side and arouses suspicion somewhat at that point. There are two exceptions to an otherwise great cast. 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. Conway's first solo outing couldn't have been a better one. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Entertaining little mystery with a puppeteer theme among the sub-plots and easy to watch. 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.

While the Falcon nurses a monumental hangover, a beautiful woman arrives in his room. All she wants is help from the suave detective. And the Falcon is never one to refuse a beautiful girl anything. Soon he is investigating murder and a forgery racket with the aid of a glamorous reporter and his side-kick Goldy.

Starts with the Falcon having a hangover and a damsel in distress and he ends up with a sore head and the bumbling police after him. He heads to a resort where he gets involved with a dodgy hotel owner, a puppeteer, a murder and almost gets run down - all par for the coarse for our suave hero. A standard tale, diverting enough, though it meanders a little. Nice rooftop finale.

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. He meets her later to discuss the matter but someone knocks him out. He wakes up later on a country road in the backseat of his car with little knowledge of where he is. 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. From here the plot moves well to set up the mystery. It isn't a gripping thriller but it holds the interest by having enough going on and sufficient plot twists occur to help keep the pace up throughout. 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. His detecting skills are on show and he mixes them well with a debonair delivery and screen presence – the memory of Sanders slipped from my mind. 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. It is a basic turn and not as funny as I would have liked. 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.

In his first movie starring as the suave Falcon, Tom Conway is accused of murder and the theft of a quarter of a million dollars in war bonds. Besides Cliff Edwards and Richard Loo as his minions, there are the usual RKO starlets and Edgar Kennedy in a straight role as a puppeteer.

It's a fairly good little mystery from a story by Stuart Palmer and direction by Edward Dmytryk, and a limited number of sets that we've seen before: the hotel lobby, the pool, and so forth. The economy that this series was made with made it quite profitable for RKO, and it cleared almost $200,000 after expenses. It also have Edgar Kennedy a chance to do some straight acting. He was best known as a screen comic, beginning with Keystone, and having starred in his own series of shorts from RKO for ten years at this point. You may recognize him as the peanut seller in DUCK SOUP doing his patented slow burn. Here, he's definitely creepy.