The Falcon in San Francisco

Tom Conway and Eddie Brophy take the train to San Francisco, the city by the bay, so that Brophy can hunt up a wife -- he thinks he pays too much in income taxes, and a wife would solve that. Along the way, Conway charms little Sharon Moffat, who starts to tell fibs. This lands him in hot water with the police, and more with Rita Corday, leading into a nicely tangled mystery involving hemp, silk and ex-gangster Robert Armstrong.

Conway isn't quite as smooth as his brother, George Sanders for the first four of the series, but he certainly knows how to portray a man out of his depth and bluffing. Director Joseph H. Lewis is a little more standard in this movie than many of his better known B masterpieces, but the mystery will keep fans of the form amused.

The Falcon, Tom Lawrence,(Tom Conway) travels on a train heading for San Francisco along with his partner Goldie Locke, (Edward Brophy) and they are planning a vacation to take in the sights of San Francisco. On the train they encounter a very young little girl named Annie Marshall ( Sharyn Moffett) who is looking for her lost dog and meets up with the Falcon and his partner. Annie tells the Falcon she is being held captive in her home by her butler and nurse and the Falcon decides to investigate this girls problem, but is interrupted by the murder of the Annie's nurse. There is all kinds of bad situations the Falcon gets into with plenty of beatings and he also encounters Duke Monet, (Robert Armstrong) who has a sinister past and is involved with a silk smuggling racket. There is excellent photography through out the City of San Francisco and old buildings long gone.

This is a movie that can be enjoyed on a superficial level, but if you think too much about the plot it might just give you a headache. That's because the plot often just doesn't make much sense--particularly the far-fetched ending.

Tom Conway plays his usual dapper role as Tom Lawrence ("The Falcon") and the film is greatly improved by having his old sidekick ("Goldy", played by Eddie Brophy). For some reason, while earlier Falcon films always featured a sidekick, for quite a few of Conway's film the sidekick had disappeared--making the films a bit flat and needing an infusion of humor. Also, fortunately, there is no ditsy female to clutter up the film. The female leads in THE FALCON IN Hollywood and several other previous films were just awful--playing both love interests and comic relief. However, they all just came off as annoying. Fortunately, Goldy is not annoying but provided able support--as did the cute little kid who appeared in the film. Often, cute kids are detriments to a film but here she infuses a nice new element to the film.

While I could TRY to explain the film, frankly it didn't make all that much sense to me and I am sure it would only confuse you if I tried! It was that convoluted! For fans of the series, this is a good and welcome addition to the series. But for others, it's probably not going to make them fans of the Falcon films.

"The Falcon in San Francisco" is a 1945 entry into The Falcon series starring Tom Conway. This one has some nice shots of San Francisco and captures the city's atmosphere - old timers familiar with the city will love it. In this one, Tom and Goldie (Edward Brophy) meet a cute little girl (Sheryl Moffett) and her dog Diogenes on a train. While traveling, the girl's nurse is found dead. The Falcon and Goldie soon find themselves in a web of intrigue involving a crime ring, a shipping company, and a secret kept by the girl's beautiful sister (Rita Corday). King Kong's Robert Armstrong plays the shipping company's business manager. The mystery is actually pretty good, and the film moves quickly.

For some reason, these Falcon films always end somewhat abruptly. However, it's enjoyable.

Tom "The Falcon" Lawrence (Tom Conway) and his sidekick Goldie Locke are on the train to San Francisco. They befriend cutie Annie Marshall and her little dog. She tells them that she's being held prisoner by her nurse. The nurse is dead and the Falcon suspects murder. When they arrive in San Francisco, the Falcon gets arrested for kidnapping the little girl while he's trying to bring her home.

I love the start with the little girl. Goldie and her have a fun energy. It's fun whenever the girl shows up. The plot gets convoluted real quick. It's downright Kafkaesque. It's fun in its audacity. There's no point in trying to solve the whodunnit. I don't even follow the whatisit. It's much better to enjoy the wild and crazy ride. It's the 11th entry in the series.