The Gay Falcon (1941)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Irving Reis

Writers:

Michael Arlen (story)
Lynn Root (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 October 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Drama

Tagline:

The bold adventurer who's as smooth with the ladies as he's clever with crime!...Fiction's slickest super sleuth, created by Michael Arlen and portrayed by the star who thrilled you as "The Saint".

Plot:

The Falcon investigates jewel thieves who are working with hard up socialites to defraud insurance companies. First of the Falcon series. |

Plot Keywords:

The Falcon | Engagement | Secret Marriage | Diamond Ring | Secretary

Cast

George Sanders	...	Gay Lawrence / The Falcon
Wendy Barrie	...	Helen Reed
Allen Jenkins	...	Jonathan G. 'Goldie' Locke
Nina Vale	...	Elinor Benford (as Anne Hunter)
Gladys Cooper	...	Maxine Wood
Edward Brophy	...	Detective Bates
Arthur Shields	...	Inspector Mike Waldeck
Damian O'Flynn	...	Noel Weber
Turhan Bey	...	Manuel Retana
Eddie Dunn	...	Detective Grimes
Lucile Gleason	...	Mrs. Vera Gardner
Willie Fung	...	Jerry
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Florence Bates	...	(scenes deleted)

Runtime:

67 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-11 (2005) | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #7362)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Leslie Charteris sued RKO contending that "The Falcon" was "The Saint", his creation, in disguise. The disposition of the suit has not been discovered.

Movie Connections:

Followed by A Date with the Falcon (1942)

An enjoyable light snack of a movie

At the request of his girlfriend, Gay Laurence has stepped out of the detective business to become a stockbroker. Bored out of his brilliant mind, Gay jumps at the chance when a young lady tells him of the socialite Maxine Wood, who throws parties every few weeks but has had problems with robberies each time. With the police unable to catch the thief, Gay goes to the party to help out but, on this occasion, the crime turns to murder – putting Gay and Goldie right in the middle of it.

I have never watched a Falcon film before and I took the opportunity to watch this film when BBC2 ran a mini-series of the films in the early morning during the summer. The title is innocent enough and it is only time (and the change in language) that has made it seem rather inappropriate – certainly such a film (or a character) would not be include the word gay if these films were made today! Aside from that obvious remark, this is a pretty enjoyable film if you are prepared for what it is trying to be – a very light, amusing little mystery that entertains. The semi-tongue in cheek tone to the film takes away from the actual mystery plot but it is still just about interesting enough to engage.

What the film does better is to inject a nice comic tone into everything. The action involves a touch of comedy at all times and plenty of the lines and side-issues (the girlfriend). The acting mostly follows this pattern with Sanders surprising me with a very light touch – he really seemed to be enjoying himself! I have only seen Sanders in more serious roles and I did enjoy seeing him in relaxed mode. Support is great from Jenkins; his is hardly a well-written character (he is only a standard comic sidekick) but he plays well and is actually quite funny in his couple of scenes. Barrie is quite fun and makes for an attractive love interest while Vale is good enough to make her subplot part of the movie rather than it seeming tacked on. Shields, Dunn and Brophy are all amusing as the usual inept cops of the genre!

Overall this is not a great film but, if you know what to expect, it does manage to be entertaining. The actual plot is not that good but just about does enough to keep you watching but it is the comic tone and well-pitched acting that makes it fun to watch. At just over an hour running time, I found it to be the film equivalent of a nice little snack – certainly not filling but enjoyable for the short time it takes to finish it!