The Gay Falcon (1941)

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

Director:

Irving Reis

Writers:

Lynn Root (screenplay), Frank Fenton (screenplay),

Stars:

George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, Allen Jenkins

Cast

Complete credited 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)

Storyline

A society grand dame who hosts charity parties in her home is mixed up in a jewel theft racket which defrauds insurance companies. When she is murdered, Gay Laurence (a.k.a. The Falcon)and assistant 'Goldie' Locke are on the case with help from beautiful Helen Reed, who becomes a rival to Gay's fiancée Elinor for the sleuth's affections.

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Plot Keywords:

party | the falcon | rko pictures | charity ball | wrongful arrest | 

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Taglines:

FICTION'S SMOOTHEST SUPER-SLEUTH in his first screen appearance! (original print ad)

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 October 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Falken - mannen utan nerver

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Angelo's club there are many caricatures on the wall. Although it's not readily apparent who some of them are, Eddie Cantor, Humphrey Bogart, and Jimmy Durante are recognizable.

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Quotes

Inspector Mike Waldeck: [to Goldie] All right, son, I'm releasin' yuh, but first I want a description of the man you saw that night.
Jonathan G. 'Goldie' Locke: Ah, naw, naw, naw, naw.
Gay Lawrence: [Gay raises a reproving finger to Goldie] Now, Goldie...
Jonathan G. 'Goldie' Locke: All right! You'll get it!
Inspector Mike Waldeck: Take it, Herman.
Herman: What was the contour of his face?
Herman: [Goldie gives Gay a knowing look and Herman becomes annoyed] The contour!
Jonathan G. 'Goldie' Locke: White.
Herman: [Frustrated] Not the color... the contour!
Jonathan G. 'Goldie' Locke: Break it down, buddy.
[...]

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Connections

Followed by The Falcon and the Co-eds (1943)

User Reviews

Good Start

Gay Falcon, The (1941)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

First film in RKO's Falcon series has George Sanders playing the Detective who must try and track down a jewel thief who's also leaving bodies piled up. This is the first in the series that I've seen and this one here wasn't too bad but it's still not a good movie by any means. The film goes by pretty quickly with some minor laughs but the mystery aspect isn't too interested, although there is a nice twist at the end. Sanders gives a good performance in the lead as he's able to be quite charming and sly in a good way. Allen Jenkins steals the show as the Falcon's assistant and Wendy Barrie is pretty good as the woman who goes to the Falcon for help.