The Gay Falcon (1941)

Director:

Irving Reis

Writers:

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

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:

Investigation | First Of Series | The Falcon | Bartender | Broker

Cast

George Sanders	...	Gay Laurence, aka The Falcon
Wendy Barrie	...	Helen Reed, Maxine's Secretary
Allen Jenkins	...	Jonathan G. 'Goldie' Locke
Nina Vale	...	Elinor Benford (as Anne Hunter)
Gladys Cooper	...	Maxine Wood, aka Maxine Weber
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, Gay's Servant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Florence Bates	...	(scenes deleted)
Polly Bailey	...	Landlady in Hallway (uncredited)
Bobby Barber	...	Angelo, a Waiter (uncredited)
James Blaine	...	Police Officer in Hallway (uncredited)
Lee Bonnell	...	Hysterical Woman's Brother, Barely Visible (uncredited)
Jimmy Conlin	...	Bartender at Party (uncredited)
Hans Conried	...	Herman, the Sketch Artist (uncredited)
Sheldon Jett	...	Elevator Passenger (uncredited)
Lew Kelly	...	Elmer, the Jailer (uncredited)
Paul Norby	...	Cigar Clerk (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Policeman in Street (uncredited)
Mickey Phillips	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
Joey Ray	...	Orchestra Leader (uncredited)
Robert Smith	...	Policeman Outside Morgue (uncredited)
Walter Soderling	...	Morgue Attendant (uncredited)
Virginia Vale	...	Hysterical Woman at End (uncredited)

Directed by
Irving Reis

Writing credits
Michael Arlen		(story)
Lynn Root		(screenplay) and
Frank Fenton		(screenplay)

Produced by
Howard Benedict	....	producer

Original Music by
Paul Sawtell

Cinematography by
Nicholas Musuraca

Film Editing by
George Crone

Art Direction by
Van Nest Polglase

Costume Design by
Renié		(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Clem Beauchamp	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Carroll Clark	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Richard Van Hessen	....	sound recordist

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1941) (USA) (theatrical)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV)
• Teakwood Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

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 Devil's Cargo (1948)

First of the Falcon series

George Sanders is "The Gay Falcon," a 1941 film, the first entry into the Falcon series. The title has a double meaning, as the Falcon's first name is Gay. Though it's a programmer, "The Gay Falcon" has quite an uptown cast, including Gladys Cooper, Allen Jenkins, Turhan Bey, and Wendy Barrie.

The Falcon and his sidekick Goldie (Jenkins) are insurance brokers in this, and Gay is, as usual, engaged. After turning down an invitation to a fancy party, Helen, secretary to a Perle Mesta type named Maxine who is giving the party, begs him to attend in order to prevent a jewel robbery. Maxine's events have been the scene of a string of jewel robberies. So Gay attends. A woman who insisted on wearing a huge diamond is murdered. Gay is on the case.

George Sanders makes a very appealing Falcon - he's tall, elegant, and smooth, with a great voice and off-the-cuff delivery. He gives the role a light, breezy quality. The rest of the cast is very good. Turhan plays a swarthy, suspicious type - this was pre-Maria Montez and Sabu. It's always great to see the Turhan Bey, one of the actors who benefited from the man shortage in Hollywood during World War II. Though he eventually returned to his native Vienna to work as a photographer, he did quite a few television appearances in the '90s.

Alas, there is a bit of casting that sort of gave the denouement away for this viewer, but the mystery is not really the point of The Falcon series. The point is to have fun, which you will.