Devil's Cargo (1948)

Poverty-row continuation of The Falcon series; mundane murder mystery showcasing Calvert's magic act skills.

Director:

John F. Link Sr.

Writers:

Don Martin (screenplay), Jason James (original story),

Stars:

John Calvert, Rochelle Hudson, Roscoe Karns

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Calvert	...	Michael 'The Falcon' Watling
Rochelle Hudson	...	Margo Delgado
Roscoe Karns	...	Lt. Hardy
Lyle Talbot	...	Johnny Morello
Theodore von Eltz	...	Thomas Mallon
Michael Mark	...	Salvation Army Captain
Tom Kennedy	...	Naga, Mug Who Tails Delgado
Paul Marion	...	Ramon Delgado
Paul Regan	...	Bernie Horton
Eula Guy	...	Mrs. Murphy, landlady
Christine Larsen	...	Nurse (as Christine Larson)
Walter Soderling	...	The Coroner
John Bagni	...	Ofiicer Bob
Jack Conrad	...	Sam the Locksmith
Peter Michael	...	Mr. Worthington

Storyline

Conroy, A playboy, is found shot to death in his penthouse and a ne'er-do-well named Ramon Delgado (Paul Marion)tells the Falcon, Michale Watling (, John Calvert), that he committed the murder and asks the Falcon to keep a key for him until after his has been acquitted. He says he feels certain of an acquittal when the police learn that the motive for the killing was Conroy's attention to Delgado's wife, Margot (Rochelle Hudson). Tom Mallon (Theodore von Eltz)enters the case as Delgado's attorney, and after Delgado is found poisoned in his jail cell, the Falsob suspects Fallon of killing his own client.

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Plot Keywords:

the falcon | punctuation in title | sequel | fourteenth part | apostrophe in title | 

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Unwritten Law

Company Credits

Production Co:

Falcon Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

64 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The fourteenth of sixteen movies for the suave detective nicknamed "The Falcon" starring John Calvert.

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Connections

Follows The Falcon in Mexico (1944)

User Reviews

quirky first-of-three films with John Calvert as The Falcon

This was the first of three films made by the small "Film Classics" company in 1948-49 starring actor-magician John Calvert as The Falcon, and it's very much unlike the latter two films. In this one, Calvert does magic tricks at various times throughout the movie (!!) AND his co-star is a dog named Brain Trust (!!!) who is listed as playing "himself." Calvert actually talks to the dog in some scenes. Perhaps the dog was a nod to the successful Thin Man films, but fortunately the dog routine was dropped in the latter two films, as were the magic tricks (which are a pleasant distraction,actually!). The film starts, and ends, with Calvert sitting in his bathtub! In the first scene, a man named Ramon Delgado comes to see The Falcon and confesses that he killed a man last night because the man was involved with his wife. Delgado feels that the killing was in self-defense and asks the Falcon to help him turn himself in to the police and see that his rights are respected. Of course, as this is a murder mystery, things are obviously not as simple as that, and the plot unfolds in a fascinating way. As in the other films in the series, the resolution is unexpected and quite exciting. This film was directed by John Link, a journeyman who mostly worked as an editor, and it also features some nice location shooting in 1948 L.A. A fine supporting cast of veterans--Roscoe Karns as the police lt., Rochelle Hudson as the seductive Mrs. Delgado, Theodore Van Eltz as a seedy attorney, Lyle Talbot as a mysterious "business man",

and comedian Tom Kennedy, who often played a dim-witted copy, as a dim-witted thug! Trivia note: supporting actor Michael Mark appears in small but significant roles in all three Falcon films... in this one, he's the man working at the Salvation Army. Calvert's smooth, laid-back, but witty approach to the Falcon role is a refreshing change-of-pace, and it's a shame they only made three of these films. This is by far the quirkiest of the three, the latter two being more straight-forward detective films minus dog routines and magic tricks. All three Calvert Falcon films are recommended to fans of low-budget 40s murder mysteries/detective films.