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 Laurence / 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	...	Vera Gardner
Willie Fung	...	Jerry

Storyline

Society grand dame Maxine Wood who hosts charity parties in her home is mixed up in a jewel theft racket which defrauds insurance companies. When another socialite, Vera Gardner, 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:

reference to doctor john watson | character name as title | the falcon character | three word title | gay laurence character | 

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Taglines:

CRIMINALS BEWARE! Here comes fiction's man of mystery! (original print ad)

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

This the first entry in the series to end with an introduction to what was to be the series' next episode although in this case the teaser did not reflect the plot of the second Falcon adventure.

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Goofs

Evidently not considered worth a re-shoot, a fly lands on the Falcon's hat and climbs down it when he arranges to meet Helen at Tony's cafe.

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Quotes

Helen Reed: I can feel my heart beating in my knees.

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Connections

Followed by The Falcon's Alibi (1946)

User Reviews

Delightful and witty

This was the first of the Falcon films starring George Sanders, based on a story by Michael Arlen. Sanders is compulsively watchable, indeed mesmerising, as the smoothie amateur detective. He persuades his fiancée not to force him to go to a boring party by saying: 'Well, if you really want to be surrounded by a lot of people while I'm telling you I love you.' So many crisp one-liners in this film. Even one of the villains approaches a woman to dance with the line: 'Will you teach me to dance?' This was when Hollywood writers knew how to write crackling dialogue. Sanders plays along with the fun with such insouciant perfection that he is a marvel of the screen. One could watch this film a dozen times and still be dazzled at the effortlessness with which Sanders oozes his caddish charm in bucket-loads. No one ever surpassed him in this quality. And his tongue is so far into his cheek you can see it poking out. This film is also notable for the appearance of Gladys Cooper in a major supporting role; she is as mesmerising as Sanders, and their scenes together are a marvel. Wendy Barrie is also quick as a whip, lively as a frog jumping on a hot rock, and winsome as a kitten. Anyone interested in B Movie gems needs to collect this one.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 October 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Gay Falcon

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

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