The Falcon Strikes Back (1943)

Tom Lawrence, who has inherited his brother's sobriquet of "The Falcon," is framed for the theft of war bonds and murder.

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Edward Dein (screenplay), Gerald Geraghty (screenplay)

Stars:

Tom Conway, Harriet Nelson, Jane Randolph

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tom Conway	...	Tom Lawrence
Harriet Nelson	...	Gwynne Gregory (as Harriet Hilliard)
Jane Randolph	...	Marcia Brooks
Edgar Kennedy	...	Smiley Dugan
Cliff Edwards	...	Goldie Locke
Rita Corday	...	Mia Bruger
Erford Gage	...	Rickey Davis
Wynne Gibson	...	Geraldine Lipton
André Charlot	...	Bruno Steffen (as Andre Charlot)
Richard Loo	...	Jerry
Cliff Clark	...	Inspector Timothy Donovan
Edward Gargan	...	Detective Bates (as Ed Gargan)
The Velma Dawson Puppets	...	Group Performers

Storyline

The Falcon is framed for the murder of a banker and the theft of war bonds. He makes his escape into the mountains where he hides out in a rustic lodge. From here he uncovers a phony war bond operation.

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Plot Keywords:

1940s | reference to doctor john watson | the falcon character | tom lawrence character | four word title | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The fifth of sixteen movies for the suave detective nicknamed "The Falcon" starring Tom Conway.

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Goofs

Dugan is shown using a "silencer" on a revolver - which doesn't actually work in real life at all because of the gap between the cylinder and the barrel of the gun. And, of course, no silencer (supressor, actually) would make any gun go "pfft" like we hear here and in so many other films.

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Quotes

Marcia Brooks: [Upon learning that Goldie Locke is the house detective] Crime takes a holiday.

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Connections

Followed by The Falcon's Alibi (1946)

User Reviews

An enjoyable entry in the b-movie series that has a consistent pace

Tom Lawrence gets off to a good start on his own as he wakes up with a hangover but with a sexy Latino lady standing over his bed. Mia Bruger is her name and she tells the Falcon of her concern for her missing brother. He meets her later to discuss the matter but someone knocks him out. He wakes up later on a country road in the backseat of his car with little knowledge of where he is. When he is arrested for a bank robbery and a murder, Lawrence works put that he has been set up and goes on the lamb to solve the crime and why he was set up.

In his first film on his own, Tom Conway opens with a typically suave turn in bed, hungover from his night on the town and waking with a beautiful woman in his room. From here the plot moves well to set up the mystery. It isn't a gripping thriller but it holds the interest by having enough going on and sufficient plot twists occur to help keep the pace up throughout. Much more enjoyable than the previous entry (Falcon's Brother) in this regard, the film is well written and well delivered.

After a so-so start in the last film, Conway seems like he was made for the role and within a few seconds of the first scene he is into it and great fun. His detecting skills are on show and he mixes them well with a debonair delivery and screen presence – the memory of Sanders slipped from my mind. Hilliard works well alongside him but, unusually for the series, there are quite a few strong female performances from Randolph, Gibson and Corday. After Lefty in the last film we get Goldie returning but this time played by Edwards. It is a basic turn and not as funny as I would have liked. Better comic support value comes from the pairing of Clark and Gargan (straight man and stupid man respectively); the simple comic scenes involving them are not imaginative but they do provide a few laughs.

Overall then a good entry in the series that is much more assured than The Falcon's Brother had been the year before. Consistent and with a good pace the film benefits from solid characters and good performances to produce a typically enjoyable film in this famous b-movie series.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

7 May 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Falcon Comes Back

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

66 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1