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

As far as the cops in the series go, this is the third of Cliff Clark's five appearances as Inspector Timothy Donovan, the fifth of Edward Gargan's eight appearances as Detective Bates, and the fourth of five appearances of Eddie Dunn as Detective Grimes.

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Goofs

When Mia gets shot in the pool, there's no blood.

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Quotes

Inspector Timothy Donovan: [to Bates and Grimes after finding the missing car key in his pocket] Don't nobody say anything. All I want is silence and very little of that.

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Connections

Followed by The Falcon Out West (1944)

User Reviews

Best in the Series

Falcon Strikes Back, The (1943)

*** (out of 4)

Edward Dmytryk directs this fifth film in the series, which has The Falcon (Tom Conway) trying to track down war bond thieves. Up to this point in the series, this film here is clearly the best as it deals with a very interesting story and also features Conway in fine form. The story of the war bonds being stolen adds a great interest and I'm sure it was even more fascinating back when the film was released. The supporting cast is also in fine form with Cliff Edwards really coming into form as The Falcon's partner. The film also manages to be quite funny with several neat little twists including a great gag on how The Falcon gets away from the police. There's a little puppet show including, which isn't too good but there's an added bonus of a Goofy puppet and even Sherlock Holmes gets a poke in the ribs during a joke.

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