The Fallen Sparrow (1943)

In 1940, a former prisoner is determined to find the killer of the New York Police Lt. who helped him escape from a Nazi torture camp in Spain.

Director:

Richard Wallace

Writers:

Warren Duff (screen play), Dorothy B. Hughes (novel)

Stars:

John Garfield, Maureen O'Hara, Walter Slezak

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Garfield	...	John 'Kit' McKittrick
Maureen O'Hara	...	Toni Donne
Walter Slezak	...	Dr. Christian Skaas
Patricia Morison	...	Barby Taviton
Martha O'Driscoll	...	Whitney 'The Imp' Parker
Bruce Edwards	...	Ab Parker
John Banner	...	Anton
John Miljan	...	Inspector 'Toby' Tobin
Hugh Beaumont	...	Otto Skaas

Storyline

A former Spanish Civil War prisoner, John McKittrick arrives in New York to find the truth behind the death of his friend Louie Lepetino. He finds himself being chased by Nazi agents who want an item he has brought back from Spain and cannot give up. When another of his friends is murdered, McKittrick realizes that he cannot trust anyone around him - not anyone.

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Plot Keywords:

post traumatic stress disorder | police investigation | police detective | female sexual predator | femme fatale | 

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Italian

Release Date:

23 November 1943 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Beijo da Traição

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

RKO bought the film rights to Dorothy B. Hughes' novel for $15,000 expressly as a vehicle for Maureen O'Hara according to contemporary articles in The Hollywood Reporter.

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Goofs

The Bust which is knocked through the window and crashes out on the street appears in it's original position in the next shot.

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Quotes

John 'Kit' McKittrick: [First Lines]
[Thinking, not speaking out loud]
John 'Kit' McKittrick: All right. Go on. Let's have it. Can you go through with it? Have you got the guts for it? Or have they knocked it out of you? Have they made you yellow?

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits: "...in a world at war many sparrows must fall ...

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Connections

Featured in The John Garfield Story (2003)

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Soundtracks

Nightclub Song
Sung by Martha O'Driscoll (dubbed by Martha Mears)

User Reviews

Tough John Garfield haunted by beastly spies and beautiful Maureen O'Hara fights on...

I've always enjoyed Garfield's work; he's honest, tough and unpredictable. This WWII drama has its own propaganda agenda and dependable Walter Slezak is a creepy Nazi. Audiences of 1943 would find it easy to cheer and boo in the right places, but only for a while. For the mystery to work there has to be some surprises. Lovely and curvaceous Maureen O'Hara is so sweetly sympathetic but also duplicitous, her true motivations are as hard to guess as her stunning appearance is easy to admire.

As far as a stand alone film it is a tad dated because it was a product of it's time and agenda. This was not meant to be escapism; it was a message of how dark the opposition was and how they stooped low to break our spirit. But we know in the end the good guys will win and their pride, their spirit and their cause must lose.

So in retrospect I give it a soft recommendation unless you can put yourself in the mind-set that was made for a specific audience, the mothers, fathers, wives, girlfriends', and children of those fighting the biggest war in history.