The Falcon's Brother (1942)

Tom Lawrence, Gay's brother, takes over for his injured sibling in a case which involves Nazi espionage and political assassination.

Director:

Stanley Logan

Writers:

Stuart Palmer (original screenplay), Craig Rice (original screenplay)

Stars:

George Sanders, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph

Cast

Complete credited cast:
George Sanders	...	Gay Lawrence
Tom Conway	...	Tom Lawrence
Jane Randolph	...	Marcia Brooks
Don Barclay	...	Lefty
Cliff Clark	...	Inspector Timothy Donovan
Edward Gargan	...	Detective Bates
Eddie Dunn	...	Detective Grimes
Charlotte Wynters	...	Arlette
James Newill	...	Paul Harrington
Keye Luke	...	Jerry - Gay's Houseboy
Amanda Varela	...	Carmela
George J. Lewis	...	Valdez (as George Lewis)
Gwili Andre	...	Diane Medford

Storyline

Gay Lawrence, amateur detective known as The Falcon, learns that his brother Tom has been reported murdered on a ship arriving from South America. Gay pursues the murderers, despite the fact that he knows his brother is still alive. When he is disabled, his brother Tom takes over the case, investigating a fashion magazine involved in secret activities with German infiltrators.

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Plot Keywords:

detective | real life brothers playing brothers | brother brother relationship | blackout | the falcon character | 

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Taglines:

A Strange Tale to Thrill you!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Spanish

Release Date:

6 November 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

El hermano del halcón

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

63 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Near the end of the film is a rare look at the only Martin model 156 flying boat ever made. Produced to meet Pan Am specifications for a larger aircraft for its trans-Pacific routes, the airline chose the Boeing 314 instead. Martin sold this plane to the Soviet Union where it flew with Aeroflot as a passenger transport during WWII. It ended up being scrapped in 1944.

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Goofs

In the final scene at Bayport, Tom Conway refers to Charles Arndt's character Moffett as Medford.

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Quotes

Tom Lawrence: How delightful. How are you and who are you?
Marcia Brooks: Marcia Brooks, Morning Gazette
Tom Lawrence: Oh reporter. Hmm.
[clucks tongue]
Tom Lawrence: So charming, too. Well Miss Brooks, I think the buildings in New York are very beautiful and the women are very tall. There you are my dear. You have your interview. Now I trust you'll excuse me.

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Connections

Followed by The Falcon in San Francisco (1945)

User Reviews

George Sanders hands off Falcon role to brother Tom Conway

George Sanders makes his last appearance as Gay Lawrence, aka the Falcon, in this fun if fairly standard B mystery. There's a corpse in an ocean liner stateroom; the victim is apparently Tom Lawrence, the Falcon's brother; Gay Lawrence goes aboard and quietly identifies the body. Not surprisingly, it's not as simple as all that.

A clever shot introduces Tom Conway as the Falcon's brother: First we watch the Falcon, just off of the ship, race off in a taxi following another taxi as the cops hop into their car to follow him. Then, over in a shadow, we see a dark figure strike a match and light a cigarette, his face lit up just for a moment before the match goes out and he is in darkness again. It's the Falcon's brother—not so dead—watching it all from the shadows.

Eventually we learn that the plot involves Nazi espionage, some South American spies, and a fashion magazine. The cast of characters includes the usual grumpy police inspector (Cliff Clark, this time, as an Inspector Donovan) and dumb assistant detective (Edward Gargan back as Detective Bates, always saying "Sorry, Chief").

Jane Randolph is lively and funny as the usual spunky girl reporter who sticks her nose in and helps out: "Well, I'm only a fashion reporter," she admits early on, "but I'll get a police beat someday!"

Conway is good as the new Falcon, stepping into the role quite confidently. Sanders, on his way out of the series, is perhaps a little less interested…but fun to watch nevertheless, especially in the couple of scenes he shares with brother Conway.