The Falcon in Mexico

Last updated
The Falcon in Mexico
Falmexpos.jpg
Film poster
Directed by William Berke
Screenplay by
Based onCharacters created
by Michael Arlen
Produced by Maurice Geraghty
Starring
Cinematography Frank Redman
Edited byJoseph Noriega
Music by
Production
company
Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • August 4, 1944 (1944-08-04)
Running time
70 min.
CountryUnited States
Language English

The Falcon in Mexico is a 1944 film directed by William Berke and stars Tom Conway in his recurring role as a suave amateur sleuth, supported by Mona Maris and Martha Vickers. Conway would play the Falcon seven more times before RKO retired the franchise in 1946.The Falcon in Mexico was the ninth of 16 films in the Falcon detective series. The film features many second unit sequences filmed in Mexico and Brazil; [1] the latter scenes from Orson Welles's aborted film It's All True . [2]

Contents

Plot

Tom Lawrence, aka the Falcon, helps Dolores Ybarra enter an art gallery late at night to supposedly recover a painting that belongs to her. The Falcon discovers that the woman is the model for the artist's painting, however, the artist, Humphrey Wade has been dead for 15 years. The body of the owner of the gallery lies murdered on the floor. When the security guards arrive, alerted by a burglar alarm, they try to arrest Tom but he escapes with the painting and goes to the home of Winthrop "Lucky Diamond" Hughes, a collector of Wade's work.

Wanted by the American police for murder, the Falcon finds Barbara, the late artist's daughter and they travel to Mexico City. At the airport, Barbara is met by a car from the La Casa Del Laga Inn and slips away. After she drives away, Tom hires taxi driver Manuel Romero and his son, Pancho to follow her.

The La Casa Del Laga Inn, located in a country village was where her father lived and worked. Barbara introduces Tom to her stepmother Raquel, a dancer, and Raquel's partner and new husband Anton who warns Tom to leave Barbara alone and get out of Mexico.

At the inn, desk clerk Paula Dudley, shows the Wade studio, where Tom finds a drawing done in Wade's style, with its paint still wet. Dolores, searching for her portrait in Tom's room, is surprised by his early return but when he pursues her into the hallway, she make her getaway. When he returns to his room, an unknown assailant knocks him unconscious and steals the painting.

Don Carlos Ybarra, searches for his daughter but when her body turns up drowned in the lake, Tom thinks she has been murdered. Hughes arrives at the hotel without his famous diamond ring, a piece of jewellery he always wears. At dinner, Barbara collapses, the victim of poisoning, leaving Tom with a puzzling mystery that may be linked to the disappearance of Humphrey Wade. If Wade is still alive, who stands to gain from that?

At the lake, Tom finds Paula, dead in a boat. Manuel appears and reveals that he is an undercover Mexican police officer, who also needs to find the killer on the loose. Back at the inn, they discover Barbara is missing and on her way to an island, where her father's grave is located. When Tom removes the headstone, however, a masked man approaches Barbara and reveals himself to be her father. He explains that his disappearance came about when his alleged suicide made his paintings valuable.

As Wade warns Barbara that their lives are in danger, he is shot dead. Tom deduces that the killer must be Hughes, and he sets a trap for him. Wearing Wade's disguise, Tom walks onto the plaza and before Hughes can shoot from a balcony, Manuel fires. With the killer brought to justice, Tom bids farewell to his Mexican friends and boards an aircraft bound for home.

Cast

Production

Principal photography on "The Falcon in Mexico" took place from mid-March to April 4, 1944. [Note 1] [3]

Reception

At the time of its release, The Falcon in Mexico earned high critical marks, with Boxoffice declaring it, "... one of the best of the tried-and-true whodunit series." [4] In a recent review of the Falcon series for the Time Out Film Guide, Tom Milne wrote, "Conway, bringing a lighter touch to the series (which managed its comic relief better than most), starred in nine films after The Falcon's Brother, most of them deft and surprisingly enjoyable." [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Falcon is the nickname for two fictional detectives. Drexel Drake created Michael Waring, alias the Falcon, a freelance investigator and troubleshooter, in his 1936 novel, The Falcon's Prey. It was followed by two more novels – The Falcon Cuts In, 1937, and The Falcon Meets a Lady, 1938 – and a 1938 short story. Michael Arlen created Gay Stanhope Falcon in 1940. This Falcon made his first appearance in Arlen's short story "Gay Falcon", which was originally published in 1940 in Town & Country magazine. The story opens with the words "Now of this man who called himself Gay Falcon many tales are told, and this is one of them." Arlen's Falcon is characterized as a freelance adventurer and troubleshooter – a man who makes his living "keeping his mouth shut and engaging in dangerous enterprises."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Conway</span> British actor (1904–1967)

Tom Conway was a British film, television, and radio actor remembered for playing detectives and psychiatrists, among other roles.

<i>Nada personal</i> (1996 TV series) Mexican telenovela

Nada personal is a Mexican telenovela, which was broadcast in 1996. It was the first produced by Argos Comunicación for TV Azteca and began on May 20 of that year on TV 7. It was the production that put the network on the radar of the television audience in Mexico. It was the first telenovela of Ana Colchero after her leave from Televisa and the first telenovela that discussed political topics. She played the role of Camila but had to be replaced by Christianne Gout when Colchero had issues with the network. It was directed by Antonio Serrano, director of Teresa and the blockbuster film Sexo, pudor y lágrimas.

<i>The Sweet Dove Died</i>

The Sweet Dove Died is a novel by Barbara Pym, first published in 1978. The title is a quotation from a poem, "I Had a Dove", by John Keats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Conway</span> American actor (1900–1981)

Morgan Conway was an American actor, best known for his portrayals of Dick Tracy.

<i>The Falcons Brother</i> 1942 film by Stanley Logan

The Falcon's Brother is a 1942 American crime drama film in which George Sanders, who had been portraying "The Falcon" in a series of films, appears with his real-life brother Tom Conway; with Sanders handing off the series to Conway, who would play the new Falcon in nine subsequent films. Jane Randolph was featured in a supporting role. The Falcon's Brother, the only one to feature two Falcons, was directed by Stanley Logan.

<i>The Gay Falcon</i> 1941 film by Irving Reis

The Gay Falcon is a 1941 B film, the first in a series of 16 films about a suave detective nicknamed The Falcon. Intended to replace the earlier The Saint detective series, the first film took its title from the lead character, Gay Laurence. George Sanders was cast in the title role; he had played The Saint in the prior RKO series. He was teamed again with Wendy Barrie who had been with him in three previous Saint films. The first four films starred Sanders as Gay Lawrence and the rest featured Tom Conway, Sanders' real-life brother, as Tom Lawrence, brother of Gay.

<i>Two OClock Courage</i> 1945 film by Anthony Mann

Two O'Clock Courage is a 1945 American film noir directed by Anthony Mann and written by Robert E. Kent, based on a novel by Gelett Burgess. The drama features Tom Conway and Ann Rutherford. It is a remake of Two in the Dark (1936).

<i>Honeymoon</i> (1947 film) 1947 comedy film by William Keighley

Honeymoon is a 1947 American comedy film directed by William Keighley, starring Shirley Temple, Guy Madison and Franchot Tone.

<i>Adventure in Baltimore</i> 1949 film by Richard Wallace

Adventure in Baltimore is a 1949 American drama film directed by Richard Wallace and starring Robert Young and Shirley Temple. Dinah Sheldon is a student at an exclusive girls' school who starts campaigning for women's rights. Her minister father and her boyfriend Tom Wade do not approve.

<i>The Falcon Strikes Back</i> 1943 film

The Falcon Strikes Back is a 1943 American crime film directed by Edward Dmytryk and stars Tom Conway as the title character, the amateur sleuth, the Falcon. Supporting roles are filled by Harriet Hilliard, Jane Randolph, Edgar Kennedy, with Cliff Edwards filling in for Allen Jenkins as the Falcon's sidekick, "Goldie" Locke. It is the fifth film in the Falcon series and the second for Conway, reprising the role that his brother, George Sanders had initiated.

<i>Girl of the Rio</i> 1932 film

Girl of the Rio is a 1932 American pre-Code RKO musical film starred Dolores del Río and Leo Carrillo. Directed by Herbert Brenon, the screenplay was written by Elizabeth Meehan and Louis Stevens, based on the play, The Dove by Willard Mack, which was itself based on a magazine article by Gerald Beaumont. The film is a remake of the 1927 silent film, The Dove, starring Norma Talmadge.

<i>The Falcon in Hollywood</i> 1944 film by Gordon Douglas

The Falcon in Hollywood is a 1944 crime film directed by Gordon Douglas and stars Tom Conway in his recurring role as a suave amateur sleuth, supported by Barbara Hale, Jean Brooks, and Rita Corday. The film was the 10th of 16 in Falcon detective series.

<i>The Falcons Adventure</i> 1946 film by William A. Berke

The Falcon's Adventure is a 1946 American mystery film directed by William Berke and starring Tom Conway, Madge Meredith and Edward Brophy. It is the 13th of 16 films about the Falcon and the final film of RKO's Falcon series starring Conway. It was directed by William Berke, who had served as producer for the previous entry in the series, 1946's The Falcon's Alibi.

<i>The Falcon and the Co-eds</i> 1943 film by William Clemens

The Falcon and the Co-eds is a 1943 film under the direction of William Clemens, and produced by Maurice Geraghty, the same team that had worked on The Falcon in Danger (1943) and would stay together for the next film in the Falcon series. The Falcon and the Co-eds was the seventh of 16 in the Falcon series. The story and screenplay was by Ardel Wray, a frequent collaborator with Val Lewton in his RKO horror series, who added supernatural elements to the proceedings.

<i>The Falcon in San Francisco</i> 1945 film by Joseph H. Lewis

The Falcon in San Francisco is a 1945 American crime and mystery film directed by Joseph H. Lewis and stars Tom Conway, Rita Corday and Edward Brophy, who played the recurring role of "Goldie" Locke. The film was the 11th in The Falcon series of detective films, and the eighth featuring Conway as the amateur sleuth. The Falcon in San Francisco was the final film in the series produced by Maurice Geraghty, after which budgets were reduced and location shooting largely abandoned.

<i>The Falcon in Danger</i> 1943 film by William Clemens

The Falcon in Danger is a 1943 American mystery film directed by William Clemens and starring Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Amelita Ward and Elaine Shepard. The film was the sixth of thirteen The Falcon detective films produced by RKO, all starring Conway.

<i>The Falcon Out West</i> 1944 film by William Clemens

The Falcon Out West is a 1944 American mystery film directed by William Clemens and starring Tom Conway, Joan Barclay and Barbara Hale. The film was part of RKO's The Falcon series of detective films, this time, a murder set in Texas.

<i>Appointment with Murder</i> 1948 American crime film

Appointment with Murder is a 1948 American crime film directed by Jack Bernhard and starring John Calvert, Catherine Craig and Jack Reitzen. The film is one of three made by the low-budget Film Classics company featuring Calvert as The Falcon who had previously been played by George Sanders and Tom Conway for RKO.

<i>Search for Danger</i> 1949 film by Jack Bernhard

Search for Danger is a 1949 American crime film directed by Jack Bernhard and starring John Calvert, Albert Dekker and Myrna Dell. The film was the last of three made by the low-budget Film Classics company featuring Calvert as The Falcon who had previously been played by George Sanders and Tom Conway for RKO. The film's art direction was by Boris Leven.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Although not identified, key sequences of the film were shot in Mexico.

Citations

  1. ↑ Jewell and Harbin 1982, p. 196.
  2. ↑ Pitts p. 105, 2015
  3. ↑ "Original print information: 'The Falcon in Mexico'." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: September 6, 2016.
  4. ↑ Smith, Richard Harlans. "Articles: 'The Falcon in Mexico'." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: September 6, 2016.
  5. ↑ Pym 2004, p. 377.

Bibliography

  • Jewell, Richard and Vernon Harbin. The RKO Story. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. ISBN   978-0-7064-1285-7.
  • Pitts, Michael R. RKO Radio Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1929-1956 McFarland, 3 Apr. 2015
  • Pym, John, ed. Time Out Film Guide. London: Time Out Guides Limited, 2004. ISBN   978-0-14101-354-1.

External list

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.