The Falcon’s Adventure ** (1946, Tom Conway, Madge Meredith, Edward Brophy, Robert Warwick, Myrna Dell, Steve Brodie, Ian Wolfe) – Classic Movie Review 3220

‘Death-Ring Stalks Diamond Queen In Miami-Manhattan Murder Axis!’

You’ve got to agree with our sleuthing hero Tom Lawrence aka The Falcon (Tom Conway) when he says ‘Racing dogs and industrial diamonds – that’s a strange combination!’ in his final adventure, the 13th movie in the original Falcon series, which began in 1941 with The Gay Falcon starring George Sanders. And, more mundanely: ‘You’ve been skating on ice for a long time, I knew it would break under you some day.’

But here, story-wise in the screenplay by Aubrey Wisberg and Robert E Kent, it’s par for the course when The Falcon saves scientist’s daughter Louise Braganza (Madge Meredith) from kidnappers who want her father’s secret formula for making synthetic diamonds in this remake of an earlier entry, A Date with the Falcon (1942), the second in the franchise that had starred Conway’s brother George Sanders as Gay Lawrence aka The Falcon.

As usual, the simple-minded police suspect the Falcon of murder when Louise’s father is killed, the Falcon flees off somewhere (in this case to Miami, Florida) to establish his innocence, and the cops are astonished when it turns out he can prove his innocence and the real killer’s guilt.

Director William A Berke’s 1946 RKO B-movie mystery thriller is passable, quite entertaining stuff, though understandably there are clear signs of exhaustion at this stage of the series with re-treading and repeating material.

Edward Brophy (February 27 1895 – May 27 1960) re-appears one final time in the series of 13, as the Falcon’s buddy Goldie Locke. Short, balding and raucous, he played dumb cops and gangsters, but was best known for his roles in the Falcon film series.

Also in the cast are Robert Warwick, Myrna Dell, Steve Brodie, Ian Wolfe, Carol Forman, Joseph Crehan as Inspector Cavanaugh, Phil Warren, Tony Barrett, Harry Harvey, Jason Robards Sr and Robert Bray.

After this, three more films followed, starring John Calvert as Michael Waring aka The Falcon: Devil’s Cargo (1948), Appointment with Murder (1948) and Search for Danger (1949).

Tragedy surrounded star Madge Meredith when she was convicted and sentenced to prison for five years to life on June 30 1947 for complicity in an assault of her former manager, Nicholas D Gianaclis and his bodyguard Verne V Davis. In March 1951, the California Assembly Interim Committee on Crime and Corrections issued an official report concluding that Meredith had been framed. After she was released from Tehachapi prison in March 1951, the court ordered that she receive back ownership of her home from Gianaclis, who was found to have set her up to gain ownership of her home.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 3220

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