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''The Falcon in Hollywood'' is a 1944
crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
directed by Gordon Douglas and stars
Tom Conway Tom Conway (born Thomas Charles Sanders, 15 September 1904 – 22 April 1967) was a British film, television, and radio actor remembered for playing private detectives (including The Falcon, Sherlock Holmes, Bulldog Drummond, and The Saint) ...
in his recurring role as a suave amateur sleuth, supported by
Barbara Hale Barbara Hale (April 18, 1922 – January 26, 2017) was an American actress who portrayed legal secretary Della Street in the dramatic television series ''Perry Mason (1957 TV series), Perry Mason'' (1957–1966), earning her a 1959 Emmy Award f ...
and
Veda Ann Borg Veda Ann Borg (January 11, 1915 – August 16, 1973) was an American film and television actress. Early years Born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Gottfried Borg, a Swedish immigrant, and Minna Noble, Borg became a model in 1936 before winni ...
. The film was the 10th of 16 in
Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...
detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...
series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...
.


Plot

While on vacation in Los Angeles, Tom Lawrence, aka The Falcon, meets Inspector McBride at the
Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to the ...
, asking him about casino owner Louie Buchanan. Lawrence helped put Buchanan away but does not know his present whereabouts. Returning to his seat, Lawrence finds Buchanan standing behind him. Seated next to Tom is actress Lili D'Allio. When she leaves to make a bet, Peggy Callahan sits down in her spot; when she departs, she takes Lili's purse by mistake. Tom hails a cab, driven by wisecracking Billie Atkins to try to catch up to Callahan, an actress at the Sunset Studio. Hearing a gunshot, Lawrence rushes to a deserted
sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or ...
, where he finds a corpse; he notices a large, unusual ring on the dead man's finger. When he brings a studio guard, the body is not there. After stumbling across the body, missing the ring, in a prop room, Atkins identifies the deceased as leading man Ted Miles, who was married to Roxanna, the studio's costume designer. Bringing autocratic
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
Alec Hoffman, whom she says she will marry, Roxanna exhibits no emotion when shown her former husband's body. Everything seems to be tied to a current production produced by neurotic studio executive Martin Dwyer. Accompanied by Atkins, the Falcon pokes around the studio. Suspects are starlet Peggy Callahan, haughty prima donna Lili D'Alio and Louie Buchanan. Police Inspector McBride questions Dwyer, who seems to have a rock-solid alibi, until his gun shows up in the model shop, hidden in a plaster head. When he states he reported his gun as stolen weeks ago, suspicion falls on Hoffman, who is arrested but gets out on bail. The "jinxed" film goes back into production. As instructed, Callahan shoots Hoffman with a prop gun in a scene, unaware that it has been loaded with live ammunition. Hoffman is badly wounded. While McBride questions the crew about the shooting, Lawrence finds Callahan and Buchanan conferring in secret, with Buchanan promising to deliver the killer the next day at the
Los Angeles Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a me ...
. Callahan holds Lawrence at gunpoint, allowing Buchanan to escape. Buchanan arrives as promised, but dies on the steps. Tom finds a poisoned ring on his finger, identical to the one he saw on Miles. With the police homing in on him, Dwyer makes a break for it. In a studio
soundstage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or ...
, he and Lawrence engage in a furious gun battle. Dwyer is shot and falls to his death. Lawrence concludes that Dwyer has sold each of eight investors a 25% interest in the film. He then tried to sabotage the film so he would not have to pay them off. However, when the director and cast started making a good film despite his efforts, Dwyer resorted to homicide. He murdered Ted Miles and Louie Buchanan because they knew too much.


Cast

*
Tom Conway Tom Conway (born Thomas Charles Sanders, 15 September 1904 – 22 April 1967) was a British film, television, and radio actor remembered for playing private detectives (including The Falcon, Sherlock Holmes, Bulldog Drummond, and The Saint) ...
as Tom Lawrence *
Barbara Hale Barbara Hale (April 18, 1922 – January 26, 2017) was an American actress who portrayed legal secretary Della Street in the dramatic television series ''Perry Mason (1957 TV series), Perry Mason'' (1957–1966), earning her a 1959 Emmy Award f ...
as Peggy Callahan *
Veda Ann Borg Veda Ann Borg (January 11, 1915 – August 16, 1973) was an American film and television actress. Early years Born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Gottfried Borg, a Swedish immigrant, and Minna Noble, Borg became a model in 1936 before winni ...
as Billie Atkins *
John Abbott Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (March 12, 1821 – October 30, 1893) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party. Abbot ...
as Martin S. Dwyer *
Sheldon Leonard Sheldon Leonard Bershad (February 22, 1907 – January 11, 1997) was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. Early life Sheldon Leonard Bershad was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of middle-clas ...
as Louie Buchanan *
Konstantin Shayne Konstantin Shayne (born Konstantin Veniaminovich Olkenitski; russian: Константин Вениаминович Олькеницкий, November 29, 1888 – November 15, 1974) was a Russian-American actor. Biography Shayne was born in Kha ...
as Alec Hoffman *
Emory Parnell Emory Parnell (December 29, 1892 – June 22, 1979) was an American vaudeville performer and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36-year career. Early years Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Parnell trained as a musician at Morningside ...
as Inspector McBride *
Frank Jenks Frank Jenks (November 4, 1902 – May 13, 1962) was an acid-voiced American supporting actor of stage and films. Biography Early years Jenks was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and his mother gave him a trombone when he was 9 years old. By his ...
as Lieutenant Higgins *
Jean Brooks Jean Brooks (born Ruby Matilda Kelly; December 23, 1915November 25, 1963) was an American film actress and singer who appeared in over thirty films. Though she never achieved major stardom in Hollywood, she had several prominent roles in the ea ...
as Roxanna Miles *
Rita Corday Rita Corday (born Jeanne Paule Teipo-Ite-Marma Croset; October 20, 1920 – November 23, 1992) was an American actress. She appeared in 30 films during the 1940s and 1950s. She was sometimes billed as Paula Corday or Paule Croset. Biography ...
as Lili D'Allio * Walter Soderling as Ed Johnson * Useff Ali as Mohammed Nogari *
Robert Clarke Robert Irby Clarke (June 1, 1920 – June 11, 2005) was an American actor best known for his cult classic science fiction films of the 1950s. Early life Clarke was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He decided at an early age that h ...
as Perc Saunders * Carl Kent as Art director * Gwen Crawford as Secretary * Patti Brill as Secretary * Bryant Washburn as Actor's agent *
Sammy Blum Sammy Blum (May 25, 1889 – June 1, 1945) was an American character actor whose career spanned both the silent and talking film eras. Born in New York City, over the almost 30 years he was in the film industry, he would appear in almost 50 fi ...
as Actor's agent * Greta Christensen as Girl *
Margie Stewart Margie Stewart (December 14, 1919 – April 26, 2012) was the official United States Army poster girl during World War II. She appeared on twelve posters, of which a total of 94 million copies were distributed. She was born in Wabash, Ind ...
as Girl * Virginia Belmont as Girl * Nancy Marlow as Mail clerk *
Chris Drake Chris Drake (born James Christian Droste, December 11, 1923 – July 9, 2006) was an American actor best known for his co-star role of the 1950s television series ''Sheena, Queen of the Jungle'', in which he co-starred with Irish McCalla. Earl ...
as Assistant cameraman * Jimmy Jordan as Operator * George De Normand as Truck driver * Perc Launders as Zoller * Jacques Lory as Musician * Chili Williams as Beautiful blonde *
Chester Clute Chester Lamont Clute (February 18, 1891 – April 2, 1956) was an American actor familiar in scores of Hollywood films from his debut in 1930. Diminutive, bald-pated with a bristling moustache, he appeared in mostly unbilled roles, consi ...
as Hotel manager


Production

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...
studios doubled for the fictional Sunset Studio in ''The Falcon in Hollywood''.


Reception

In his review of ''The Falcon in Hollywood'',
Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...
wrote, in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', "A mild intra-mural excursion around a movie studio is the only intriguing feature of RKO's 'The Falcon in Hollywood,' latest in the well-worn mystery series, which came to the Rialto yesterday. For otherwise this obvious whodunnit about murder on a studio set is just another indifferent workout for Tom Conway as the suave, intuitive sleuth. The backgrounds of picture-making are uncommonly interesting and lead one to wonder sharply why they haven't been used to more avail. But the story itself is as feeble and hackneyed as a prop telephone."Crowther, Bosley (B.C.)
"Movie review: The screen."
''The New York Times'', December 9, 1944.
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."Pym 2004, p. 377.


References


Notes


Citations


Bibliography

* Jewell, Richard and Vernon Harbin. ''The RKO Story.'' New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. . * Pym, John, ed. ''Time Out Film Guide''. London: Time Out Guides Limited, 2004. .


External list

*
''The Falcon in Hollywood''
at
IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
* *
Review of film
at ''Variety'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Falcon in Hollywood 1944 films RKO Pictures films 1944 crime drama films American crime drama films American black-and-white films The Falcon (film character) films Films directed by Gordon Douglas 1940s American films