''The Falcon in Mexico'' is a 1944 film directed by

William Berke William A. Berke (born October 3, 1903 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – died February 15, 1958 in Los Angeles, California) was an American film director, producer, actor and screenwriter. He wrote, directed, and/or produced some 200 films over a ...

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

Mona Maris Mona Maris (born Mona Maria Emita Capdeville or Maria Rosa Amita Capdeville, November 7, 1903 – March 23, 1991) was an Argentine film actress. Early life Mona Maris was born Mona Maria Emita Capdeville. Some sources spell her last name as C ...

and

Martha Vickers Martha Vickers (born Martha MacVicar; May 28, 1925 – November 2, 1971) was an American model and actress. Early life Vickers was born Martha MacVicar in Ann Arbor, Michigan; her father was an automobile dealer. She began her career as a mo ...

. 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 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

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 ...

. The film features many second unit sequences filmed in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

; the latter scenes from

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

's aborted film '' It's All True''.

Plot

Tom Lawrence (

), aka the Falcon, helps Dolores Ybarra (Cecilia Callejo) 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 ( Bryant Washburn) 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 (

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 ...

), 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 (

Nestor Paiva Nestor Paiva (June 30, 1905 – September 9, 1966) was an American actor of Portuguese descent. He is most famous for his recurring role of Teo Gonzales the innkeeper in Walt Disney's Spanish Western series ''Zorro'' and its feature film ''The ...

) and his son, Pancho (Fernando Alvarado) 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 (Joseph Vitale) who warns Tom to leave Barbara alone and get out of Mexico. At the inn, desk clerk Paula Dudley (Mary Currier), 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 ( Pedro de Cordoba), 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

as Tom Lawrence *

as Raquel *

as Barbara Wade * Bryant Washburn as Humphrey Wade, artist *

as Manuel Romero * Fernando Alvarado as Pancho Romero * Joseph Vitale as Anton * Mary Currier as Paula Dudley * Cecilia Callejo as Dolores Ybarra *

as James Winthrop "Lucky Diamond" Hughes * Pedro de Cordoba as Don Carlos Ybarra *

George Lewis George Lewis may refer to: Entertainment and art * George B. W. Lewis (1818–1906), circus rider and theatre manager in Australia * George E. Lewis (born 1952), American composer and free jazz trombonist * George J. Lewis (1903–1995), Mexica ...

as Mexican detective *

Julian Rivero Julian Rivero (July 25, 1890 – February 24, 1976) was an American actor whose career spanned seven decades. He made his film debut in the 1923 silent melodrama, '' The Bright Shawl'', which starred Richard Barthelmess, Dorothy Gish, William Pow ...

as Mexican doctor * Juanita Alvarez as Singer * Ruth Alvarez as Singer * Alan Ward as Ajax policeman * Sherry Hall as Ajax policeman *

Wheaton Chambers James Wheaton Chambers (October 13, 1887 – January 31, 1958) was an American actor during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. He appeared in more than 200 films and television series during his career. Early years Chambers was born on October 13, 18 ...

as Jarvis * Chester Carlisle as Grenville *

Bert Moorhouse Bert Moorhouse (sometimes incorrectly billed as Bert Moorehouse) (November 20, 1894 – January 26, 1954) was an American character actor whose career began at the very tail end of the silent era, and lasted through the mid-1950s. Biography Bo ...

as Detective Marks * Frank Mayo as Inspector O'Shea * Frank O'Connor as Police officer * Greta Christensen as Isabel * Nina Campana as Duenna * Chiche Baru as Senorita * Lorraine Rivero as Headwaitress * Iris Bynam as Maid * Dorothy Olivero as Maid * Theodore Rand as Dance specialty * Geneva Hall as Dance specialty

Production

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

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." 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. . * 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. .

External list

*
''The Falcon in Mexico profile''
imdb.com; accessed March 10, 2014. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Falcon In Mexico 1944 films RKO Pictures films 1944 crime drama films American black-and-white films Films directed by William A. Berke Films scored by Leigh Harline Films set in Mexico Films shot in Brazil Films shot in Mexico American crime drama films The Falcon (film character) films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films