''The Falcon Out West'' (aka ''The Falcon in Texas'') is a 1944 American

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

directed by William Clemens and starring

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) ...

, Joan Barclay and

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'' (1957–1966), earning her a 1959 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting A ...

. The film was part of RKO's The Falcon series of detective films, this time, a murder set in Texas.

Plot

When Mrs. Irwin ( Joan Barclay), asks Tom Lawrence (

), aka the Falcon, to prevent the marriage of her ex-husband, Tex Irwin (

Lyle Talbot Lyle Florenz Talbot (born Lisle Henderson, also credited Lysle Talbot; February 8, 1902 – March 2, 1996) was an American stage, screen and television actor. His career in films spanned three decades, from 1931 to 1960, and he performed on ...

) to his fiancée, gold digger Vanessa Drake (Carole Gallagher), The Falcon becomes involved in murder. Rich cattle baron Irwin is murdered in a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

nightclub, dying from the venom of a rattlesnake. When suspicion falls on various members of his family and business associates, The Falcon and the police, led by Police Inspector Timothy Donovan (Cliff Clark) and his assistant, Homicide Detective Bates (

Edward Gargan Edward Gargan (July 17, 1902 – February 19, 1964) was an American film and television actor. Career He was born of Irish parents in Brooklyn, New York. He was the elder brother of actor William Gargan. As soon as he had left college, he wen ...

) travel west following Vanessa, to the Irwin

ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most ofte ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

to try and solve the mystery. At the ranch, when Lawrence is out riding, someone takes a pot shot at him and when Tex's lawyer Steven Hayden ( Donald Douglas) is killed in the same way that Tex died, a snake bite, there are many suspicious individuals to consider. Dusty, Tex's foreman was in the nightclub when Tex had died. Tex's partner, Dave Colby (

Minor Watson Minor Watson (December 22, 1889 – July 28, 1965) was a prominent character actor. He appeared in 111 movies made between 1913 and 1956. His credits included '' Boys Town'' (1938), ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' (1942), '' Kings Row'' (1942), '' Guad ...

) and his daughter Marion (

) and Vanessa, and Mrs. Irwin, who turns up at the ranch, are all suspect. An Indian scalp is hung on Lawrence's door as a

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in ...

death warning for him not to go on with the investigation. An apparent attack on Vanessa complicates matters. With Mrs. Irwin and the Colbys trying to stop her marriage, the police focus on Colby as the main suspect, but the Falcon is not sure. When Lawrence finds an Indian medicine bag containing the deed to Tex's ranch and a poison ring in the shape of a snake, he knows how the murders were committed. Confronting Vanessa, she tries to use a poison ring to stab Lawrence but Dusty intervenes, pulling a gun on the Falcon. Dusty had been Vanessa's love interest and now reveals himself as her accomplice in murder. Colby's ranch hands and the police surround the house forcing the two killers to surrender. At the train station, Tom and Marion watch Donovan and Bates board their train when a beautiful woman steps from the train and asks for help.

Cast

as Tom Lawrence, aka the Falcon * Carole Gallagher as Vanessa Drake *

as Marion Colby * Joan Barclay as Mrs. Irwin *

Cliff Clark Cliff Clark (June 10, 1889 – February 8, 1953) was an American actor. He entered the film business in 1937 after a substantial stage career and appeared in over 200 Hollywood films. In the last years of his life, he also played in a numb ...

as Police Inspector Timothy Donovan *

as Homicide Detective Bates *

as Dave Colby * Donald Douglas as Attorney Steven Hayden *

as Tex Irwin * Lee Trent as "Dusty" * Perc Launders as "Red" *

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 Sheriff * Chief Thunderbird as Eagle Feather * Tom Burton as Photographer * Steve Winston as Cowboy *

Slim Whitaker Charles Orbie "Slim" Whitaker (July 29, 1893 – June 27, 1960) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 340 films between 1914 and 1949. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and died in Los Angeles, California, from a heart at ...

as Cowboy * Harry Clay as Hall * Robert Andersen as Wally Waldron * Edmund Glover as Frank Daley * Mary Halsey as Cissy * Daun Kennedy as Gloria *

Rosemary LaPlanche Rosemary E. LaPlanche (October 11, 1923 – May 6, 1979) was an American beauty queen and actress. She won Miss California three years in a row (1939-1941), and won Miss America in 1941. Early life LaPlanche moved to southern California fr ...

as Mary * Chef Milani as Manager * Elaine Riley as Cigarette girl * Lawrence Tierney as Orchestra leader * Shirley O'Hara as Hat check girl * Patti Brill as Hat check girl * Edward Clark as Coroner * Joe Cody as Toni *

Bert Roach Egbert "Bert" Roach (August 21, 1891 – February 16, 1971) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 320 films between 1914 and 1951. He was born in Washington, D.C., and died in Los Angeles, California, age 79. Selected filmogr ...

as Charlie * Norman Willis as Callahan * Kernan Cripps as Murphy * William Nestell as Chef * Zedra Conde as Carlita * Norman Mayes as Pullman porter

Production

The working title of this film was "The Falcon in Texas" with principal photography taking place from October 4 to early November 1943.''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' initially listed Richard Martin,

Russell Wade Russell Wade (June 22, 1917 – December 9, 2006) was an American actor. Life and career Russell Wade was born on June 21, 1917, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He signed an RKO contract in 1942. Having appeared in 80 films, his last one was ' ...

, Bruce Edwards,

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 ...

, Margaret Landry, Dorothy Maloney and Barbara Lynn in the cast.

Reception

In his review of ''The Falcon Out West'',

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 ...

'', "Anything for variety—that seems to be the policy of RKO with reference to its gentleman sleuth, the Falcon, hero of a long series of films. Now, for his latest adventure, flatly titled 'The Falcon Out West' —just so none of the customers is likely to be confused—the producers have meshed a whodunnit with Western atmosphere. The result is schematically novel; in other respects, it is old, familiar stuff. ... in the wide open spaces, where crooners and stock Indians roam, the Falcon goes through his old routine of spotting the guilty one. Tom Conway is still the dapper Falcon, Carole Gallagher and Barbara Hale are girls in the case, and Cliff Clark and Ed Gargan are, as usual, the dumb, uncooperative cops." Film historians Richard Jewell and Vernon Harbin described ''The Falcon Out West'', as "... sleuthing with standard horse-opera clichés including ambushes, runaway stagecoaches and chase scenes." The problem with the film was that Tom Conway was no longer nonchalant, but simply, "bored". 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

* Drew, Bernard A. ''Motion Picture Series and Sequels: A Reference Guide''. London: Routledge, 2013. . * 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 links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Falcon Out West, The 1944 films American mystery films American black-and-white films 1944 mystery films Films scored by Roy Webb Films directed by William Clemens RKO Pictures films Films set in New York City Films set in Texas Poisoning in film The Falcon (film character) films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films