utgard14 Good entry in the Falcon series that features the return of sidekick Goldie Locke. No, it's not Allen Jenkins, unfortunately. This time Goldie is played by Edward Brophy. He's not quite as good as Jenkins but he's fun in his way. Tom Conway certainly benefits from having someone to play off of. The plot to this one has the Falcon vacationing in San Francisco when he tries to help a little girl and gets mixed up in a plot involving murder and a mystery surrounding a former bootlegger. Good supporting cast includes Robert Armstrong, Fay Helm, and Jason Robards, Sr. Rita Corday returns for another Falcon movie, again playing a new character. Child actor Sharyn Moffett is very cute. This is an entertaining film in a series that had started to look like it was on its last legs when the Falcon was rambling around Texas and Mexico.

jacobs-greenwood Some familiar actors return to the series in this one, though not in recurring roles. Edward Brophy (who appeared in the first Falcon film as a detective, and is a fairly recognizable character actor in his own right) plays Goldie, and Rita Corday appears in her fifth (out of six total) film in the series, though never as the same character. And, missing from this film are the police inspector and his detective.The Falcon (Tom Conway) and Goldie are taking a train to San Francisco for a vacation from crime solving (discussing ways for Goldie to reduce his income taxes by getting married) when a dog interrupts them. Shortly thereafter, a little girl named Annie (Sharyn Moffett), the dog's owner, joins them saying that she must get back to Mrs. Peabody (Esther Howard). She goes on to tell them that she and her older sister are more or less "held captive" in their own home by Mrs. Peabody, her nursemaid, and Loomis (Jason Robards Sr.). The nursemaid appears saying that she hopes Annie hasn't been telling them any of her (tall) tales, and escorts her away. Mrs. Peabody is later found dead on the train.Since Annie is now without a guardian, the Falcon decides to help her get home. A man named Peter Vantine (John Mylong) sees the two of them leaving the station in a cab and phones the police to report a kidnapping. The police catch up to the cab and take the Falcon in for questioning. But they only detain him briefly because Doreen Temple (Fay Helm), a woman unknown to the Falcon, posts his bail. Shortly thereafter, aided by some thugs, Ms. Temple questions him about Peter Vantine (e.g. did he kill Mrs. Peabody on the train?). The Falcon says that, though he suspected that the nursemaid could have been murdered, he'd never even heard Vantine's name before she mentioned it. Not believing him, she has her thugs beat him up and drive him around San Francisco before dropping him out of the car.The Falcon recovers and goes to Annie's house and the door is answered by Loomis. But, before he can be turned away, he meets the little girl's sister Joan (Ms. Corday) and gets a different story from her than the one Annie told about being "held captive" in their house. However, later that night, the Falcon returns with Goldie. Then, with Annie's assistance, they gain access to the former nursemaid's room, finding a photo of man with Star Coastal Lines. Loomis hears a noise, enters the room, and is shot by someone who (unbeknownst to the others) was also in the room. The Falcon and Goldie return Annie to her room and escape, unseen by Joan, before the police arrive.Back at their hotel, the Falcon and Goldie are interrupted by Vantine, who barges in on them with a gun. Quickly, the Falcon disarms him and they learn from Vantine that he has been tracking Doreen Temple, who he believes is working with Duke Manet, a smuggler thought to be dead. This leads the Falcon to visit the offices of Star Coastal Lines where he meets Mr. De Forrest (Robert Armstrong), learns the name of a ship soon arriving at port, and more.During the rest of the film, several familiar plot devices from the series are incorporated including an identity revelation, a double cross, more people are shot and/or found dead, and the Falcon is captured by (and escapes from) the "bad guys" again. Of course, the Falcon figures it all out and everything ends well as usual. This film has no lead in to the next film in the series.

bkoganbing Tom Conway and retainer Ed Brophy are on their way to San Francisco on a train when they make the acquaintance of young Sharyn Moffett. The Falcon charm work on women of all ages and the little girl asks for his help saying she's become a prisoner in her own home. Her rather severe nurse is later murdered on the train and the Falcon and the always helpful Goldie Locke are involved.Besides Moffett this caper will involve her older sister Rita Corday, a former bootlegger from Prohibition days Robert Armstrong, a Dutch importer John Mylong and a poor man's Gale Sondergaard Fay Helm.This is one of the bloodiest Falcon episodes that RKO did. A whole lot of people die in this one, especially in an incredibly bloody climax.Conway is charming as usual and Brophy provides much needed comic relief in this story. Still even his relief was too much. He reads that he can pay less income tax when married and starts coming on to every woman he sees with inevitable results. Now if Conway had done it...........

Jim Tritten About average for the Tom Lawrence version of the Falcon series. Edward Brophy does his usual sidekick role well, Rita Corday is nice to look at, Sharyn Moffett does her best as Shirley Temple, there is a reasonable plot, a few good shots of an older San Francisco, and not much else to recommend. Best for those who must see the entire Falcon series.