jacobs-greenwood The twelfth film in the Falcon seriesAlthough Rita Corday portrays a character named Joan, like she did in the previous Falcon film, this time her last name is Meredith (not Marshall), in her sixth (and final) appearance in the series. Vincent Barnett plays Goldie. A couple of known actors also appear: Jane Greer and Elisha Cook Jr., as well as several actors that appeared in earlier Falcon films, Esther Howard, Jason Robards Sr., and Emory Parnell.The film begins at a racetrack, where the Falcon (Tom Conway) and Goldie meet a rich woman, Gloria Peabody (Ms. Howard, who played a different Mrs. Peabody in the previous Falcon film) and her entourage including Joan (Ms. Corday), her personal assistant, and Harvey Beaumont (Robards Sr.). They are being closely monitored by Metcalf (Mr. Parnell), an insurance man who (in lieu of the police, in this film) serves as the comic foil for the Falcon and his sidekick. Metcalf, who recently paid Mrs. Peabody a large settlement for some jewels which were stolen, suspects Joan had something to do with it. At Joan's urging, the Falcon and Goldie join the group, which is celebrating Mrs. Peabody's 37th (ha!) birthday party, when it moves to her hotel.Ms. Greer's character, Lola Carpenter, is introduced as a singer at the hotel, where there is also a radio station on the penthouse level. The station's late night disc jockey, Nick (Cook Jr.), is secretly married to Lola. We (though none of the characters in the film) see Nick returning to the station through the fire escape shortly after a man is murdered in Mrs. Peabody's suite, where it turns out her pearls were stolen. The police inspector (Al Bridge, a familiar character actor), with input from Metcalf, suspects the Falcon until Joan vouches for him. The Falcon and Goldie are later shot at (for no apparent reason, other than it kind of helps the plot later) from the fire escape outside their hotel room window.The next day while relaxing by the pool with Lola, the Falcon discovers that the 11 carat ring she's wearing, which she believes is fake, is actually real. Shortly thereafter, while lunching with Mrs. Peabody et al, the Falcon arranges for Goldie to cause a smudge fire in Beaumont's hotel room to witness, surreptitiously, that he has the pearls hidden in a false book in his room. The Falcon decides to take the pearls to "smoke out" the fence, whom he presumes (correctly) is the nightclub operator. After denying he is the fence, the nightclub operator has the Falcon tailed. But the Falcon suspects this, and mails the pearls to himself to avoid losing them.The mailed pearls arrive about the same time the police inspector visits the Falcon's hotel room. However, when they go to question Beaumont about them, it's discovered that he's been killed. So, naturally, the Falcon is arrested. After showing the police inspector how clever he is, especially in comparison to his accuser Metcalf, the Falcon is given 24 hours to solve the crimes or face the charges himself.The Falcon discovers the connection between Lola and the disc jockey, as well as another secret relationship. Another person is murdered, and the Falcon is again a suspect. But, of course, he escapes and arrives just in time to save the day.The film ends with an unnecessary twist, and no lead in to the next (and last) film in the series.

l_rawjalaurence For fans of Hollywood 'B' Movies during the so-called 'Golden Years,' the identity of the murderer in Ray McCarey's thriller should be obvious from the start. Like most of the major studios, RKO tended to cast actors in specific character roles; and this film proves no exception.Nonetheless THE FALCON'S ALIBI does contain some incidental pleasures on the way to the resolution of a complicated plot involving counterfeit pearls, three murders and a so-called 'sophisticated' middle-aged lady (Esther Howard) who turns out not to be quite what she seems. There is a considerable amount of comic by-play involving the Falcon (Tom Conway) and his sidekick Goldie (Vince Barnett): Barnett plays Goldie as a fast-talking New Yorker who can neither make sense of the situation in hand nor comprehend the Falcon's motives. Nonetheless he proves a useful person to have around - especially when the Falcon hatches a plan for discovering the whereabouts of the missing pearls.Conway gives a mannered performance as the eponymous hero - sometimes his gestures are a little telegraphed, as a means of registering various emotions, but he retains the kind of insouciance that enables him to cope with ticklish situations, especially when Detective Williams (Edmund Cobb) accuses him of murder. We know that he will escape the officer's clutches, but it's fun to see the intrigues he concocts in order to plan the escape.Like all 'B' Movies, McCarey directs THE FALCON'S ALIBI in brisk fashion, combining studio settings with stock footage (of cars driving along the San Francisco streets). There are at least two musical interludes (RKO believed in trying to attract all types of film-goer to its 'B'-fare), pleasantly delivered by Lola Carpenter (played by the youthful Jane Greer). McCarey also has an ingenious means of using the songs to bridge the transitions between the musical interludes talking place on a night-club stage and the scenes of intrigue in Lola's dressing-room and its environs.This was the twelfth entry in the Falcon series; by the mid-Forties, it was becoming a little repetitive in terms of plot and characterization. Nonetheless THE FALCON'S ALIBI is still worth a look, if only for the amount of action, incident and music that it packs into its hour- long running-time.

dougdoepke The Falcon and Goldie get mixed up with stolen jewelry and a series of mysterious murders surrounding the disappearance.The movie's a brisk, better than average entry in the Falcon series, with a good little mystery, understated humor, and a drop-dead sexy Jane Greer. In fact, where else can you see creepy little noir icon Elisha Cook actually smooching with a gorgeous noir vamp like Greer. Then too, Cook gets an unusually assertive role here that he plays to the hilt. I really like the way his character uses his all-night radio program as a cover. It's a good little glimpse of old time radio. Also, watch for the slatternly Esther Howard (Mrs. Peabody) playing an uptown lady for once, that is, until her final scene. Of course, Conway, Corday, and Barnett are their usual reliable selves in this solid Falcon entry.

Jim Tritten Tom Conway as the Falcon re-playing the part his brother George Sanders did in the first of this series -- The Gay Falcon -- breaking up a phony insurance scam. Supporting cast includes Rita Corday again. For some reason in this entry we see Vice Barnett playing the role of Goldie Locke that is much better done elsewhere by Edward Brophy. Best part of movie is watching Elisha Cook play the small insecure and obsessed man married to a beautiful woman -- Jane Greer. Cook gives you a glimpse of what he does better in more notable films, but his performance warrants your attention in this otherwise formula entry.