The Falcon's Brother (1942) User Reviews

Goodbye, George - Hello, Tom

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 1 January 2007]

George Sanders plays The Falcon for the last time in "The Falcon's Brother," a 1942 programmer starring Sanders, Tom Conway, and Jane Lawrence. The intricate plot focuses on a fashion house and a fashion magazine, poisoning with cigars, mistaken identity, and lots of other things in a mere 1 hour and 10 minutes or so. It's 1942, so you can also expect Nazis to be involved. "Something changed after Pearl Harbor," a character tells Gay (Sanders). "Most things," he agrees.

This film was the transition so that Sanders' real-life brother, Tom Conway, could take over the series. Sanders was somewhat smoother than his brother, more suave and handsome, but Conway was a serviceable actor, and their speaking voices were somewhat close. There was just something about Sanders that made him so good as the Falcon and the Saint - panache maybe. Both Gay and Tom go after the women like crazy in this one. Always fun and light entertainment.

One Falcon goes down, another rises.

[tico-4 · 6/10 · 22 September 2000]

Of all the Falcon movies, this is probably the most tongue-in-cheek, or just plain "corn", but engaging nevertheless, and you had better pay attention to every bit of it or you'll be lost. The main reason for the film is that George Sanders wanted out of the role (this was the fourth in the series), and stipulated that he be killed in the plot, therefore avoiding any returns in the future. His real-life brother Tom Conway, fell heir to the series and went on to make nine appearances as the Falcon. In this offering, a dead body appears almost immediately, first thought to be that of the Falcon's brother. Not so! The ship that he was supposedly on also carried an assortment of spies and shady types, who weave in and out of the plot, giving both Falcons plenty of opportunities for sleuthing and woman-chasing. After sifting through all the South Americans, Mexicans, native New Yorkers and high-society women, the original Falcon (Sanders) gives his life shielding a foreign diplomat from an assassin's bullet. Just as it seems that it's all over for Falcon lovers, and brother Tom is about to head for home, he receives a telephone threat, so he decides to stay and become the Falcon himself! Nine more movies evolved in the series, now starring Tom Conway.

Switching falcons

[robert-temple-1 · 7/10 · 5 July 2007]

This is the fourth of the Falcon films, in which both George Sanders and his real life brother Tom Conway appear. It was the occasion for the handover of the role. Sanders and Conway have many scenes together, and vie to out-do each other in suaveness and urbanity, and it is a tie. Then Sanders is knocked unconscious and spends much of the film in bed, which he doubtless found restful. At the end, Sanders sacrifices his life in the struggle against Nazism (it is after all 1942 and the plot deals with German agents) and presto, Tom Conway is and for the remaining series of films will be the Falcon. This film has a higher budget than the preceding ones (there is even a ship), the plot is complicated, it is all more solid and convincing. In fact, it is a very entertaining tale. Keye Luke has now become the falcon's butler, adding his own charm and wit to the team, and doing amusing impersonations of pidgin English (he was Chinese) when he wants to put off 'dames' who phone too often. The falcon's sidekick is now played by Don Barclay, which like the addition of Keye Luke is a great improvement. This film was edited by Mark Robson, later to be a famous director, and the improved editing shows. However, because the screenwriters have changed, all the great gags and one-liners have disappeared, there is no more crackling dialogue, and the Falcon series is no longer a laugh a minute.

Better Tom than Gay

[Spondonman · 7/10 · 6 March 2005]

This is the most Famous Falcon Film, the one where one brother gets fed up with the title role so the other brother steps in and continues the series for another 4 years. George Sanders was nearly always good in these kind of roles but personally I always preferred Tom Conway, maybe he just looked more comfortable in B pictures. I also preferred as sidekick Allen Jenkins as Goldie to Don Barclay as Lefty. The film quality isn't very good at this distance, sometimes it's so jumpy and grainy the continuity and the acting resemble Monogram more than RKO - are all extant copies from '50's TV dupes?

Basically Gay Lawrence is after the people who murdered someone supposed to be his brother Tom, for a while both are on the case before Gay becomes hors de combat. Tom has to do the detective work himself for most of the film.

The patter between the Inspector played by Cliff Clark and flatfoot Ed Gargan is repetitive but entertaining - "I'm boss. You don't mind do you?", James Gleason was also good in the role previously. Jane Randolph as the nosey reporter who doesn't seem to do much reporting is decorative but apparently unappealing to the Falcon: the solving of the crimes are everything. Not so vice versa - the Falcon would continue as a lady-killer of seismic proportions!

All in all a most enjoyable 1940's murder mystery B film, but nothing really extraordinary in a most enjoyable series of 13 up to 1946.

Get TWO for the price of ONE!!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 31 December 2006]

This is a B-movie detective film from back in the day when such series were common. While The Falcon series isn't as interesting or fun as Charlie Chan or Sherlock Holmes, it is one of the better examples of the genre. Interestingly enough, growing up I often couldn't remember if I'd just seen a Falcon film or a Saint film, as both series were produced (for the most part) by RKO and many featured George Sanders playing the same character in almost every way aside from their name! The formula and action was identical--both detectives were sophisticated rich guys who mostly dabbled in investigating crimes out of a desire to avoid boredom or meet women! From a historical standpoint, this is THE must-see film of either series, as it stars George Sanders AND his nearly identical-looking and talking real-life brother, Tom Conway--who when on to play The Falcon in nine films! It seems that George was tired of this series work and wanted out of the contract, so they decided to use his equally talented older brother--who made a smooth transition to the role. In fact, it's pretty cool to see BOTH Falcons in the same film and I really appreciated the unusual and unexpected ending (which I WON'T divulge so I'll keep it suspenseful).

Apart from Conway and Sanders, the film is also better than the average Falcon film, as the plot is very good and the supporting cast all do an excellent job of combining mystery with a light sense of humor. This isn't an intellectual or deep film, but represents a good and watchable B-movie that has held up well through the years.

George Sanders hands off Falcon role to brother Tom Conway

[csteidler · 6/10 · 29 November 2013]

George Sanders makes his last appearance as Gay Lawrence, aka the Falcon, in this fun if fairly standard B mystery. There's a corpse in an ocean liner stateroom; the victim is apparently Tom Lawrence, the Falcon's brother; Gay Lawrence goes aboard and quietly identifies the body. Not surprisingly, it's not as simple as all that.

A clever shot introduces Tom Conway as the Falcon's brother: First we watch the Falcon, just off of the ship, race off in a taxi following another taxi as the cops hop into their car to follow him. Then, over in a shadow, we see a dark figure strike a match and light a cigarette, his face lit up just for a moment before the match goes out and he is in darkness again. It's the Falcon's brother—not so dead—watching it all from the shadows.

Eventually we learn that the plot involves Nazi espionage, some South American spies, and a fashion magazine. The cast of characters includes the usual grumpy police inspector (Cliff Clark, this time, as an Inspector Donovan) and dumb assistant detective (Edward Gargan back as Detective Bates, always saying "Sorry, Chief").

Jane Randolph is lively and funny as the usual spunky girl reporter who sticks her nose in and helps out: "Well, I'm only a fashion reporter," she admits early on, "but I'll get a police beat someday!"

Conway is good as the new Falcon, stepping into the role quite confidently. Sanders, on his way out of the series, is perhaps a little less interested…but fun to watch nevertheless, especially in the couple of scenes he shares with brother Conway.

Gay bows out, Tom debuts

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 13 November 2016]

'The Falcon's Brother' is most notable for being George Sanders' last outing as the Falcon and his real life brother Tom Conway debuting and taking over nine more times subsequently. Having really enjoyed the first three films, 'The Falcon's Brother' was decent enough but somewhat of a disappointment at the same time.

Of the four Falcon films with Sanders, to me it's the weakest, with a lot of merits but also some glaring flaws. While Sanders is underused and it is somewhat obvious that he had tired of the role (having performed with more enthusiasm in the first two films) he is charismatic and suave enough. Conway is a strong presence, making a more than credible role debut.

Mostly the supporting cast were underwhelming, but Jane Randolph was suitably sprightly and spunky with great rapport with Conway (it is their scenes where the film particularly comes alive) and Keye Luke is very amusing and brings a real charm to a character that could easily have been annoying and out of place.

'The Falcon's Brother' looks just fine, with a lot of elegance and atmosphere in the settings and the film is shot with style and class as well as a real sense of genre. The music is lively and haunting, and the story is mostly suspenseful and engrossing, going at an efficient pace, faring stronger in the mystery elements than the comedy. It's complicated but it doesn't feel jumpy or rushed, which is remarkable for a film that is not that long.

However, Stanley Logan's direction while efficient is unimaginative while the ending does feel rushed and abrupt. The comedy is amusing and light enough, but doesn't crackle as much as the previous three films and some of it veers on the repetitive, while the patriotic elements are laid on too thick and don't really fit very well.

Particularly disappointing is the notable and deeply lamented absences of James Gleason and Allen Jenkins, scene stealers in the previous films. The replacement characters/actors are not only not as good, they don't even come close and are vastly inferior. Saw no point to the character of Lefty, and the film even fails to provide a reason for Goldy's absence which harms the continuity somewhat, and Don Barclay plays him witlessly and all annoyance and no sense of fun or charm. Cliff Clark resorts to buffoonish mugging, and Edward Gargan is particularly hampered by repetitive material (particularly the patter between him and Clark) and struggles to bring freshness to it.

In conclusion, decent if disappointing. Good for curiosity value but there's better in the series. 6/10 Bethany Cox

"He's almost as bad as his brother. Only worse."

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 12 June 2017]

George Sanders hands the reigns of the Falcon over to his brother Tom Conway in this fourth entry in the RKO series. This one has Tom Lawrence (Conway) stepping in for his brother who's been temporarily put of commission. Tom investigates and eventually uncovers a Nazi assassination plot. In a dark turn, Gay Lawrence (Sanders) is killed off in the end to make way for his brother to take over as the Falcon.

For most of the movie, George Sanders is sidelined. But when he is on screen, at the beginning and near the end, he's enjoyable as usual. It's too bad because the little we see him with his brother shows a lot of promise. Wish we could have gotten at least one full movie of the two teaming up and bantering. I imagine it was a big deal at the time to kill off a series' star instead of just replacing him with little or no explanation. So kudos to RKO for going ahead with it. For his part, Tom Conway is a perfect replacement for Sanders. I wouldn't say he's as good but he's as good as anyone can be filling such big shoes.

Some other changes in this one aren't so great. Gone are two superb character actors, Allen Jenkins and James Gleason. Jenkins played Gay's sidekick Goldie in the previous films and Gleason played Inspector O'Hara. Here we get new sidekick Lefty, played by Don Barclay, and new copper Inspector Donovan, played by Cliff Clark. The latter would stick with the series while the former would make his sole appearance here. Which is for the best, as Lefty is the Curly Joe to Goldie's Curly. This marks the first of two Falcon appearances for Jane Randolph as a feisty reporter. Keye Luke is also fun as Tom Lawrence's...ugh..."houseboy." I promise he's treated with some respect.

This is a nice start to the Conway Falcon series, which would go much longer than the brief Sanders run. We could debate all day about who is the better Falcon but, for me, Conway is simply following his brother's template. He did that for most of his career, I think, but he did it well so I can't complain. If you've enjoyed the series up to this point, I doubt you won't like this one or the films that follow with the new direction.

Changing of the guard

[dbborroughs · 7/10 · 1 October 2009]

How do you keep a franchise going when your lead actor tires of the role? Bring in his brother and keep going with him. Its brilliant move that allowed for George Saunders to get away from the programmers he was stuck making (he had been in the Saint series prior to this) and allowed him to go do other things. Tom Conway, who took over the role, is just as good, and perhaps better than his brother since he managed to both be above everything like his brother, but he also came across as actually caring about the mystery at hand. Lets face it Saunders really didn't seem to care by this stage, though to be honest he did put in bit of effort here since I'm guessing he knew he was free. I like this film a great deal, as I like the entire series. Its worth seeing either because you want to see a footnote film in a movie history or because you want to see a really good mystery.

Conway takes over so the Falcon series can go on...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 30 December 2006]

When I was a kid I used to enjoy these Falcon movies, but today they seem so corny and the images are so confined to the B-movie genre that they're barely watchable today. This one only interests me because it's the last in the series for GEORGE SANDERS, who insisted on bowing out of the Falcon series by having himself killed by an assassin's bullet in the final reel. This gave TOM CONWAY, who shares the screen with his half-brother in this one, the chance to assume the Falcon role for the next nine films.

This one involves Nazi spies, Latin America, poisoned cigars, an assassination attempt on a Latin American diplomat and lots of red herrings to hide the fact that The Saint is not the only one assigned to the case. It's a modest entry in the series and never rises above the routine material to be anything more than a forgettable programmer.

JANE RANDOLPH proves that she had a certain style as the feminine lead and her scenes with Conway and Sanders are the most enjoyable aspects of the film.

Fourth film in the Falcon series, and the transition from George Sanders to Tom Conway

[jacobs-greenwood · 6/10 · 19 December 2016]

The fourth film, and the transition, in the Falcon series

The Falcon (George Sanders) goes to meet his brother's boat, arriving from South America, only to find out that he's dead. The police inspector (Cliff Clark) and his detective (Edward Gargan) rule it a suicide, by poison; the Falcon surreptitiously finds that it was murder. Sanders also discovers that the body isn't his brother, but doesn't let the bumbling police know. Instead, he follows a woman who departed the ship after confirming that she knew his brother, but also did not reveal the identity of the body to the police.

The Falcon and his sidekick Lefty (not Goldy this time), played by Don Barclay, follow the woman to a fashion salon; she is the head fashion designer there. While Sanders watches her inspect an unusual ring in a back office, he witnesses her being shot dead, briefly struggles with the escaping assailant (causing the murder weapon to fall at her side), but then must flee himself when he hears the police coming. The gun is removed by someone before the police arrive. Upon exiting the building, Sanders sees the ring on the finger of someone in a car, which then runs him over, sidelining him until the end of film.

His brother (Tom Conway) takes over, working with Lefty and Marcia Brooks (Jane Randolph), a fashion reporter who didn't reveal Sanders' presence at the fashion salon to the police, to solve the mystery. Showing it's politically incorrect age, there are some dated scenes with the Falcon's Asian houseboy (Keye Luke - Charlie Chan's "No. 1 Son"), who speaks perfect English, mocking himself and his race by speaking "pigeon English" to obfuscate police and the women who pursue the Falcon.

The missing gun is found, having been hidden a couple of times in amusing places, and turns out to belong to the murdered woman's underling, Paul Harrington (James Newill). However, he is cleared when the ballistics expert claims it's not the murder weapon. Harrington remains under suspicion by Conway et al when they discover a link between his fashion magazine covers and the timing of some key events in the war.

About this time, Sanders recovers, learns of the magazine clues and figures out the significance of the ring just in time to save the day. The film ends in a way which facilitates Conway assuming the Falcon's duties from Sanders (who no longer wanted to continue the role) for the future films in the series.

Leaving it to brother Tom

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 11 May 2013]

George Sanders leaves the series and his brother in real life as well as the series, Tom Conway takes over the series as the international man of mystery known as the Falcon.

At first it doesn't look like anyone's taking over anything as Sanders identifies a body that he says is his brother Tom. But that's just to give him investigating room to find out what his brother Tom has himself involved in.

We meet Conway soon enough and he's hot on the trail of some Nazi agents who are operating out of a fashion magazine. Like Communists later on, those Nazis get involved everywhere. They've even got spies in the police department, heaven forfend.

What these Nazis got cooked up is an assassination plot for a Latin American minister. Remember all Latin American countries with the exception of Argentina had declared war on the Axis powers. Hitler boasted he could take South America with a telephone call. This movie shows that he was doing a bit more than chatting on Ma Bell's lines.

As is well known to fans of the series Sanders dies foiling the plot and Conway takes over the series with the same elegant touch that Sanders brought to the role. Other than that The Falcon's Brother is an average entry in the series.

The one with two Falcons

[bensonmum2 · 6/10 · 12 May 2020]

The Falcon, Gay Lawrence (George Sanders), is headed dockside to meet his brother, Tom Lawrence (Tom Conway), who is arriving from South America. What he doesn't know is that before the ship docks, his brother has been declared dead. The cause of death - suicide. Knowing that something's up, The Falcon follows the woman who found his brother's body to an upscale dress shop. But before he can question the woman, she's also killed. After Gay is put out of commission by a hit-and-run, Tom steps out of the shadows to take over the case.

The transition from Gay to Tom is handled as smoothly and deftly as any transition I can think of. It helps that George Sanders and Tom Lawrence were real life brothers. Because of their familial similarities, it's easy to believe that Gay and Tom are also brothers. While I think I prefer George in the role, Tom more than holds his own and is about as enjoyable in this film and the Falcon films to follow.

The plot in The Falcon's Brother is about as good as any you'll find in a "B" from RKO. The mystery is a fun one with plenty of suspicious characters and interesting clues. In fact, the magazine clues were as solid as any I've seen in any film of this type. It's quite enjoyable to watch Tom and Company go through their paces and put the pieces together. I also got a kick out of the dress designer talking about how the gowns were made in compliance with government regulations concerning the amount of material that could be used given the war time era the film was made. It's just a small thing, but it was an interesting insight into 1942. My biggest complaint is the way the finale feels rushed. It seems that a lot of these comedy/mystery films did a good job of leading you right up to the end and then blew it.

Sanders and Conway are joined by an especially strong cast given the film's limited budget. Jane Randolph is a standout. I'm glad to see she comes back in the next film. And I thought Keye Luke was very funny as The Falcon's butler, Jerry. The bits where he purposefully plays up the Asian stereotypes of the era to his advantage are quite good.

6/10

"One Falcon Around Here is Enough"

[Jim Tritten · 6/10 · 28 September 2004]

Fast-moving espionage mystery, last for George Sanders, in the Falcon series. Plot include a fairly neat transition to real-life and character brother to take over and continue the fight against Nazi Germany. George is suave with the ladies (because he knew it was his last film in the series?). Lots of twists and turns as we weave our way through poisoned cigars (La Prima Donna), break ins, impersonating an officer, clues that disappear, house of fashion and a fashion magazine. In the end, the Falcon takes the shot meant for a Latin American diplomat and brother Tom Lawrence accepts the challenge from a foreign voice on the phone who warns him that he will get what his brother did if he doesn't leave well enough alone. Well, it was 1942 and no self-respecting producer wasn't going to have his hero support the war effort. Not a great movie, but enjoyable and about as good as these ever got. Recommended.

Handing Off the Baton

[dougdoepke · 28 November 2009]

Except for the switcheroo, it's a routine Falcon entry. The series was never big on mystery or atmosphere, staples of better whodunits like the Chan series. Instead, the entries lean heavily on sprightly charm supplied first by Sanders and now by Conway, and a steady stream of statuesque, well-upholstered girls, which this entry supplies in spades. Looks like RKO may have used the series to photograph some of their younger talent.

It turns out here after a couple false starts that the brothers are on the trail of Nazi spies, not surprising for 1942. However, I am surprised that the two actors generally deliver such engaged performances over the course of the entire series. After all, the Falcon role is basically one-dimensional, requiring only that the actor be suavely charming and not much else. I expect Sanders had become bored and quit before losing interest; at the same time, Conway picks up nicely on what has become a family trust.

The best scenes are with Conway and the sprightly reporter Randolph, whose well-scripted chemistry works. It's also a good chance to ogle high fashion, circa 1942. On the other hand, is the witless comedy relief from Clark, Gargan, and Barclay, blowing little lame holes through the proceedings. Anyway, the movie may be unique in film series annals for the way it creates the switcheroo, which really does amount to a startling departure. Otherwise, it's strictly a routine affair.

4th switching

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 17 January 2021]

Investigator Gay "The Falcon" Lawrence has come to welcome his brother Tom whom he hasn't seen for 5 years. His boat is docking. Gay is told of a death on board. Everybody assumes it to be Tom committing suicide. Gay notices that it's not his brother and goes in pursuit of a suspect. Inspector Timothy Donovan is always a step behind and a clue short.

It's a lot of convenient turns and convoluted plot. I'm half-following it but it's not that big of a deal. I really like the Chinese servant who does a stereotype to fool people. The magazine cover idea is a silly cinematic creation but it's all good fun. I have issues with the final ending. I understand the actor's wishes but there has to be better ways to retire the character without resorting to that. Also it's done in an off-camera which is rather confusing. Nevertheless, it's mostly fun and if it has to end, it ends.

As Played By The Actor's Brother

[boblipton · 7/10 · 7 January 2023]

George Sanders goes to meet his brother on the boat, but he is informed that brother is now a corpse. He follows a blonde to a fashion show, and after meeting up with his brother, played by his brother, Tom Conway, gets conked on the head while Conway continues the investigation.

Confusing enough for you? It's a pretty good entry in the series, with at least four murders -- I lost track after a while -- the usual bevy of pretty RKO starlets and the very pleasant conceit that if Sanders has had enough of this profitable B series for RKO, we'll continue it with someone who can do a good impersonation of him, like brother Conway. Eventually it leads into spy stuff, which was all the rage in 1942, but more than good enough with Jane Randolph, Keye Luke and Andre Gwili in her last screen appearance.

Poor way to sign out George

[jameselliot-1 · 4/10 · 8 January 2023]

This is the worst of the Falcon series. There's not a shred of mystery and suspense. The comedy is lame except for Keye Luke's bits. Why confine Sanders to a bed with a concussion and never have him and real life brother Tom Conway work together to solve a mystery is an unforgivable omission by the writers. I don't know their personal history or if there was a conflict. Both brothers were masters at playing easygoing, extremely bored, well-dressed, disdainful sophisticates. Sanders had the edge on Tom in that department. Jane Randolph with her smart sex appeal provides the only spark in this dry timewaster.

Not too bad but could be better

[tjm199 · 5/10 · 30 October 2012]

Wow, I really enjoy "The Falcon" movies and this has it's good moments. It also has some very bad moments. George Sanders is good for as long as he is in the movie. Tom Conway also does a good job as the Falcon's brother, Tom. Suave and smooth go hand in hand with Sanders and Conway. There is a real problem with the supporting actors, especially Don Barclay as "Lefty," the Falcon's side kick. The actor is just terrible, a droning monotone, complete lack of facial expressions and a delivery that shows the actor just walked through his lines. Cliff Clark as Inspector Donovan mugs his way through all of his scenes and Jane Randolph as reporter Marcia Brooks is entirely too predictable and annoying. But then so is her character. Mind you, I don't expect Academy Award material from these "B" movies but the first three "Falcon" movies were much better. Well, the first and third movies were better than this. I haven't seen the next movie with Conway, where Conway takes over the role of The Falcon but with the name of Tom Lawrence. The ending is also a bit abrupt and unsatisfying. All in all there are much better examples of these "B" movies. But there are worse ones as well. If you really want to see all of the movies, don't miss this one. It would leave a gap in your knowledge. One thing I really enjoy is seeing character actors doing bit parts that are quite often uncredited. Keye Luke in this one and Hans Conrad in several of the Falcon and Saint movies. Good stuff.

Typical Falcon

[Michael_Elliott · 28 February 2008]

Falcon's Brother, The (1942)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Fourth in the series was also the last to feature George Sanders as he was growing tired with the role. This time out The Falcon (Sanders) gets put into a coma so his brother (Tom Conway) shows up to take over a case involving Nazis. Having Sanders top billed here is a major cheat since he's only in the opening ten minutes and the final five. The rest of the time has his character lying in bed but all the scenes in his room are shot without showing an actor, which makes it clear Sanders wasn't there. Conway was Sanders real life brother so that's a unique little thing and he does a fine job at carrying the film and he would do so for eleven more features. The story itself is pretty interesting but it certainly misses Allen Jenkins whose character isn't here but another character played by Don Barclay takes over.

Falcons switch baton in mid film.

[st-shot · 5/10 · 20 November 2009]

Brothers play brothers in this crossroads episode of the forties series (Louis Hayward played him in the 30s) that has brother Tom Conway replacing George Sanders as the Falcon. Tiring of the role which followed on the heels of another serial( The Saint ) and with more lucrative opportunities on the horizon Sanders gladly takes a Nazi bullet to save a diplomat and pursue better paydays handing the series over to Conway without missing a beat.

Harmless, clumsily rushed and populated with stereotypical villains and holdover buffoonish cops the Falcon series appeal was to be found in the charming sophistication of the urbane Sanders sans cad mode. Conway who would do another nine episodes may not have had George's talent and range but he showed less condescension and less of a British accent than Sanders. This said it should be noted that both brothers were pre-teen refugees from Bolshevik Russia.

The series itself remained inane with transparent plots and bad actors. Whether it be a George or a Tom, if you saw one you saw them all.

Enter the brother

[Prismark10 · 3/10 · 19 July 2014]

George Sanders played The Saint and later played The Falcon. Wanting to move on to better things he appeared in 'The Falcon's Brother' with his real life brother Tom Conway who then inherits the role for future instalments.

The film was made several months after Pearl Harbour and this is incorporated in the plot with a hunt for renegade Nazis and an assassination plot, you even have poisoned cigars.

The film starts with the Falcon finding out that his brother may have died, in fact he has not and later on the Falcoln himself is injured when someone tries to run him down. Conway takes over to continue the investigation and in the final reel the Falcoln is shot, presumably fatally and Conway assumes his identity.

The film still mixes B movie standards with humour, its mainly played for laughs but its not so interesting and the acting is a bit pantomime.

A fairly poor entry in the series that doesn't bode well for the change in character for the rest of the series (spoilers)

[bob the moo · 9 September 2004]

As often happens, Gay Lawrence stumbles into the middle of a murder investigation when he arrives at the scene by chance. When the police think that the victim was Gay's own brother, Tom, Gay plays along to find why someone is happy to have Tom killed – even though the body is someone else. Investigating the case further, Gay links up with Tom and they continue together – until Gay is badly injured in an attack on them. Tom continues the investigation finding it leading to a plot involving Nazi plotters in deep cover.

I haven't seen the rest of this series so I'm not sure what the quality is like, but on the basis of this film I must say that things look bad because this handover entry is one of the lesser of the Falcon films that I have seen. The actual plot is OK when it finally gets going, but this takes too long and plot development really only happens in the final fifteen minutes. Up till this point the film is rather dull – trying to tie things together and hand things over before it settles to actually doing the job of entertaining the audience with this entry. The change is characters came about because Sanders no longer wanted to do the series, having become bored with it – just like his life, when he became bored, he simply left without fuss.

In fairness to Sanders, he seems a bit happier knowing that he is on his way out and gives a better performance than he did in 'Falcon Takes Over', the film before this one, where he seemed half dead. Sander's real half brother, Tom Conway, takes over the lead in this film and, once he is allowed to do it he is actually OK – nothing special but, in a simple film, just as able to do the job as Sanders, even if he has a bit less of a natural presence on-screen. The change in support characters was where the main loss is felt though. Replacing Jenkin's Goldy with Barclay's Lefty was a lazy move – Barclay simply apes Jenkins' wit while the script offers no reason for his sudden involvement in the series – where did Goldy go?! Likewise Chief O'Hara is replaced by Inspector Donovan and Clark simply copies the style of O'Hara – annoying because it feels like the writers just didn't bother to do anything with this fresh start other that tread water, understandable with the basics but minor characters could have been altered a bit at least.

Overall this film was a necessary step in keeping the series going despite the loss of two of the regulars as well as the actual Falcon. For this reason the film never really gets going as it is too busy handing over. The change in minor characters is a real annoyance because it is done without thought – but not have as annoying as the very glib way that it just kills Gay off and then establishes Tom with a predictable 'here we go again'. A poor film for obvious reasons that will likely even annoy Falcon fans.