The Falcon's Alibi (1946) User Reviews

The Poyirls Of Death

[Spondonman · 7/10 · 8 April 2007]

The 12th and penultimate RKO Falcon film was a hardboiled affair, with the two wildly different main strands converging to a rather sudden conclusion. Some nice noirish moments, atmospheric photography and natural acting by all go to make it an enjoyable ride.

Tom Conway playing Tom Lawrence aka the Falcon and Goldie (played for the only time by Vince Barnett) get called upon to protect a "lady's" pearl necklace, alas to no avail – it's already gone. An insurance scam is uncovered with Emory Parnell in his 3rd Falcon as a slapstick insurance detective. The other thread has manic Barbary Towers hotel dj Elisha Cook Jr. (the one man Radio KGR) with his own problems, not the least keeping hold of his wife, gorgeous Jane Greer. His was the watertight alibi of the picture, not a new idea then and borrowed shortly afterwards to greater effect by Claude Rains in The Unsuspected. It was Rita Corday's 6th and final Falcon film, this time pretty low-key - all those name changes surely didn't help her future career? Favourite bits: listening to Greer's pleasant singing voice; the "smudge" fire routine in the hotel bedroom ably performed by Goldie; Cook's record library - you could get all those tons of shellac onto a single mp3 player now! Needless to relate, Tom solves everything, albeit a couple of murders too late, but woe betide you if you miss that last minute – they closed this one down fast!

Nothing here for the serious, nice entertainment for us fans.

The Falcon Meets Jane Greer

[robert-temple-1 · 7/10 · 29 December 2007]

This is the twelfth Falcon film. It has exciting appearances in it of Jane Greer, aged 22 but looking and behaving 32, and Elisha Cook, Junior. This is apparently the only film in which Jane Greer plays a singer, and she sings very well. Her song is absolutely extraordinary in that the lyrics feature planned silences and hesitating phrases which drop out of the rhythm, and frankly I have never heard a song pull off such tricks successfully, and the film is worth seeing for the song, not because the melody is any good, but because the song is musically unique as far as I know and would repay close study and analysis by any serious song writer. Elisha Cook gets to do more acting than usual in this film, and he is even scarier than usual, and completely convincing, as always. Jane Greer did not become a noted noir player until the following year, and was still obscure at this stage. Jean Brooks is in this one, but gets very little screen time and her presence is frankly wasted. I guess because she was part of the team, they were inventing a pretext for her to have a fee. We get to see her in a revealing gown with exposed back, which menacing ice maidens don't normally show, but that's about all. Rita Corday is in this one too, and she gets a big part and shines. Vince Barnett is much less annoying as Goldie the sidekick than the atrocious Edward Brophy in the preceding film, though he still gets on one's nerves. The film was well directed by Ray McCarey, who died only two years later at the age of only 44. Believe it or not, I actually knew the man who wrote the story for this film, whose name was Manny Seff. He was a very delightful and amusing guy, a great conversationalist, story teller, and joke cracker, who was getting old when I was very young, and it adds dimension to an old movie when you can say: 'There's Manny Seff's name as the writer!' He is exactly the kind of fellow I had always imagined writing these stories, and there suddenly his name appeared on the screen to prove it. I can't say it was a total surprise, it just seemed so appropriate. Judging from what I know of him, and guess about the others, these people must all have had a lot of fun making these films, which is probably one reason why they are so entertaining.

Better than most

[Jim Tritten · 6/10 · 9 May 2002]

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.

Jewel theft and murder with the Falcon

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 26 November 2016]

The Falcon RKO film series is mostly very enjoyable, with both George Sanders and his brother Tom Conway who took over from him being great in the title role.

Admittedly, some are better than others. For examples there are some particularly fun entries such as 'The Gay Falcon', 'A Date with the Falcon', 'The Falcon Strikes Back', 'The Falcon and the Co-eds', 'The Falcon in Hollywood' and 'The Falcon in San Francisco', while others while still very much watchable disappoint a little such 'The Falcon's Brother', 'The Falcon in Danger', 'The Falcon Out West' and 'The Falcon in Mexico'.

On the most part, while not fitting among either extreme of whether among the best or weakest Falcon films, 'The Falcon's Alibi' is solid fun and works well. The culprit is pretty obvious early on, almost from when they are first introduced, and the ending is a little hasty and abrupt (not an uncommon problem in this series). While most of the supporting cast are great, there are a few that don't quite make an impression.

Jean Brooks is wasted due to being given so little to do, and while Al Bridge and Edmund Cobb do alright, they are in types of roles filled more effectively in the Falcon series by Cliff Clark and Edward Gargan as well as James Gleason. Vince Barnett was only serviceable as Goldie, personally thought that Edward Brophy had more enthusiasm and that Allen Jenkins was more of a scene-stealer, Barnett was an admirable stooge but his material is a little bland in places and he occasionally overdid it (by all means not a bad performance).

However, a lot also does work. The music is lively and haunting, the songs are particularly great and the use of them ingenious, and on the most part the production values are slick and atmospheric with particularly nicely done photography. The film is directed with liveliness and tautness, while the script is playful and much of the story is absorbing and goes at a bright and breezy pace with the odd bit of dark suspense.

Conway is dapper, suave, charismatic and amusingly cutting here, he always thrived in the title role and 'The Falcon's Alibi' sees him give one of his most confident performances in the role. Rita Corday is low-key and charming, while Emory Parnell is amusing (though his screen time is short) and Esther Howard and Jason Robards Snr are solid. The two best supporting performances are a sizzling Jane Greer and a sinister Elisha Cook Jnr.

All in all, solid fun if not among the best or weakest of a mostly enjoyable series of films. 7/10 Bethany Cox

A solid enough entry in which all the players seem comfortable and the story is good enough to do the job

[bob the moo · 21 December 2004]

During a day at the races, Guy Lawrence meets the wealthy Mrs Peabody and her ward, Judith Meredith and he accepts their invitation to a party later that night. Judith confides in The Falcon that she fears she will be accused if more of Mrs Peabody's jewels are stolen – she already has a suspicious insurance investigator on her case due to a previous claim. When the jewels do get stolen and a butler murdered, Judith is suspected and turns to the Falcon to help solve the mystery and save her.

Several years after the falcon series changed hands, and everyone seems a lot more comfortable than they did in that first vehicle where Conway first went solo. The plot here is the usual mix of pretty girls, mystery, red herrings and gentlemanly action. It is hardly the most original stuff ever made but it is a reasonably enjoyable little story even if it didn't grip me in the way that a really good thriller should do. The film has enough energy, intrigue and humour to do the job and, although the material is just entertainment, everything more or less comes together. The first song of the two is really cute and the humour is mostly good.

A big part of this is everyone hitting their marks right. Conway seems perfect for the role now and seems a lot more confident. He is as good as Saunders was here. Barnett is on point as Goldy as well; at first he was a poor replacement for Lefty but, after being dropped from at least one of the movies, he is good here. It is just as well really since the comic relief usually provided by the police is absent and replaced with a dour insurance man who has little to do. Corday is yet another blonde for the Falcon to woo and she does well enough for that sort of role. He's a little hammy but Cook is always interesting and we also have solid support from Robards Snr, Howard, Jane Greer and Bridge.

Overall not a superb film but a better than average entry in an entertaining series of films. Everyone seems at home and enjoying their roles and it is almost a shame that the series was just approaching the end of its 13 film run.

Neat Little 'B' Thriller That Entertains Despite the Predictability of the Plot

[l_rawjalaurence · 6/10 · 21 October 2014]

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.

later chapter for "the Falcon

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 5 July 2019]

One of the later chapters for Tom Conway as "The Falcon"! the usual cast... Elisha Cook was in so many early black and whites and film noirs. Vince Barnett as "Goldie". Jason Robard SENIOR ! is in here as Harvey. and Rita Corday is "Joan". in the usual fashion, the falcon is caught up in the plot, and is found with the missing jewels, and tries to explain to the police why he now has the missing jewels. or are they really the missing pearls ?? The falcon has to prove himself to the po-po yet again. Can he do it in time? and as usual, Cook is "Nick", the wide eyed errand boy, who gets caught in the middle. it's all according to formula, so average marks for this one. entertaining enough, but nothing really new. Directed by Ray McCarey... he had directed Laurel & Hardy, as well as the Three Stooges, so he was a pro for sure ! he was the brother of bigshot Leo McCarey.

The Falcon is asked to protect some pearls

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 3 October 2021]

Kind of confusing.

"The Falcon's Alibi" is a somewhat muddled 1946 entry into the series with a couple of different plots going on at the same time.

Tom Conway playing Tom Lawrence aka the Falcon and Goldie (Vince Barnett) are asked to protect a woman's pearl necklace by her pretty employee (Rita Corday) - as there have already been some jewelry robberies at the Barbary Towers hotel where they are staying. However, the pearls are gone and what's left is paste. Emory Parnell is the insurance detective on the scene.

A couple of suspects are the gorgeous band singer (Jane Greer) and her husband (Elisha Cook Jr.) who runs a radio show on the top floor. When a murder is committed, he has an alibi, however.

A couple of interesting moments, one of which has Goldie starting a smudge fire in a hotel room -- a Sherlock Holmes move. Also there is some good music.

As usual, the film ended abruptly as the Falcon films always seem to. The best thing for me was seeing Jane Greer and hearing her sing. She's a favorite.

The Falcon's Alibi

[guswhovian · 7/10 · 24 July 2020]

The Falcon is hired by a wealthy woman's secretary to protect her emplyoer's jewelry, but he finds himself under suspicion when multiple murders occur.

The Falcon's Alibi has several problems: the plot device of the Falcon being suspected by the police of murder is wearing a bit thin, Edward Brophy was a much better Goldie Locke then Vince Barrett and the plot is confusing. However, it still manages to be entertaining. Tom Conway was typically good, Elisha Cook gets to ham it up as a insane disc jockey and a pre-Out of the Past Jane Greer was good as a nightclub singer.

It's not high art, but it sure is fun.

What Alibi?

[boblipton · 7/10 · 14 December 2022]

Rita Corday (in her fifth and final appearance in the 'Falcon' series) asks Tom Conway for help. She's Esther Howard's secretary, and her employer's expensive pearl necklace has disappeared, and she's worried she'll be accused. Naturally a couple of murders follow, as Conway saunters through a nicely tangled mystery.

It's mostly placed around a hotel, which probably saved on set decoration. Jane Greer appears as a singer in the hotel's restaurant. She's married to Elisha Cook Jr., who runs a Night Owl radio show from a station on the top floor. Emory Parnell, Al Bridge, and series regular Jean Brooks (also a fifth and last appearance) also show up.

Needs More Juice

[howardeisman · 5/10 · 14 July 2013]

While in jail, The Falcon tells Goldie that, when in a jam, insouciance is required. Suave insouciance is Tom Conway's forte, but there is too much of that here. Conway is heading toward apathy. After all those previous Falcon movies, Conway seems like he is walking through his part. His performance lacks energy. The same could be said for Rita Corday. Jean Brooks, who always played a most intriguing romantic part in previous Falcon films, has so little to do here, she is practically an extra.

I suspect that this film was made as a showcase for Jane Greer. Her part with Elisha Cook, Jr, unstable as usual, is almost a separate story. Greer has many closeups and sings sultry songs. She gets a lot of attention in an other rushed movie.

The mystery is not really developed but it is okay. It is always nice to see the Falcon. He was a proto-James Bond

The Falcon's Alibi

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 25 February 2023]

Some people would kill to possess Mrs Peabody 's pearls - but when somebody does so, did they get the real necklace? And if everybody has a strong alibi, who committed the crime? The famous 'Falcon', sleuth extraordinary Tom Lawrence , must outwit the police to find the answers.

I thoroughly enjoy the Falcon series, especially when played by Tom Conway, who oozes class as the heroic character in the mould of the Saint, and usually the Falcon films are enjoyable, fast paced, and cozily fun with good production values, however this is a slightly lesser entry with some slow spots, but it's still enjoyable, and gets more suspenseful and a little edgy towards the end, especially with the Jane Greer and Elisha Cook Jnr angle.

Interesting characters, bloodier than usual

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 29 June 2019]

This entry in the Falcon series of films has Tom Conway looking into a jewel thief for the beautiful Rita Corday'who is the secretary to a wealthy woman. Sure enough jewels are stolen and Corday is blamed.

In fact a whole lot of items go missing at the hotel where all the cast seems to be staying and a PI played by Emory Parnell is already on the case. But now some murders are occurring and law enforcement is now far more interested as is the Falcon.

A few fatalities happen, far more than the usual Falcon movie. Sadly both the perpetrator and his method are revealed early. And the alibi established, we see how that's done.

Still the old Falcon charm sees this one through.

Twelfth film in the Falcon series has several recognizable actors with Tom Conway

[jacobs-greenwood · 19 December 2016]

The twelfth film in the Falcon series

Although 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.

standard Falcon

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 25 December 2022]

Tom Lawrence (Tom Conway) is having a good time at the horse races when he spots Joan Meredith (Rita Corday) being harassed by aggressive investigator Metcalf. Her employer Gloria Peabody had collected insurance money for lost jewelry and Metcalf suspects Joan. Joan needs The Falcon's help after discovering fakes in Gloria's other jewelry. Goldie Locke is back as his sidekick.

It's the standard Falcon fare. It has some snappy dialogue and a functional mystery. The Falcon comes to the aid of a damsel in distress. Goldie is back. Elisha Cook Jr. Has a minor role. The franchise is slowly losing steam without a big change.

Good Falcon Entry

[dougdoepke · 16 July 2013]

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.

Formula detective adventure.

[Mozjoukine · 1 January 2024]

I'm a survivor of the time when these detective series episodes offered the most reliable nights at the movies, familiar characters in familiar plot formulas.

Looking at THE FALON'S ALIBI, last but one of Tom Conway's exploits as the Michael Arlen character and remake of an earlier entry, is a not altogether welcome reminder of how routine the pattern was.

Super urbane Falcon Conway here cancels his flight booking to come to the aid of blonded Maria/Paula Corday, who slips him the word "Help" on a news paper cutting. Hired companion to irritating dowager Esther Howard, Corday's afraid of being implicated in the theft of her employer's diamonds after a previous robbery and her own assessment that revealed the gems as fake. Recall the Guy De Maupassant plot. Insurance rep. Emory Parnell hovers, to Conway's scorn.

The action moves from the race track to a plush down town Barbary Towers hotel, complete with out doors pool, night club live show, upper-floor Broadcast studio and evil-doers on the fire escape at night. Occasionally shirtless, Tom the Falcon figures it out by having a robbery conspirator rush back to his room, when a fire is set there and Tom confronting the local fence. Complications from slinky singer Jane Greer two timing twitchy husband Elisha Cook jnr. With her band leader. Minimal noir trimmings include location shots of traffic at night and killers taking shots at our hero.

Very post WW2, Leo McCarey's director brother busily fills the screen with wide lapel suits, cut away cars, unfunny comics & glamorous women, who Tim Holt would get to squire through his adventures. (Myrna Dell particularly registers in her walk on) This one is not short on production value, as with the lengthy track that reveals Greer doing her number in the lavish ball room. Twitchy K. G. R. Deejay Cook jnr. Gives the only memorable performance.