Someone should write a book - How to Sabotage a Movie. Because somebody did
in this one. And all it took was a screechy southern accent. This is the
sixth Falcon film and third with Tom Conway. In between these many Falcon
films Conway squeezed in Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie and The Seventh
Victim. Three cult classics. I wonder if he ever knew how highly regarded
they would become over time. Much of this film is actually fairly decent
with a good mystery that trots along just fine with a few red herrings thrown
in his path - but that damn voice is like a hammer hitting your head.
A plane lands and topples over and when the doors are opened there is no
one inside. One of the men who was supposed to be on the plane is a wealthy
industrialist. His blonde daughter (Elaine Shepard) comes looking for the
Falcon to help out. He is at the casino with his fiancée, a southern
belle (Amelita Ward) with a voice from Hell. And she never shuts up.
And she goes with the Falcon wherever he goes. Never were words more welcome
than at the end when she announces that she is going back to Texas for good.
By that time the industrialist shows up, a few more people are dead, another
blonde (Jean Brooks) makes an appearance, the cops are as always useless
except for comic relief and The Falcon is so smooth you could play marbles
on him. One of my favorite scenes took place in a roller skating rink. Do
those still exist?
