The Falcon Takes Over
| The Falcon Takes Over | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Irving Reis |
| Produced by | Howard Benedict (producer) J. R. McDonough (executive producer) |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on |
Farewell, My Lovely (novel) by Raymond Chandler and Michael Arlen (characters) |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
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| Cinematography | George Robinson |
| Edited by | Harry Marker |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures (theatrical) |
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Release date
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May 29, 1942 |
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Running time
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65 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Falcon Takes Over (also known as The Falcon Steps Out), is a 1942 black-and-white mystery film directed by Irving Reis. The B film was the third, following The Gay Falcon and A Date with the Falcon (1941), to star George Sanders as the character Gay Lawrence, a gentleman detective known by the sobriquet the Falcon.
Brutish prison escapee Moose Malloy (Ward Bond) forces "Goldie" Locke (Allen Jenkins) to drive him to Club 13, a posh nightclub, where Moose hopes to be reunited with his old girlfriend Velma. After bashing his way into the club and not finding Velma, he kills the club manager and forces Goldie to drive him away from the club. When Gay Lawrence (George Sanders), an amateur sleuth and Goldie's boss, arrives at the club, he learns that Moose is the suspect, because the manager died of a broken neck. Police Inspector Mike O'Hara (James Gleason) arrests Goldie as an accomplice, but after being questioned, Goldie is released.
Lawrence and Goldie head out to the house in Brooklyn where Moose is hiding. Pretending to be drunk, Lawrence enters the house while Moose makes a getaway in Goldie's car. In the house, Jessie Florian (Anne Revere) is on the telephone, shouting hysterically and demanding protection from Moose. Jessie is told to send Moose to a certain address. Jessie tells Lawrence that Velma is dead. Seeing the address, he knows where Moose will be.
When Lawrence returns to his apartment, a call from Quincy W. Marriot (Hans Conried) to deliver ransom money for a stolen jade necklace, sends Lawrence to a deserted graveyard. Marriot ambushes him, grabbing the detective's gun and shoots him, but, in turn, is shot by an unseen assailant who makes his escape.
Seeing Lawrence is still alive, Reporter Ann Reardon (Lynn Bari), who has been trailing him, helps the detective to his feet, learning his gun was loaded with blanks. Lawrence searches Marriott's coat pockets and finds a business card from psychic Jules Amthor (Turhan Bey), at 415 Morton Avenue, the address where Moose is going.
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Wikipedia