Suave amateur detective Tom Lawrence--aka Michael Arlen's literary hero The Falcon--arrives in Hollywood for some rest and relaxation, only to find himself involved in the murder of a movie actor. There's no shortage of suspects: the costume designer to whom he was married, a tyrannical director, a beautiful young French starlet, a Shakespeare-quoting producer, even a New York gangster. Helping The Falcon solve the crime is a cute, wise-cracking cab driver and a pair of bumbling cops.
Tom Conway
Tom Lawrence
Barbara Hale
Peggy Callahan
Veda Ann Borg
Billie Atkins
John Abbott
Martin S. Dwyer
Sheldon Leonard
Louie Buchanan
Konstantin Shayne
Alec Hoffman
Emory Parnell
Inspector McBride
Frank Jenks
Lieutenant Higgins
Jean Brooks
Roxanna Miles
Rita Corday
Lili D'Allio
Walter Soderling
Ed Johnson, studio guard
Useff Ali
Mohammed, the actor [Script Name: Nogari]
Robert Clarke
Perc Saunders - Assistant Director
Chili Williams
Blonde Woman at Races (uncredited)
Jacques Lory
Man with Bull Fiddle (uncredited)
Nancy Marlowe
Studio Messenger (uncredited)
Chester Clute
Apartment Manager (uncredited)
Perc Launders
Statuary Molder - [Script Name: Zoller] (uncredited)
Bryant Washburn
Art Department Runner (uncredited)
Director
Gordon Douglas
Characters
Michael Arlen
Screenplay
Gerald Geraghty
December 3, 2023
6
It's the persistent cabbie "Billie" (Veda Ann Borg) who steals the thunder in this quite entertaining and quickly paced outing for our eponymous sleuth (Tom Conway). He is dragooned into an investigation following a murder at an Hollywood studio and so for the next hour or so we are treated to loads of backstage photography, scantily clad dancers, an increasingly irate producer (John Abbott) and, of course, a diabolical curse of the Maharajah's ring. Is the picture doomed to end up on the outing room floor? It has no director and is rapidly becoming a celluloid albatross! There's a bit more of a story here, with a few realistic suspects and a bit of detail on just how films are made before a denouement that's hardly a shock, but results in a fun chase through the studio lot and a great big Super Trouper! Enjoyable enough afternoon stuff.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00