A Date with the Falcon (1941)

The second film in the Falcon series

In this film the Falcon (George Sanders) is about to travel on a trip to be married to his fiance Helen (Wendy Barrie) a woman who has finally "caught" him. James Gleason plays the police inspector Edward Gargan is his detective and Allen Jenkins is Goldy (perfect for this type of role and Sanders’ sidekick in all but his last in the series). Helen is naturally "on edge" apparently the Falcon has been this far (engaged ring and all) three times previously. Goldy’s job throughout the film is to keep this fiance from running away as well as to help Sanders out of a "jams".

The story is about a scientist who has discovered a way to create diamonds so well that jewelers who loaned him a $1000 one to copy can’t tell the difference. His goal however is to help government and industry by making commercial grade diamonds for $25 and not to collapse the retail market. The police inspector naturally wants to protect the scientist but before the detective "bodyguard" arrives criminals kidnap the scientist and his formula.

To keep the Falcon from helping the police the criminals decide to neutralize him. An old female acquaintance (Mona Maris also providing a jealousy plot-line for the fiance of the Falcon associated with the criminals attempts to persuade him to join them. When he refuses they kidnap him. However he escapes by making faces at police in a passing squad car pretending to be drunk. The cops pull over the car and relieve the criminals of their prey.

Another slapstick scene follows the Falcon’s discovery of the scientist who has apparently overdosed on sleeping pills in his hotel room. When the police arrive summoned by a suspicious hotel employee the Falcon escapes out the window onto the fifth floor balcony. His fiance who had been waiting in a cab below sees him up on the balcony and starts yelling causing the gathering crowd to think it’s witnessing a potential "jumper". When the police discover him he’s arrested. However he escapes in a rather amusingly well choreographed scene I won’t spoil.

A twist is revealed which begs the question as to how the criminals knew of it. The Falcon is captured again by the criminals and is later arrested again by the police. The whole mystery is wrapped up rather quickly and conveniently in the end in at least two ways: how all the criminals are rounded up and the recovery of the missing formula.

It ends with the Falcon and his fiance (and curiously Goldy) finally leaving on their trip to be married when of course another of the Falcon’s many female acquaintances shows up.

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