by Daniel White
Who knew that roscoe was slang for a gun? I didn't, until I watched 1942's The Falcon Takes Over. Loosely based on Raymond Chandler's novel, Farewell My Lovely, it's a Philip Marlowe yarn that's been considerably altered to fit the broad, suave shoulders of the urbane George Sanders.
The third entry in the Falcon series, Sanders stars as the title character, Gay Lawrence. Sophisticated, debonair, and polished are three adjectives that could be used to describe the Falcon. They are not words one would EVER employ when summing up the character of Philip Marlowe. Directed by Irving Reis for RKO, the flick has been clipped, cut, and reconstituted to resemble an installment in the Falcon franchise. There is little of Chandler and none of Marlowe, but it's an enjoyable B programmer and generally pushes all the right buttons in a murder-mystery crime caper with plenty of comic overtones.
One surefire way to risk losing all things Chandler is to transport the story from L. A. to The Big Apple, which the filmmakers have done here. Sanders looks quite the dandy in his double-breasted overcoat and white scarf, sailing in and out of nightclubs. The switch also allows two of the greatest practitioners of the dese, dem, and dose style of speak to shine. Allen Jenkins and James Gleason practically steal every scene therein and collectively hamstring the flick. If The Falcon Takes Over had any pretense at being a film noir, these two Shamrock shticksters quickly put a stop to that.
A fervid fan of noir, I am well acquainted with 1944's Murder, My Sweet, which, like this flick, draws from the same source. So it is a bit disconcerting to find that film's memorable cast of characters sharing screen time with the likes of Sanders, Jenkins, and Gleason. It's an unlikely alliance, an improbable hybrid, yet one with definite possibilities.
A padded up Ward Bond appears as Moose Malloy and gets things off to a rollicking start by accosting Jenkins, then snapping the neck of some poor nightclub manager. A miscast Ann Revere gamely attempts to inhabit the grimy soul (and bathrobe) of Jessie Florian, while Turhan Bey barely registers as Jules Amthor. Hans Conried as the effete Marriot makes a lasting impression. His scenes with Sanders are memorable. Two of the screens greatest fops dueling to see who is the greater popinjay!
Lynn Bari scores as girl reporter, Ann Reardon. It's nice to see Bari, who often played hard-bitten broads, oozing with golly gee gumption. This is a fun film from an above-average serial highlighting the exploits of a gentleman detective (one would never call the Falcon a gumshoe or a shamus!), but it's far removed from Raymond Chandler's original intent. If you're jake with that, then why not climb on board and watch The Falcon Take(s) Over? With the diminutive Helen Gilbert as the treacherous Velma, The Falcon Takes Over is available on YouTube.
"Take a choice, sing or Sing Sing!"
No comments:
Post a Comment