Well, I hate to break the news to you, but I did not watch a Tarzan movie tonight. You are probably pretty disappointed. I know I am. It wasn't for lack of trying, I assure you. I had one movie left from the collection of six. I had successfully watched four; another had skipped and frozen so many times that I had to quit before the finish, as reported. But I still had one left, "Tarzan Triumphs", so I began to watch it this evening. By the five minute mark it was freezing and skipping constantly, so I reluctantly ejected it from the player while I still had time to complete a different film.
Once again, The Falcon to the rescue. Thank you Tom Conway.
"The Falcon In San Francisco" (1943) has one of the better plots from this series. Falcon and his sidekick "Goldie" Locke (played by classic mook Edward Brophy) are on a train to San Francisco. As always, they are on vacation. All Falcon movies start with the two heading out on vacation ala "The Thin Man". But like Powell & Loy, they always get drawn into solving a crime instead. A small dog runs down the aisle of their train car and jumps into Goldie's lap, followed shortly after by a cute moppett (played by child star Sharyn Moffett). She reclaims her doggie but doesn't want to leave, taking a shine to Tom Lawrence aka The Falcon and his rather uncouth pal Goldie, who is of course all heart.
The two gentlemen are curious as to why this child is not eager to return to her room on the train. She explains to them that she is in the care of a mean old nurse, and that she doesn't want to go home to San Francisco - where she lives in a Nob Hill manor - because she and her dog are being held prisoner there. Sharyn Moffett is precocious in the style of Margaret O'Brien, and her tale is halfway persuasive to the two detectives. Then - through the train car strides the cruel nursemaid, informing them that "the child has a vivid imagination and is full of made-up stories". She further tells them that it is none of their business. This of course only serves to fuel The Falcon's curiosity. A little while later, the cruel nurse turns up dead in her train car, and the vacation plans are officially over. The Falcon and Goldie decide on the spot to personally escort the little girl back to her palatial home, to deliver her safely and get to the bottom of the mystery if indeed there is one.
Naturally, there is. The cops have the autopsy results on the nurse. She did not die of natural causes but was killed in a clever manner by a stickpin. Now the plot begins as Conway, Goldie and little Miss Moffett arrive at the estate of her.......(her parents?)......no. It isn't clear who owns the home or whom she is in the care of.
A well mannered but exceedingly rude butler gives Falcon the same line about the kid. "She tells a lot of fanciful stories". He then invites The Falcon to leave the premises, and when Conway refuses and tries to take Moffett with him, the butler calls the cops and has him arrested for kidnapping. He spends the night in jail but in the morning is bailed out by a Very Wealthy Woman who seems to be verry attracted to him.
He is used to this type of thing (he is Tom Conway, after all), but he is Way Too Suave to become distracted from his mission as he goes ahead and makes out with the woman anyway.
Boy, is he going to pay for that. ////
I feel that I have given you enough of the 66 minute plot to work with, so that - should you decide to watch the movie for yourself - you will have a sufficient overview to aid you in your involvement in the picture, so that you may play detective for yourself. I have given you a boost, you might say. A leg up.
I only have one Falcon movie left, starring Conway, and I shall hopefully save it for a little while. There are six others, made with Conway's brother George Sanders as the star, and he was in fact the original Falcon, his are the original Falcon movies and Sanders was by far the bigger Hollywood Star. I will probably order those movies from Amazon at some point, but I already know that, for me, the true Falcon will always be Tom Conway. Less famous than George Sanders but far more Suave.
And suaveness counts, does it not? :):)
I had a nice twilight hike at O'Melveny this evening, still off work for a couple more days.
See you in the morning, and guess what? I have the first six MGM Tarzan movies ordered and on the way to Northridge Libe, so I know you are greatly relieved because we will have more Tarzan to come.
Man, you are wiping your brow......you are breathing a sigh of relief, you are saying "whew".....
You are saying "Thanks, Ad".
I say, "No problem", because I know how you feel about Tarzan.
See you in the morn. Love til then, then more. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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