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He realizes someone has been there and opens a secret compartment to check if it has been found. The brother who stepped in as the Falcon's replacement was portrayed by Sanders's actual older brother, Tom Conway. I hope they have been saved from further decomposition since because all the Sanders/Conway outings are a pleasant watch.
From Wikipedia:
Michael Arlen created Gay Stanhope Falcon in 1940.
The character went on to appear (as Michael Waring) in radio and television – Charles McGraw portrayed the Falcon in the 39-episode syndicated television series Adventures of the Falcon (1954–55).
Gay Laurence, George Sanders, a ladies’ man and amateur crime solver known as the Gay Falcon, reluctantly agrees to give up both habits to mollify his fiancée, Elinor Benford Nina Vale.
Arthur Shields, brother of Barry Fitzgerald and a dead ringer for him, seems a bit out of place as Inspector Mike Waldeck, whom the Falcon is more than ready to give credit to for solving the crime.
Recommended as a fast paced good start to the series.
8planktonrules
I really enjoy B-movie detective movies such as Charlie Chan, Sherlock Holmes and The Falcon.
It seems Wood’s soirées have been plagued by jewel thefts, and she is particularly worried about the diamond of her guest, Vera Gardner Lucile Gleason. In each teaser, a previously unseen woman would approach the Falcon, usually in desperation, and signal the title and locale of his next movie. It should have been Retana.
In the film, Gay Lawrence is killed by assassins, prompting his brother Tom Lawrence to become the new Falcon. Forewarned, Retana goes to Gay’s apartment, ties up his servant Jerry, and demands the diamond at gunpoint when Gay returns. He is frightened off when he mistakes Helen at the door for the police.
Now certain about his theory, Gay goes to see Maxine, taking Inspector Waldeck along.
They are puzzled when Retana collapses and dies. Though Gay Falcon was the character's name in Arlen's original story, the character was renamed Gay Laurence for the film. The Webers decided to betray Retana, but he found out. The flower was a signal, indicating to whom Gardner was to give the jewel. A teaser rarely had anything to do with the plot of the upcoming film, since that film had not yet been produced.
The Falcon was revived for three more films, all made in 1948, but these featured the earlier "Michael Waring" character as created by Drexel Drake.
What a pleasant problem for him when they immediately turned mega jealous of any other woman who showed up, no matter how innocent!
It's the usual murky murder mystery, but the Falcon (as private sleuth) isn't fooled for long - fortunately he knew something the viewers didn't, which led him and the police to the culprits. When Elinor asks him to attend a party hosted by Maxine Wood Gladys Cooper to mingle with potential clients, he refuses.
However, when Wood asks for his help via her pretty assistant Helen Reed Wendy Barrie, he cannot resist.
Meanwhile he has both an angry fiancée on his hands and the society lady's swooning secretary, who loves the adventure of tracking down criminals alongside the Falcon.
This is a very good entry that has a very interesting supporting cast. Quite frankly, having watched I can't guess what comes next - whether Gay Lawrence (the Falcon) stays with his fiancée and an impending marriage that never quite comes off becomes some kind of running joke like John Howard's Bulldog Drummond of the late 30's, or if Wendy Barrie's character Helen Reed becomes the Falcon's new girl, or if the Falcon has no girl or another girl entirely in the coming entries, but the ending had me wanting to see the next one.
Of course the wit and wisdom of George Sanders is a plus in any film, and as The Falcon it is unclear what his background is in this entry.
Allen Jenkins is a natural and in good contrast to the suave Sanders as the Falcon's assistant. Moments later, a shot rings out, and she is dead. This Falcon made his first appearance in Arlen's short story "Gay Falcon" (aka "A Man Called Falcon"), which was originally published in 1940 in Town & Country magazine.