utgard14 The Falcon (Tom Conway) heads to Mexico to investigate a murder and hang out with a cab driver (Nestor Paiva). Despite an exciting first twenty minutes or so, this turns out to be one of the weaker entries in the series. It seems more concerned with promoting tourism to Mexico than telling a fun mystery story. Don't get me wrong, the scenery and local color stuff is all great. It's just not what I watch a Falcon movie for. Anyway, Tom Conway is good as usual. Nestor Paiva is kind of an annoying sidekick. The lovely ladies this time include Martha Vickers and Mona Maris. Ruth and Juanita Alvarez (who appeared previously in the series as teenagers) have bit parts here. The series is missing the regulars it had earlier on, such as the Falcon's sidekick Goldie or the bumbling cops Donovan and Bates. Now it's all on Conway to quickly develop good chemistry with the guest stars. Sometimes he does and sometimes it just feels off. Worth a look for fans but prepare yourself that this isn't one of the Falcon's better movies.

dougdoepke So is artist Wade alive or not. His daughter seems to think so even though he's supposedly ensconced in a crypt in Mexico. Fear not, however, the Falcon (Conway) is on the case. Actually the ingredients of a good mystery are present but the script mixes them up in a sloppy fashion. Much of the problem, as other reviewers note, is the big travelogue part, which only gets out of Hollywood proper thanks to some artistic Orson Welles stock footage. Otherwise it's process shots and RKO's backlot, along with that all-purpose ethnic Nestor Paiva (Manuel) furnishing a dollop of comic relief. Then too, the musical interludes tend to interrupt at inconvenient times. (Still, I really like the enchanting two little girl singers Hunter & Alvarez.)What's worth watching for the guys, at least, are the gals, especially Vickers who's downright beautiful, at least in my book. I could have used a couple dozen more close-ups. Too bad the director treats her so casually. Anyway, the smooth-as-silk Conway is on hand to lend this slapdash programmer some class. But he really was better off with the great Val Lewton and his classic horror fests than he is here.

bkoganbing When Tom Conway met that black cat determined to cross his path he should have gone blocks out of the way. He didn't though and wound up helping Cecilia Callejo break into an art gallery to retrieve a painting for which she modeled. But the gallery owner is dead Callejo flees through a window and Conway has to run from the San Francisco police.The daughter of the dead artist who painted it played by Martha Vickers might provide answers. So might Vickers's stepmother Mona Maris and her new husband Joseph Vitale. So might millionaire Emory Parnell who bought several of the dead artist's paintings. They all wind up meeting in old Mexico providing The Falcon with a host of subjects. Along with ever helpful driver Nestor Paiva and his young son Fernando Alvarado.A middle run Falcon film, the exotic location helps, but it's not anything abut a studio created Mexico.

Spondonman after 16 minutes anyway. Not that it detracts from a nice little comedy-mystery, but this was an even cheaper affair than usual from RKO as they used up a lot of stock rustic Mexican background film to lilting music here while the main characters glided or drove about in front. Tom Conway as the Falcon looked as handsome and debonair as ever (no. 9/13 – I don't count those last 3 non-RKO efforts with John Calvert), and had to do without the comedy double act of Clark and Gargan from now on.Investigation of a painting painted by a dead man (with an art gallery eerily similar to the one in Woman In The Window) leads to murder and theft; the Falcon is chased by the cops while he's chasing the baddies all the way into deepest Mexico. The dead painter's daughter was played chockful of feminine intuition by Martha Vickers, next step for her was the cute Big Sleep. She also uttered my favourite line from all of the Falcon films – "My father lived at this inn while he was alive" – wonderful stuff! Nestor Paiva played a helpful ambiguous peasant and Joseph Vitale a rather unhelpful serious dancer, some of their best stuff was to come later with Paramount. The only downer was the climax could've been handled with a little more sensitivity, but in these pics time was money!Another excellent and engrossing Falcon outing for the cognoscenti, serious people shouldn't waste their valuable time.