The Falcon investigates the murder of an actor on a Hollywood backlot.
Vacationing in Hollywood doesn't free the Falcon from investigating murder. The victim is an actor whose fashion designer wife has been having an affair with a director.—Ed Stephan <[email protected]>
Suave amateur detective Tom Lawrence--aka Michael Arlen's literary hero The Falcon--arrives in Hollywood for some rest and relaxation, only to find himself involved in the murder of a movie actor. There's no shortage of suspects: the costume designer to whom he was married, a tyrannical director, a beautiful young French starlet, a Shakespeare-quoting producer, even a New York gangster. Helping The Falcon solve the crime is a cute, wise-cracking cab driver and a pair of bumbling cops.—Marty McKee <[email protected]>
A detective tours a Hollywood lot where he discovers a murdered actor.
Debonair sleuth Tom Lawrence AKA The Falcon (Tom Conway) is on vacation in Los Angeles and the film opens with Tom at the Hollywood Park Racetrack where he meets Inspector McBride (Emory Parnell) of the L.A.P.D. McBride asks Tom if he has seen casino owner Louie Buchanon (Sheldon Leonard) who The Falcon helped to put behind bars. Tom denies any knowledge of Louie's whereabouts, but when he returns to his seat in the stands he sees Louie standing in the row behind his. Tom is sitting next to haughty film star Lili D'Allio (Rita Corday), but when she leaves to place a bet, Louis' girlfriend Peggy Callahan (Barbara Hale) takes her seat. When Lili returns Peggy departs but accidentally picks up Lili's handbag and takes it with her by mistake.Tom goes after Peggy, who is acting in a film at Sunset Studios, and the handbag and he hails a cab driven by Billie (Veda Ann Borg) who is also a female stunt driver. They follow Peggy to the studio lot, where Tom hears a gunshot ring out in a deserted sound stage. Investigating, Tom discovers a dead body on the darkened set but no sign of the shooter. Billie and Tom raise the alarm but by the time the police arrive the corpse has vanished. After finding Peggy and retrieving Lili's handbag Billie and Tom begin to search for the missing body which they eventually find concealed in the props room. Billie identifies the dead man as film star Ted Miles who is married to Roxanna (Jean Brooks), the studio's costume designer. Tom sends for Roxanna and she arrives with film director Alec Hoffman (Konstantin Shayne) Tom leads them into the props room to break the news of Ted's murder. The Falcon is stunned though when the dead man's wife reveals that she hated her husband and plans to marry Hoffman.
Despite Tom's protests that he is on vacation and does not want to get involved in a murder case Billie drives him to Ted's apartment. A search of the apartment reveals a photo of Peggy Callahan and a contract assigning Ted a 25% interest in Hoffman's next picture. McBride then arrives at the apartment and takes the pair back to the studio where McBride questions Martin Dwyer (John Abbott), the eccentric Shakespeare quoting producer in charge of Hoffman's film. Dwyer informs them that Ted had demanded his investment in the film back as he needed it pay off a gambling debt. As collateral Dwyer had given Ted a valuable ruby ring, which now appears to have gone missing from Ted's belongings. McBride then goes and questions Hoffman but he says that he was in the miniatures department of the studio at the time of the shooting. This prompts Tom to go and visit the miniatures department where he finds the murder weapon hidden inside a plaster head. That finding prompts McBride to arrest Hoffman on suspicion of murder, which in turn prompts Dwyer to cancel the picture Hoffman was working on. However, McBride soon learns that the gun is in fact registered to Dwyer - but when questioned he explains that he had already reported that the gun had been stolen.
With doubt now cast upon Hoffman's involvement in the shooting Lili D'Allio posts bail for the director and shooting of the picture resumes on location at poolside at Lili's house. One of the scenes being filmed at poolside involves Peggy Callahan firing a prop gun, but when the gun goes off it wounds Hoffman. McBride arrives and questions everyone at the shoot about the shooting, but Tom notices Peggy is talking to Louie Buchanan and then Louie comes out with the bold statement that he will deliver the killer the following day.
The next morning Peggy drives Tom out to the Los Angeles Coliseum to meet Louie, once they arrive Peggy tells Tom that Louie was also an investor in Hoffman's picture. Just as Billie arrives in her cab, Louie comes stumbling out of the stands and collapses. The Falcon ascertains that he has been poisoned, whilst also noticing that he is wearing the ruby ring that Dwyer mentioned. When McBride arrives Tom explains to him that the ring contained the poison and it injected it into the bloodstream of the wearer - and also comes to the conclusion that Dwyer murdered both Ted and Louie because he has oversold his interest in the picture. McBride promptly arrests everyone and takes them all to Dwyer's office where he confronts the producer with Tom's claims. In response to this Dwyer pulls a gun and escapes but Billie and Tom pursue him to a sound stage where Tom wounds Dwyer in a shoot-out - the killer is apprehended, the case solved and The Falcon is free to take a vacation to recover from the whole experience.
