In the second film of the series (and not a second part of anything), Gay Lawrence, aka The Falcon, is about to depart the city to marry his fiancée, Helen Reed, when a mystery girl, Rita Mara, asks for his aid in disposing of a secret formula for making synthetic diamonds. He deliberately allows himself to be kidnapped by the gang for which Rita works. His aide, “Goldy” Locke, trails the kidnappers and brings the police. But the head of the gang escapes, and the Falcon continues the pursuit.
A society grand dame who hosts charity parties in her home is mixed up in a jewel theft racket which defrauds insurance companies. When she is murdered, Gay Laurence (a.k.a. The Falcon)and assistant ‘Goldie’ Locke are on the case with help from beautiful Helen Reed, who becomes a rival to Gay’s fiancée Elinor for the sleuth’s affections.
George Sanders makes his final appearance as crook-turned-detective Simon Templar, a.k.a. “The Saint,” in The Saint in Palm Springs. The gimmick in this one is a set of rare stamps, smuggled from England. Wendy Barrie is the true heir to this treasure, and the Saint is engaged to protect her and the stamps. Our hero meets Barrie in a posh Palm Springs resort, where a gang of homicidal thieves have converged to relieve the girl of her inheritance. Three murders and one kidnapping attempt later, the villains are foiled by the Saint, with the aid of his onetime partner in crime Pearly Gates (Paul Guilfoyle). The Saint in Palm Springs is the sixth in RKO’s series of films based on the character created by Leslie Charteris.
Phil Mercedes (Dix), who was once a record-setting pilot, is an aging, alcoholic, aeronautics show performer. While inebriated, he crashes his stunt plane into a barn and is grounded for a year. His sister Kay (Barrie) is his only means of support, who hopes to land a job as a draftswoman for Martin Ames (Taylor), the chief engineer for Dan McLean (Lowe), an airplane manufacturer that hopes to win a big contract with the government given the war in Europe. Though Kay is not a very skilled draftsman, she shows Ames some drawings with creative designs, from Phil, that interest him. Preliminary tests of the aircraft prove disastrous, but Phil establishes the viability of his designs by flying the experimental aircraft himself, which restores his damaged reputation.
Director Leslie Goodwins’ 1941 military drama, about various men who become buddies when they join the paratroopers, stars Robert Preston, Edmond O’Brien and Buddy Ebsen.
At a convention, medical researcher Michel Touzac goes with colleagues to see stage caricaturist Targel, whose assistant Florence recognizes him…and attempts suicide. Saved by Touzac’s new technique, Florence is revealed in a flashback as Michel’s abandoned wife Karin, whom their daughter Susette thinks is dead. Can Susette cope if they now re-unite?
The Saint Takes Over, released in 1940 by RKO Pictures, was the fifth motion picture featuring the adventures of Simon Templar, a.k.a. “The Saint” the Robin Hood-inspired crimefighter created by Leslie Charteris. George Sanders returned as Templar, with Wendy Barrie playing his latest romantic conquest in her second of three appearances in the Saint film series (playing a different role each time). This film focuses on the character of Inspector Henry Farnack (Jonathan Hale), who appeared in several of the Saint series. When Farnack is framed by a gang he is investigating, it is up to The Saint to clear his name.