ADVENTURES OF THE FALCON "Green Means Danger" 1955

This is the 34th episode of the 39-episode run of the 1954 to 1956 series, ADVENTURES OF THE FALCON. Film noir icon Charles McGraw headlines as Mike Waring, an agent of the U.S. Government. The series follows McGraw as he travels the world putting the kibosh on various criminals and foreign agents. The series is loosely based on the FALCON series of films of the 1940s.

This time McGraw is crossing the country on a train. He is keeping tabs on a man (James Westerfield) whom the Government suspects of being a smuggler. The two men are sitting in the club car having a smoke and a drink. When Westerfield finishes and heads back to his room, McGraw follows. On the way, the train's conductor stops McGraw to give him a telegraph message.

By the time McGraw reaches Westerfield's room the man is laid out flat on the floor. All the man's luggage is open and the contents scattered about the room. McGraw calls the porter and applies a cold towel to Westerfield's battered forehead. One of the passengers (Douglas Fowley) now shows and offers to help McGraw. McGraw chases the man off after telling him it is official Government business.

Once Westerfield revives, he refuses to say what happened or who hit him. McGraw knows the man is up to no good, but has no evidence. As he steps out into the passageway he bumps into Adele Mara. McGraw is sure the woman had been listening at the door. Mara smiles and heads off to her own compartment. Also playing peek-a-boo with McGraw are Tristram Coffin and Howard Wendell.

It seems that there had been a 100 grand jewel robbery in Chicago. You have one bunch of crooks trying to relieve the other group of the loot. Guns are being pulled and our man McGraw is the one on the wrong end of a beating. The crooks are all fighting amongst themselves for a cut of the emeralds. McGraw manages to pull himself together and gets the draw of the whole bunch. After he disarms them all, he has the conductor lock them in a cage in the baggage car. McGraw keeps Miss Mara with him. She is a lady after all--well, sort of.





This fun episode is just one double cross after another as each faction vies for the jewels. It is a great bit of half-hour television.

Always like to see the drop-dead beautiful Miss Mara in anything. Adele Mara was the go-to damsel in distress, female cowgirl or femme-fatale in a whole string of B-films for Columbia and Republic Pictures. She did manage a few roles in several John Wayne films like, THE FIGHTING SEABEES, WAKE OF THE RED WITCH and a nice bit in THE SANDS OF IWO JIMA.