THE SAINT STRIKES BACK

US, 1939, 66 minutes, Black-and-white.
George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, Jonathan Hale, Jerome Cowan, Barry Fitzgerald.
Directed by John Farrow.

George Sanders starred in two series in the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Saint and the Falcon. His performances are rather interchangeable, always suave, wealthy, attracted to women, helping the police but always under suspicion, solving the case – and this time allowing the head of the department to take the credit.

The Saint is a creation of novelist Leslie Charteris.

This film opens at a New Year’s Eve party and a shooting. The Saint observes it all and follows Valerie Travers (Wendy Barrie) out into the street because she was sitting at the table of the man killed who himself was lining up someone to shoot. He protects her from the police, though she is hostile towards him. This hostility continues right throughout the film.

Val’s father was an honest policeman who was framed by a syndicate and who was killed. She has learnt some of his techniques but is determined to vindicate him. She is helped by her father’s friend and lawyer. She also gets mixed up with some criminals, the stealing of bonds and cash, a respectable gentleman who serves as a front for the syndicate as well as a corrupt police officer.

Jonathan Hale appears as the genial chief of police in New York City, friend of the Saint, who travels to San Francisco to solve the case. Press accusations are made against the Saint. It is interesting to see air travel in those times, several stops on the way from East Coast to West Coast – where the Saint cleverly gives the police chief the slip.

Police in San Francisco support the Saint, the corrupt police officer not being pleased and continually making a respectable front. Of interest is a safecracker played by Barry Fitzgerald, Irish accent and all.

There are various situations contrived by the Saint, money taken from the safe, money inserted back in the safe, set up to expose the corrupt policeman – and on the way there are several deaths including the man who was the front for the syndicate.

There seem to be few contenders for the role of the villain – and he is revealed to be the dead policeman’s best friend and adviser.

Direction is by John Farrow, emerging as a top director and who was to have a strong career, especially during the 1940s.

Sanders was to appear in a number of films of the Saint. Hugh Williams also appeared as the Saint during these years.