pcronin Review of The Fallen Sparrow

The Fallen Sparrow (1943)

The Nazis are in New York, and they want their flag back!

[2 August 2003]

This movie is very interesting, but convoluted. And hard to follow. Yet it is good if you like international espionage and World War II spy movies. John McKittrick(John Garfield)was tortured in Franco's Spanish prison camp, but survives and returns home to find out who killed his comrade in arms Louis Lepetino, formerly a fellow New York City cop. His childhood friends and Louis' family all warmly welcome him back, but he is disturbed by what he has endured and the truth he must find. Anton(John Banner)who plays piano accompaniment to his childhood friend Whitney's(Martha O'Driscoll)singing is a spy for the Skaas family and attempts to kill Kit because he knows too much. Next Martha's brother Ab(Bruce Edwards)who is a Fed goes to D.C. to help Kit and returns answering a fraudulent letter for help sent by Otto claiming to be Kit, and Ab is murdered in his lobby. Meanwhile Kit has fallen for the mystery lady on the train back who was also at his welcome home party and works modelling at a womens hat boutique, Toni Donne(O'Hara). She is brusque and gives him the brush-off, but he is not easily dissuaded. He introduces himself, asks her on a date, sends her flowers, and she finally relents. They go out and have a wonderful time. She takes him to meet her family, and Dr Skaas in a wheelchair tells him of his book on his theory of effective mental torture. They show him their family crest and begin cross examining, but he plays dumb. They invite him to a concert of beautiful gypsy orchestrations and Dr Skaas corners him in a room upstairs. He was the Nazi guard at the prison camp with the dragging leg that followed tortures that come back to haunt Kit. Kit has a gun, but cannot shoot. Skaas has a poison syringe and is coming toward Kit. Kit finally shoots him dead! The cops come and catch Anton, but Toni has fled and is on a plane to Lisbon, when she is apprehended by the authorities and Kit takes her seat. The End.