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Torchy Blane in Chinatown is a remake of the film Murder Will Out from 1930.

Detective Steve McBride (Barton MacLane) is determined to keep Torchy (Glenda Farrell) out of his latest case, but as usual, he is unsuccessful.

There is a group of Chinese jade thieves who have smuggled burial jades into the countries. The families who own these jades have put out a hit list. Steve is attempting to keep the men from being murdered. It seems simple enough as the threats give the date and time of the deaths.

Leave it to the police, the men end up dead anyway. Not only that, but the owner of the huge jade collection is being shaken down for $250,000.

Torchy snoops around and finds out a few things which lead her to solve the case. Steve is furious with her throughout, and the two quarreling is fun. Also fun is Gahagan (Tom Kennedy) bursting into a poem every now and then.

This is a lively series thanks to the chemistry between Farrell and MacLane, and the crazy character of Gahagan.

This particular film had a somewhat higher than B movie cast, with Patrick Knowles, James Stephenson, and Henry O'Neill.

I have a soft spot for this series. TCM showed them years ago and I taped them to watch while I recovered from surgery.

Bette Davis stars as Mrs. Skeffington from 1944, also starring Claude Rains, directed by Vincent Sherman.

Davis is the beautiful, flirtatious, and vain Fanny Trellis, whom we meet before World War I. Fanny is pursued by dozens of suitors. One day, her brother Trippy's (George Waring) boss Job Skeffington (Claude Rains) comes to visit. He lets her know that Tippy is a crook and owes the firm $24,000.

Fanny talks him out of delaying reporting Tippy to the DA for awhile. Her cousin George (Walter Abel) looks to see if there is any money in the estate to give him. Meanwhile, Fanny takes a different route. She marries him.

Infuriated, Tippy runs off and goes into the service to fight in the war.

Job is madly in love with Fanny, and had been before they met. He knows Fanny doesn't love him, but while she still receives gentlemen callers, she is faithful, and they have a daughter, also Fanny.

When Trippy is killed in action, Fanny blames Job - it's his fault Tippy left, Tippy hated him. From that moment the Skeffington marriage ended, eventually in divorce. Skeffington basically goes to work in Europe, despite being Jewish and the growing prejudice.

All Fanny cares about is her beauty. When age and diphtheria ravage her, she has nothing left. She faces some tough adult realities.

This is a wonderful, if long, film with beautiful performances. Davis is made up to the hilt, with emphasis on her eyes. I saw those eyes in person. Spectacular doesn't come close. She is totally believable as a conceited, narcissistic beauty.

Rains as the stoic Skeffington gives a great performance as always.

The end of the film is sweet and incredibly satisfying. Highly recommended.