Torchy Blane en Panamá

In the fifth installment of the series, Torchy Blane is tasked with solving an armed robbery and must travel to Panama in order to catch the criminal.

This is my first Torchy Blane movie that I have seen as I caught the show on TCM. As far as the story goes it feels pretty basic. There is very little amount of mystery or detective work going on in the movie. The majority of the plot seemed to be centered on side gags with the minor characters and getting a full taste of Lola Lane's character. I believe the studio tried to really sell the audience on her but turned out to be a failure as the studio brought back Glenda Farrell in the next movie.

One of the main gripe I have with this movie that really doesn't go with the story, but with the characters. If you recast both lead actors for a movie and still try to push their romantic chemistry as if nothing has changed, it is going to fail. The audience will not feel for the characters at all.

I however liked Torchy in this movie. It was the rest of the characters that brought this movie down. Given that I haven't seen the other entries in the series; I don't know if this is just how the character Steve McBride is. He felt like a push over way to many times and almost was no existent in the movie. If he wasn't the love interest, I might have forgotten he was even in the movie. Gahagan had his moments of funny comedy but he got annoying after awhile.

This was a okay movie and I feel more inclined to check out the prior movies because of this. This movie will fall in the below 6 range maybe a 5.7 out of 10.

Sole appearance pairing Lola Lane and Paul Kelly in the hard-boiled Torchy Blane comedy newspaper crime series. Why Warner Brothers changed lead actors in this series and then resumed with the normal Glenda Farrell/Barton MacLane combination is probably a very interesting story.

Tom Kennedy as Detective Gahagan leads off this entry with the parade of Leopard lodge brothers that march through the robbery of the Hayward National Bank. Gahagan is the Royal Tomcat of New Rochelle Lair 666. Membership in this ancient and loyal order helps Gahagan identify the false member of Lair 394 from Los Angeles and thus solve the mystery. Gahagan is also the goat when he is tricked and told to impress the ladies of South America by telling them: `Usted tiene la cara de chiva' (You have the face of a nanny goat).

Torchy gets scooped at the bank robbery, left behind to boyfriend Detective Lieutenant Steve McBride, but she shows him up by parachuting next to a southbound steamer and follows the stolen money to Cuba and then Panama. Torchy is made Honorary Royal Tabby cat and gets custody of mascot Tommy Hollywood. A pair of colorful pajama-type ladies pants figures heavily in the final rescue.

As in the rest of the series, the police cannot solve the crime without Torchy's intervention but they are needed to save Torchy when she gets into trouble at the end.

I watched this Torchy Blane entry this Saturday morning on TCM. For some reason, Lola Lane plays Torchy instead of Glenda Farrell. And Paul Kelly takes Barton McLane's role as Steve McBride. The change was only for this movie, though and the regular leads were back in the next Torchy Blane movie. Maybe there were scheduling conflicts?

The plot involves a bank robbery with new bills all carrying consecutive serial numbers, being stolen. Gahagan's Leopard Lodge figures in the robbery. Since it's easier to get rid of hot money in Panama, the robber boards a ship going there. Steve, Gahagan, nosy reporter Steve Crafton, and of course, Torchy, all wind up on the ship, too.

TBIP suffers because there is little chemistry between Lane and Kelly, unlike Farrell and McLane. And Paul Kelly doesn't look comfortable in a comedy role. But Lane does bring some energy to her Torchy character.

The best part of the movie is that Tom Kennedy, as Gahagan, gets more screen time and really spices things up. He provides his usual comic relief, but Gahagan is pretty sharp in this one and even finds the big clue needed to solve the case in Panama. Tom Kennedy played a lot of comedy roles and performed with the likes of Shemp Howard and The Marx Brothers. He really stands out in TBIP and makes it worth watching all by himself.

Torchy Blane in Panama (1938)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

The fifth entry in the series finds Lola Lane taking over the role of Torchy Blane and Paul Kelly taking on the Detective McBride spot. This time out the two find themselves (and Detective Gahagan) on a ship heading towards Panama after they believe a bank robber has boarded it. Soon they arrive in Panama but Torchy finds herself in over her head. TORCHY BLANE IN PANAMA was a disappointment when originally released so Warner brought back the original stars for the next installment. With that said, for the most part this is an okay film that clocks in at just a hour so it flies by pretty good. Of course, the one thing missing are the original stars. Both Lane and Kelly are good in regards to the performances but they just don't have that chemistry like Glena Farrell and Barton MacLane had. Both Lane and Kelly are good on their own but they just don't add enough sparks together to help give the film that added charm. The great Tom Kennedy is back and manages to get some nice laughs including a bit where he's on the ocean looking for tornadoes. The mystery itself isn't all that spectacular but it's decent enough for a "B" movie. Fans of the series will certainly still want to check this entry out but there's no question it lacks the charm of the previous four.

After having made several Torchy Blane B-movies starring Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane, suddenly in the middle of the series two entirely new actors are playing lead--Lola Lane and Paul Kelly. IMDb and other web sites I searched didn't indicate why Warner Brothers would make this cast change AND why in the next film the original actors were back once again! This sort of crazy inconsistency isn't unusual for series films of this era, however. For example, the Philo Vance series had about eight different actors play the lead and the Bulldog Drummond films had similar problems keeping leads.

The film begins with a bank robbery occurring during a parade in which Gahagan (Tom Kennedy) is marching with his lodge brothers. In leopard skins, they rush to the bank, but it's too late--the robber escaped. Oddly, the trail for the robbery leads to Panama, so McBride and Gahagan are bound for Central America. Naturally, Torchy finds out and gives chase in a biplane. Please pay attention to the silly scene where Torchy catches up to McBride's ship--it's really dumb and the special effects are on the lame side. She parachute jumps to the cruise ship! Much of the rest of the film takes place on the ship, with the meddling Torchy investigating to see if any of the passengers (one in particular--I guess she read the script) are involved with the robbery. And, when the guy slips overboard, Torchy follows (something no sane reporter would do but which is commonly done if you are Torchy Blane...or Lois Lane--and no, I did not mean Lola Lane).

The film seems to end a bit abruptly, though it is surprising to see that Gahagan is the hero. While Gahagan is more comic relief than usual, he also is surprisingly bright and capable in this film! Three cheers for Gahagan! By the way, why would Torchy just toss the stuffed leopard over the side of the ship? Other than being an obvious plot device, I really can't see any logic to this. And, come to think of it, why would the bad guy stuff money into it?!