Private Detective

Jane Wyman stars as an aggressive detective driving her fiance police detective Dick Foran nuts in "Private Detective" from 1939. The film also stars Dick Foran and Maxie Rosenbloom.

The story concerns the murder of a man (John Eldredge) who has won custody of his son after a court fight with his wife (Mona Dickson). She's a suspect, but there are others. The Wyman character is determined to find out whodunit.

Wyman was no less of a good actress when she became a brunette, but the roles she got were different. I absolutely love her as a blond, always have, and she seemed to get feistier roles that were more fun. Just an opinion. She was quite a talent - she could sing, act, and was a fine artist.

Fun, fast film, o the short side but that is perfect for a film of this type.

From 1937 to 1939, Warner Brothers made three Torchy Blane pictures every year. Each featured a smart lady detective, her smart but obviously less competent cop boyfriend and a crime. Sadly, however, the studio never stuck with any one actress--using three different ones. The last Torchy was played by Jane Wyman...and only a few months later the studio made "Private Detective"...which is identical to a Torchy Blane film except the names had been inexplicably changed. Perhaps this is because the studio thought that folks only wanted a Torchy film with Glenda Farrell (after all, she was the first and most prolific of the actresses playing the part) and so they decided to drop the names and begin somewhat anew.

When the story begins, a divorcing husband and wife are fighting in court for custody of their young son. It seems that the father wants the kid only because he's an heir to a fortune! Torchy, I mean Myrna (Wyman), realizes this is the case and she refuses to testify in the case against the mother. However, it's all moot as soon the father is killed....and a custody hearing isn't important any more. But the mother is assumed to be the perpetrator....and the sleazy attorney for the husband has just had himself appointed the kid's guardian! Can Torchy, I mean Myrna, sort all this out and prove to everyone who the killer is and can the boy be returned to his loving mother?

As I said, this one is pretty much a Torchy Blane film...though I must admit that Wyman was far less enjoyable and spunky than Farrell would have been in the role. That old Torchy Blane sarcasm seems missing here...though the story itself isn't too bad...even if it seems very obvious who the real crook is! And, for a quick B-movie it's actually very good.

Millard Lannon and his wife Mona are battling for the custody of their son Bobby who inherited $5 million from his grandfather. Private detective Myrna Winslow (Jane Wyman) refuses to testify for Millard who only wants the money. She quits and proposes marriage to police detective Jim Rickey (Dick Foran). Millard with his lawyer Nat Flavin calls in a fake threat from Mona. Mona comes to see her son Bobby. Millard is shot dead. Mona runs away. With a neighbor as a witness, Mona is immediately the prime suspect. Myrna and Jim investigate from opposite sides.

It's under an hour and it's fine. Jane Wyman plays a good wildcat investigator. Foran is rather forgettable. As a crime story, it's all fairly straight forward. Mona's innocence is never in doubt. It would be more compelling to have Rickey and Winslow team up. That way, they can develop more combative chemistry and take this movie to the next level. In general, it's pretty basic and fine.

Ex-husband and wife Millard Lannon (Eldredge) and Mona Lannon (Dickson) are fighting for custody of their son Bobby (Blair), with Millard trying to take the son from his wife. When Millard is killed, Mona is suspected, and private detective Myrna Winslow (Wyman) takes the case to prove she's innocent. This is to the chagrin of her police officer boyfriend, Jim Rickey (Foran), who just wants to get married.

Jane Wyman makes an energetic and adorable private detective and her chemistry with Dick Foran, who plays a detective and her boyfriend, is good. It's a fun, engaging, has snappy dialogue and a fast-paced time filler. Some of the humour comes from Forman's sidekick who is probably thickest policeman ever. Some of his replies are plain dumb. The fight scene at the end is quite rambunctious and exciting.

This is a fairly good B murder romance along the lines of the Torchy Blaine series (although the Torchy Blaine flicks were a tad more entertaining). It is obvious this early in her career that Jane Wyman is headed for star status which eventually earns her the Oscar for "Johnny Belinda." Dick Foran is actually better in a romantic police lieutenant lead than he was in the saddle. His singing cowboy westerns left much to be desired. And actually Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom handles himself quite well as a comic foil, much better than many of his goofy, stupid counterparts in all those B detective movies of the 30's and early 40's. The story is not bad either and well-suited for its 55 minute time slot. A minute more would have been too long for this type movie, which in many ways is similar to the 30 to 60 minute TV shows of early television. Directors of today should learn that two hours or more is too long for most films. Much of the movie is routine but such talent before the camera makes it entertaining. If you enjoy the genre, then you should be pleased with this entry.