Torchy Blane in Panama

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.

Wide-eyed, beautiful brunette Lola Lane assumes the role of Torchy Blaine, a role Warner Bros. created for the blonde and brassy Glenda Farrell. She starred in the previous seven. No longer the smartest person in the room, this Torchy is probably the most athletic: parachuting, jitterbugging, jumping ship and climbing walls. The character is now more adventuress than working girl. Comedy now dominates the series, with Tom Kennedy's part expanded. A parade of his goofy Lodge of the Leopard opens the film. Briefly seen is a float of black-faced white guys in leopard skins. Lola was one of the Lane Sisters that Warner Bros. put under contract. Among her husbands were Lew Ayres and Roland West.

Lola Lane stars as Torchy, Paul Kelly as Steve, but don't worry, because Tom Kennedy is still Gahagan, and too dumb to notice the substitution.

There's a bank robbery during the Loyal Leopards parade, and our intrepid threesome wind up pursuing the thieves on a cruise ship bound for Los Angeles via the Panama Canal -- hence the name. Miss Lane proves herself as intrepid as she parachutes into the water, and does a fine imitation of Glenda Farrell's gum-chewing intonation, but cannot, of course, match her high speed in spewing the lingo.

Happily, Miss Farrell and Barton MacLane return for the next entry.

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.

The fifth in the Torchy Blane series and the first without stars Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane. They're replaced for this entry by Lola Lane and Paul Kelly. Poor substitutes honestly. Tom Kennedy is a highlight as Gahagan. The plot involves a bank robber escaping by ocean liner headed to Panama. Torchy, Steve, and Gahagan follow.

It's not a bad flick of its kind but it's missing the chemistry and personalities of the previous stars. Star Lola Lane would be the inspiration for the name given to the most famous of fictional female reporters, Lois Lane. The character of Torchy, as played up to this point by Glenda Farrell, is another inspiration for that character. Like I said, this isn't bad for what it is but it's not as good as the Farrell movies. The parachuting scene is fun, though.