Private Detective

Jane Wyman is a private detective about testify in a custody case. When the wife is suspected of killing her husband, Wyman finds herself working on the case, and tangling with police detective detective Dick Foran, who is also handling the case.

It's a late-1930s Warners B from Bryan Foy's unit, which means it is more distinguished for its short length (it clocks in at fifty-five minutes) and fast talk, rather than much in the way of cinematic excellence. Cinematographer Ted McCord has some fun with shadows from Venetian blinds, but the principal pleasure is Jane Wyman, in her late-1930s persona of blonde hair and wide eyes. Usually she was a delightful ditz in comedy, but here as a hard-nosed gumshoe, she wrangles nicely with Foran as she keeps trying to help him move away from the wrong track he's on.

"The dirty heel," mutters detective Jane Wyman of the Nationwide Detective Agency. She refers to sleazy lawyer Morgan Conway, who is scheming with a client to swipe his own child's inherited fortune.

Soon enough, the client (a first class rat himself) is murdered—but who did it? The lawyer? The ex-wife? The chauffeur? What about the ex-wife's new fiancé?

Jane Wyman is lively and likable in this very entertaining and compact B mystery. Dick Foran co-stars as Wyman's fiancé, a cop working the same murder case. He would very much like for her to hurry up and marry him and "retire" from her job—however, Wyman is always at least a step ahead of him in the investigation, and is clearly the brains of this couple.

Max Rosenbloom is a fellow cop, Foran's partner in crime fighting; part comic relief and part muscle, he breaks down doors and makes encouraging comments. Good old Joseph Crehan is the police captain begging for some results from his detectives. Foran gives it a game effort…but boy, is his character boring! To be fair, I suppose it wasn't his fault that the script gave Wyman all the good lines.

Overall, some good action scenes and rapid dialog delivery—along with Wyman's snappy performance—keep this one moving along nicely.

1939 is considered the top year for classic films from Hollywood with the release of Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, The Adventures of Robin Hood and countless others, however while all those masterworks were being created it's good to remember that the studios were still cranking out B programmers to fill the bill and this is as good an example of that as any.

Jane Wyman having worked her way through bits and supporting roles has one of her first leads here as Jinx Winslow, girl detective. She's cute and sprightly and in an interesting contrast she has a few scenes with the ill fated Gloria Dickson, a promising contract player until her sad death a few years later in a house fire at just 28. In their scenes the blush of stardom is all over Jane, not only is she far more animated than Gloria but she registers on screen in a way that Dickson does not and never would. A clear demonstration of star quality, Jane is vibrant whereas Gloria is flat, it doesn't help her though that she's made up in the most overdone and unflattering hair and makeup.

As for the rest of the movie and the cast, the story is nothing that hasn't been done a million times but it moves at a good clip and that blank wall of an actor Dick Foran takes up space like he always does, how he worked so much is a mystery

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.

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.