Torchy Blane in Chinatown

This entertaining entry in the Torchy Blane series also happens to be one of the least PC movies of all time, and that's saying quite a bit. Every Asian stereotype you can imagine is dredged up by screenwriter George Bricker and there's even a minstrel show joke for good measure. When Barton Maclane exclaims, "Chinese!", Gloria Farrell responds, "oodles of them!". The story is the usual stuff about stolen jade, ancient curses, family honour, and murder. The twist is telegraphed early on but the film remains briskly entertaining, especially when that brassiest of brassy dames, Ms. Farrell, is on screen--which is most of the film's 58 minutes running time.

This entry in the series has a pretty good supporting cast and an interesting script although, as is par for the course for Warner Brothers in the 30s and 40s, it is actually a remake of an earlier 1930s film. Three men who were involved in extracting a rare jade artifact from a Chinese tomb are threatened with death by the descendants of the person whose tomb was robbed via anonymous notes written in Mandarin. The three men come to the police for protection, but Lt. McBride (Barton McLane) seems to be running in circles when it comes to the vengeful descendants. McBride consults a Chinese American friend who tells him there are approximately four thousand Chinese Americans who are descended from the man whose grave was robbed, including himself!

Meanwhile, McBride is trying to keep Torchy away from what is going on, because he thinks any publicity in the newspapers will keep him from catching the criminals. She uses her usual wily ways to get around any impediments. I think I like this series better when Torchy and McBride are at least somewhat allied. Here they are both on their own trying to solve the mystery as almost adversaries.

I'd give this a 7 if it were not for some obvious things that the criminals are doing that would be picked up immediately by the investigating police and thwart their plan. But it is still good fast moving B fun from Warner Brothers.

The seventh in the Torchy Blane series and the penultimate one for Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane. This time our heroes try to foil an extortion plot. As with the last film, this one has a different vibe to it than the first four Farrell movies. The focus isn't mostly on Torchy, but rather the cops and the criminal plot. Great supporting cast that includes Henry O'Neill, Patric Knowles, Frank Shannon, James Stephenson, and Janet Shaw. The regulars - Farrell, MacLane, and Tom Kennedy - are all good.

This one has a more of a Charlie Chan feel to it, and not because of the Chinese elements. The villains' plot isn't obvious and keeps the viewers (and the dimwitted coppers) guessing. The climax is hilariously offensive, so a point for that, but also has annoying music that doesn't quite fit the on screen action and goes on too long, so deduct a point for that. Worth a look for fans of the series or just B movies in general. But this isn't Torchy Blane at her best.

Poor Torchy! Her boyfriend, Lieutenant Steve McBride, breaks their date to go protect an art smuggler from a sinister gang. Steve sure doesn't seem too sorry—he hardly even apologizes to Torchy. Of course, she sneaks after him that night, hoping to catch a scoop for her newspaper….

Barton McLane gets a big role this time around—his Lieutenant McBride is right at the center of the action. Unfortunately, the lieutenant has never been dumber. He tells the smuggler not to worry, that the police will protect him—and the smuggler is promptly murdered. He tells the next threatened victim the same thing—and that guy is murdered just as quickly. He's not protecting anybody!

Glenda Farrell is fine as always in her sixth appearance as adventurous reporter Torchy Blane. The cops do their best to keep her in the dark, but Torchy gets her leads and reports them without resisting a dig or two: the first murder, she writes, has left "investigating officers, headed by Detective Lt. Steve McBride, running around in circles so fast they're apt to meet themselves coming back."

The plot concerns some stolen jade "burial tablets" and a supposed Chinese gang out to retrieve them. Unfortunately, there's not enough humor or snappy by-play between characters—the really appealing elements of the series' better entries—to keep this one moving. Tom Kennedy, back again as faithful but dim police chauffeur Gahagan, isn't given nearly enough to do, either.

It's a cast of pros and the production is competent, so the picture is certainly watchable. Farrell, especially, is never boring. However, the rather dreadful plot and an overall lack of zip place this one at the bottom of the list of Torchy Blane mysteries.

Barton MacLane tries to keep Glenda Farrell out of his hair while he investigates a case involving stolen Chinese artifacts and blackmail. Good luck with that in the seventh of Warner's 'Torchy Blane' series. It's always fun to watch these two go at it, and Tom Kennedy is always welcome as Gahagan, who actually gets to do something useful in this episode.

It's based on Will Jenkins' story "The Purple Hieroglyph", written under his pseudonym of Murray Leinster, and made into an earlier movie called MURDER WILL OUT.