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Smart Blonde
USA 1937
produced by
Hal B. Wallis (executive), Jack L. Warner (executive) for Warner Brothers
directed by Frank McDonald
starring Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Wini Shaw, Addison Richards, Robert Paige, Craig Reynolds, Charlotte Wynters, Jane Wyman, Joseph Crehan, Tom Kennedy, John Sheehan, Max Wagner, George Lloyd, Frank Bruno, Milton Kibbee, Carlyle Moore jr, Dennis Moore, Lyle Moraine, John J. Richardson, Eddy Chandler, Alexander Cross, Ferdinand Schumann-Heink, Jack Wise, Martin Turner, Fred 'Snowflake' Toones, Joe Cunningham, Glen Cavender, Frank Faylen, Bess Flowers, Harry Fox, George Guhl, Al Herman, Allen Pomeroy, Al Hill, Harry Jacobson, Wayne Morris, Henry Otho, Paul Panzer, Cliff Saum, Tom Wilson
screenplay by Kenneth Gamet, Don Ryan, based on the story No Hard Feelings by Frederick Nebel, music by Heinz Roemheld
Torchy Blane
review by
Mike Haberfelner
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Fitz Mularkay (Addison Richards), a nightclub owner who also runs a
(barely) legal betting outfit, wants to sell his hole organisation to
start anew in real estate with his fiancée Marcia (Charlotte Wynters) and
future brother-in-law Lewis (Robert Paige) - and thus he accepts an offer
from Tiny Torgenson (Joseph Crehan), not the highest bidder by a longshot,
but a man he trusts to run the organisation in his spirit. And then Tiny
is shot dead ... Detective Steve McBride (Barton MacLane) is quick to
suspect one of Torgenson's rival bidders to have to do with the killing,
even if he can't detect an iota of evidence that connects any of them to
the crime. His girl reporter girlfriend Torchy Blane (Glenda Farrell)
though has different ideas, and soon comes up with another suspect,
Mularkay's right-hand-man Chuck (Max Wagner), who is known to always carry
a gun and who holds a grudge against his boss of late since he doesn't
want him to sell out. Also, Chuck has been known to drink a lot, lately.
Eventually, he ends up dead though, and now detective McBride suspects
Mularkay's nightclub singer Dolly (Wini Shaw), who has been secretly in
love with her boss for years, even though he never seemed to notice. Then,
to McBride's surprise, Mularkay confesses to have murdered Chuck, but
McBride lets him get away - because he's friends with Mularkay on one
hand, but there is something else that doesn't quite fit ... Finally,
Torchy drops the bomb: Marcia and Lewis are the culprits, they are not
brother and sister at all but a couple of sharpshooters turned frauds who
wanted to get their hands on Mularkay's dough - and thus wanted him to
sell his operation at the highest price possible. Torchy drops the bomb at
the wrong time though, because suddenly she and McBride find themselves
outgunned by Marcia and Lewis ... but eventually, everything ends happily,
and Marcia and Lewis get their just desserts ... Jane Wyman, who would
play Torchy Blane in the last film of the series, Torchy Blane ...
Playing with Dynamite, has a small but hilarious role in this one as a
hung-over hat-check girl. As a mystery, Smart Blonde is
a definitely less-than-perfect movie, the case is a bit convoluted, too
many of Torchy's conclusions are far-fetched, and the story is lacking in
real highlights. But as the first film of a series, Smart Blonde
works quite fine: Torchy Blane is a likeable character who has some great
lines, her relationship with Steve McBride is depicted in a rather
hilarious way, and Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane do have some great
chemistry. And with that in mind, the plot as such somehow is relegated to
second fiddle, and despite obvious shortcomings, this movie makes one want
to see more of Torchy Blane. Mission accomplished, in my
opinion.
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