Smart Blonde (1937)

Female reporter Torchy Blane teams with her cop boyfriend Lt. Steve McBride to solve the killing of an investor who just bought a popular local nightclub.

Director:

Frank McDonald

Writers:

Kenneth Gamet (screen play), Don Ryan (screen play),

Stars:

Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Wini Shaw

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Glenda Farrell	...	Torchy Blane
Barton MacLane	...	Steve McBride
Wini Shaw	...	Dolly Ireland (as Winifred Shaw)
Addison Richards	...	Fitz Mularkey
Robert Paige	...	Lewis Friel (as David Carlyle)
Craig Reynolds	...	Tom Carney
Charlotte Wynters	...	Marcia Friel (as Charlotte Winters)
Jane Wyman	...	Dixie - Hatcheck Girl
Joseph Crehan	...	'Tiny' Torgenson
Tom Kennedy	...	Gahagan
John Sheehan	...	Leon Blyfuss
Max Wagner	...	Chuck Cannon
George Lloyd	...	Pickney Sax

Storyline

Journalist Torchy Blane and her fiance Lt. Steve McBride are trying to solve the murder of Tim Torgson, who was killed right before Torchy's eyes.

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Plot Keywords:

torchy blane | reporter | nightclub | female reporter | murder | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 January 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Uma Loura Sabida

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

59 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some cast members in studio records/casting call lists did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. These were (with their character names): George Beranger (Trusty), Sol Gorss (Truck Driver), Jack Mower (Policeman) and Stuart Holmes (Houseman)

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Quotes

Torchy Blane: [Referring to Steve] Big stiff!
Dixie - Hatcheck Girl: Ain't he masterful?
Torchy Blane: Yeah, all he needs is a leopard skin.

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Connections

Followed by Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1939)

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Soundtracks

"You're Walking in My Sleep"
(1935) (uncredited)
Written by Ben Oakland and Benee Russell

User Reviews

Decent Start to the Series

Smart Blonde (1937)

** (out of 4)

The first of nine films in the series has reporter Torchy Blane (Glenda Farrell) and boyfriend Steve McBride (Barton MacLane) investigating the murder of a millionaire who was set to buy some property at a discounted price. The two set out to find who killed the man but also why the seller took his bid, which was much lower than what others had offered. This here is pretty much average for the various murder/mystery series that were out during this era. Of course, the big difference here is that the lead character is a female even though in the original stories the character was a male. For the most part I found this film to be entertaining enough, although there's no doubt that the studio didn't exactly attach one of their best writers to the film. I say that because the story here is without question the weakest bit because there's nothing really here that we haven't seen in much better movies and nothing here really jumps off the screen. The murder investigation has a few interesting bits but not enough to really make the film better. There's no question that Farrell deserves a lot of credit for what entertainment there is because of her fast-talking one-liners that manage to be fun. Her chemistry with MacLane also adds some nice charm. Film buffs will be able to spot Jane Wyman in a quick bit. SMART BLONDE isn't exactly smart but it's entertaining enough for fans of the genre.