Torchy Blane.. Playing with Dynamite (1939)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Noel M. Smith

Writers:

Frederick Nebel (characters)
Scott Littleton (story)

Release Date:

12 August 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery

Tagline:

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! (original ad- all caps)

Plot:

Torchy Blane and Steve McBride try to nab a gangster by tracking his moll. |

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Torchy Blane | Fight | Wrestling | Jail

Cast

Jane Wyman	...	Torchy Blane
Allen Jenkins	...	Lt. Steve McBride
Tom Kennedy	...	Gahagan
Sheila Bromley	...	'Jackie' McGuire
Joe Cunningham	...	Maxie
Eddie Marr	...	Denver Eddie
Edgar Dearing	...	Policeman Jim Simmons (as Edgar Deering)
Frank Shannon	...	Inspector McTavish
Bruce MacFarlane	...	Bugsie - Denver Henchman
George Lloyd	...	Harp - Denver Henchman
Aldrich Bowker	...	Judge Hershey - Police Court
John Ridgely	...	Reporter at the Wrestling Match
Larry Williams	...	Reporter with Pipe
John Harron	...	Motorcycle Policeman
Cliff Clark	...	Mike Kelly - Manager Sportland Arena

Also Known As:

Torchy Plays with Dynamite (USA) (review title)

Runtime:

59 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #5410)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Two cast members in studio records/casting call lists did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. These were (with their character names): Vera Lewis (Landlady) and Eddy Chandler (Announcer)

Goofs:

Continuity: Just after McBride and Gahagan get in to a cab outside the bookstore, there is a close up shot of the license plate which reads "X3075". In the next shot, as the cab pulls up outside a building, the license plate reads "Z8546".

Movie Connections:

Follows Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1939)

Speeding Gets Torchy A Scoop

For the final entry of this series, Torchy Blane, girl reporter on a quaint metropolitan New York newspaper gets herself pinched speeding to file a story. Turns out to be a lucky break because she gets tossed into jail with Sheila Bromley, girlfriend of notorious bank robber Eddie Marr.

The original stars of the series, Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane as NYPD Detective Steve McBride were replaced by Jane Wyman and Allen Jenkins. This may have been the only time in screen history that Allen Jenkins got the girl. They were fine in the parts, but the public didn't accept them and the series was discontinued.

Along though for the final ride was Tom Kennedy who was McBride's cop sidekick as he was for the rest of the series. Kennedy was a former boxer who was also a former wrestler. Familiarity with the squared circle plays an important part in what was a most interesting climax to the film.

Torchy Plays With Dynamite was something I'm sure entertained many people on the double bill who might have come to see one of Warner Brothers big budget attractions like Dodge City in 1939. It's fast paced and amusing and no one I'm sure walked out.