JohnHowardReid Noted for his celerity, Frank McDonald once let me into his secret. The players were the key, he said. "Take Torchy Blane. When Brynie (Bryan Foy, a supervisor in Warners' 'B' unit) offered me the assignment, I insisted he hire Glenda Farrell for the lead. Nobody could spout lines at a faster clip than Glenda. In fact, she still holds the world's record. In "Torchy Gets Her Man", which Bill Beaudine directed, Glenda rattles off a four hundred-word speech in forty seconds. Nobody could beat Glenda. I took the precaution, though, of surrounding her with some equally clear-mouthed players, even if they weren't quite as fast. Barton MacLane was always well up in his lines and he could speed through an otherwise boring continuity scene like an express train."Glenda Farrell saw Torchy as a challenge. "She gave me a chance to break a Hollywood stereotype," Glenda explained to me. "Until Torchy arrived on the scene, most women reporters were portrayed as either sour old maids, masculine-looking feminists, or twittery young girls who couldn't wait to be rescued from tabloid drudgery by some bright young man. But Torchy Blane was a real girl. I made her bright, attractive, intelligent, daring and single- minded, able to hold her own. Sure, she loved McBride, but she had her own career and wasn't about to settle for keeping house and raising kids while he brought home the bacon. By making Torchy true to life, I tried to create a character practically unique in movies."Glenda Farrell (her real name) was born in Enid, Oklahoma in 1904. From early childhood, she wanted to be an actress. After training in stock, she arrived on Broadway in the 1920s and scored a hit in several successful plays. Hollywood beckoned in 1929. All told, she made 122 movies, but only the Gold Digger series are still aired today. She invented the tough, wisecracking, knowing, but undefeatable Hollywood blonde, inspiring scores of imitators. Despite her constant movie work, she still managed the occasional Broadway and television play, winning the 1963 Emmy for best supporting actress.The creator of Torchy Blane, of her lover/rival Detective Lieutenant Steve McBride (MacLane), of his poetically not-so-helpful assistant Gahagan (Tom Kennedy) was Frederick Nebel, whose short story, "No Hard Feelings", served as the pilot for the entire nine- picture series. Typical of pulp stories, "No Hard Feelings" has a somewhat complicated plot line which, due to the speed of the film version, requires viewers to keep on their toes. Director McDonald adds to the sense of urgency by inventing so many bits of business for his players that the screen often seems like a maze of movement. The terrific support cast includes Wini Shaw, Charlotte Wynters (the real-life Mrs. Barton MacLane), Jane Wyman (in her first screen billing), and ex-gangster Al Hill, out of character as a cab- driver. Smart Blonde generated such immediately favorable response from critics and public, it was quickly followed by "Fly-Away Baby" (1937).

utgard14 Good start to the B series about the fast-talking, gutsy, and snoopy lady reporter, a forerunner to Lois Lane. It has a brisk pace and a fun cast of characters. This first entry deals with the murder of a guy who just bought a popular nightclub. Reporter Torchy Blane (Glenda Farrell) and her detective boyfriend Steve McBride (Barton MacLane) set out to solve the case, together and in spite of each other.Farrell and MacLane are both terrific in parts well-suited to their particular talents. Jane Wyman, who would later play the role of Torchy herself, has a small part here as a gabby hatcheck girl. Good support from Addison Richards, Tom Kennedy, Wini Shaw, Robert Paige, Joseph Crehan, and Charlotte Wynters (the future Mrs. Barton MacLane). If you're a fan of B's from back in the day, or just a fan of the great Glenda Farrell, you should find a lot to like here.

Neil Doyle This is an enjoyable little comedy/mystery in the Torchy Blane series that starred GLENDA FARRELL and BARTON MacLAINE on the trail of a killer involved in a nightclub mystery.Farrell is a fast-talking newspaper reporter smitten by her policeman boyfriend MacLaine. The breezy byplay between the reporter gal and her boyfriend is snappy enough to keep the plot moving briskly towards a solution of the murder. JANE WYMAN pops up as a flighty hatcheck girl who has almost no bearing on the plot.Interesting to spot ROBERT PAIGE in an early role before Universal groomed him for a bid toward stardom opposite stars like Deanna Durbin (in "Can't Help Singing").Passes the time but strictly a programmer.

holly Glenda Farrell originates the role of Torchy Blain, a fast-talking wise-cracking reporter who will do anything for a scoop, including using her amiable lieutenant boyfriend to sneak into crime scenes, steal clues from the police, and even bully suspects into making false statements to find the real culprit. Farrell has a filmography a mile long, usually playing a second-fiddle gold diggers and hard-luck girls, so it's nice to see this forgotten actress take the lead in a role that is smart and funny. Lasting only an hour, SMART BLONDE is one of those "B" movies that was shown before the main feature, so don't expect deep characters or an intricate mystery, but Farrell tears through the script at lightning speed, trading quips and unraveling a murder cover-up. Barton MacLane as her lieutenant boyfriend McBride is a sturdy and likable foil -- for once the cops aren't entirely stupid. Despite some shamefully racist moments, the Torchy Blane series of films are overall very satisfying and fun. They should be remembered in the same pre-war vein as HIS GIRL Friday, where a woman could be every bit as smart and career-driven as a man. Oddly enough, Farrell played an identical character in the horror classic MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM (1933) but lost top billing to Fay Wray.