Torchy Blane in Panama
| Torchy Blane in Panama | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster | |
| Directed by | William Clemens |
| Screenplay by | George Bricker |
| Story by | Anthony Coldeway |
| Produced by | Hal B. Wallis Jack L. Warner |
| Starring | Lola Lane Paul Kelly Tom Kennedy |
| Cinematography | Tony Gaudio |
| Edited by | Thomas Pratt |
| Music by | Howard Jackson |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 59 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Torchy Blane in Panama is a 1938 American mystery film directed by William Clemens. The film stars Lola Lane, Paul Kelly, and Tom Kennedy.[1][2][3] It was released on May 7, 1938. This is the fifth film in a series of "Torchy Blane" movies by Warner Bros. Torchy, Steve, and Gahagan is on the trail of a bank robber aboard an ocean liner traveling from New York to Los Angeles via the Panama Canal.
The film is the first of two movies in the Torchy Blane series to star an actress other than Glenda Farrell as Torchy Blane and Barton MacLane as Steve. Farrell and MacLane returned to the series for three additional films, with the last film in the series Torchy Blane... Playing with Dynamite (1939) featuring Jane Wyman and Allen Jenkins as Torchy and Steve.
Plot
When policeman Gahagan (Tom Kennedy) witnessed a bank robbery during a parade of the Loyal Order of Leopards, he rushes off to call his boss, Steve McBride (Paul Kelly). Moments after Steve arrives at the bank, reporter Torchy Blane (Lola Lane) Steve's girlfriend arrived and does her own investigating. She is miffed to find another reporter there ahead of her. When Steve ignores her after she finds a lodge button wedged in a teller's cage, Torchy write the story in her newspaper.
Determined to scoop the other newspapers, Torchy convinces her boyfriend Steve that the perpetrator of the recent bank robbery will travel with the Los Angeles delegation of Leopards; traveling via the Panama Canal and exchange the stolen money outside the country. Steve leaves without Torchy. Torchy decides to parachute into the ocean, forcing the ocean liner to rescue her. On board, she ignores Steve and talks to all the Leopards, trying to identify the thief. Her attention focuses on Stan Crafton after Gahagan tells her that he did not know the secret Leopard handshake.
A search of his room came up empty. Stan sees Torchy leaving his room with Steve, he decides to sneaks off the boat in Panama with the money, which he has hidden in a stuffed leopard mascot. Torchy saw him leave and follows him, she leaves a note for Steve, explaining the situation. As soon as the ship docks at the other end of the Canal, Steve flies back to look for Torchy. In the meantime, Stan has caught Torchy spying on him and plans to kill her. Steve spots her wet clothes drying on Stan's balcony and breaks in, shooting him. Gahagan helps Torchy with her newspaper story and Steve proposes again.
Cast
- Lola Lane as Torchy Blane
- Paul Kelly as Steve McBride
- Tom Kennedy as Gahagan
- Anthony Averill as Stan Crafton
- Larry Williams as Bill Canby
Torchy Blane series
- Smart Blonde (1937)
- Fly-Away Baby (1937)
- The Adventurous Blonde (1937)
- Blondes at Work (1938)
- Torchy Blane in Panama (1938)
- Torchy Gets Her Man (1938)
- Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1939)
- Torchy Runs for Mayor (1939)
- Torchy Blane... Playing with Dynamite (1939)
Home media
Warner Archive released a boxed set DVD collection featuring all nine Torchy Blane films on March 29, 2011.[4]
References
- ^ "Torchy Blane in Panama (1938)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
- ^ "Torchy Blane in Panama (1938)". All Movie. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
- ^ "Torchy Blane in Panama". American film Institute: catalog of feature films. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
- ^ KEHR, DAVE (May 7, 2010). "The Torchy Blane Collection". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2016.