I Love B Movies

I've always loved movies. I spent many an afternoon at the Saturday matinee. At home, I watched series such as the Bowery Boys and horror films, including a Mexican vampire series starting with this film. 

Then there was the Basil Rathbone--Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes series. The series debuted in 1939. The first two films, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, had good budgets and production values. The rest of the series were strictly B movies--updated to World War II with lots of quotes from Churchill. The films were loosely based on the stories and novels (I read all of them.) Yes, the series made Watson was a lovable bumbler and the pro-Britain speech gat a bit thick (but hey, it was against Hitler, so I can't complain) but I loved them.

I love the Warner Brothers Nancy Drew series (four films) and the Torchy Blane films (nine.) I will gladly rewatch all of those films when they appear.

Recently, I've been watching some Charlie Chan movies. I was surprised to read that there are 49 films, with the first in 1926. Most of the films available are with Sidney Toler and a few with Roland Winters. I remember seeing Warner Oland in the role, but haven't come across any of his films recently. I'm keeping my eyes open hoping to catch one of  best in the series such as Charlie Chan at the Opera.

1939 Movie Miscellany

1939 is generally considered to be one of, if not the best, year for films including Gone with the Wind, Stagecoach, The Wizard of Oz, Destry Rides Again, Ninotchka, The Rules of the Game, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Here are some of my favorites: They Made Me a Criminal, The Roaring Twenties, The Rains Came, In Name Only, The Hound of the Baskervilles (first of the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes series) Dodge City (mostly for the dueling anthem preview to Casablanca.)

Bette Davis Films: Dark Victory, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, The Old Maid, Juarez.

I learned today that 1939 also marked the end of two of my favorite movie series: Nancy Drew and Torchy Blaine.

TCM had a series theme starting last Tuesday. I caught the end of my second favorite in the Nancy Drew series, Nancy Drew, Reporter. I actually said out loud--that Sergeant Entwhistle wasn't committed to drag like Tom Sandoval (exposing my Vanderpump Rules fandom here.) I recorded Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase--the last entry and my personal favorite. The TCM announcer said this was the best reviewed of the series. It should have been the first of a longer series, but Bonita Granville left Warner Brothers and that ended the films.

The Torchy Blane series ended the same year. According to the article linked above, Torchy and Nancy movies were shown together, had a similar structure and shared some of their writers. As part of TCM's series theme, the Torchy movies also ran this week. I recorded all of those. I love Torchy's introduction in Smart Blonde. Steve McBride is more of an ass in the first entry than others and can barely drive. At least the film ends with Steve taking Torchy out for steak.

Here's more on Torchy.

Movie Moments with Torchy Blane

The other day I re-watched Smart Blonde, the first Torchy Blane movie starring Glenda Farrell. I wrote about Glenda's first scene before. Torchy chases down a train in a taxi and then leaps aboard to get an interview. It's a great scene. It sets the story in motion, and it shows us a lot about Torchy's determination.

Another scene I noticed on the re-watch: Torchy and Steve are heading to a rooming house to talk to a suspect. Steve wants Torchy to wait in the car because it's a tough neighborhood. How did the movie show how tough the neighborhood is: a black guy standing against the rooming house, an orthodox Jew walking down the street, and an Asian man looking into the car at Torchy. At least that tough neighborhood is culturally diverse.

Glenda Farrell Day

On Thursday, Glenda Farrell was TCM's Star of the Day. I was in and out, but watched parts of several movies and recorded others. I'll watch the recorded ones gradually. (I still have one Bette Davis movie to watch from the 14th, so I'm not sure when I'll finish with Glenda's films.)

I was psyched at the opportunity to see (for the second time) Torchy Runs for Mayor: the last Torchy Blane film with the original leads, Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane.

I liked Torchy fighting against political corruption. But it's not one of my favorites, mainly because of the silly ending. Torchy wins the election, but is distracted by a baby and tells Steve she wants to get married and seemingly runs out on her new job. (If I recall correctly, there's no mention of marriage in the final Torchy film, Torchy Blane Playing with Dynamite with Jane Wyman and Allen Jenkins.)

I also caught Fly Away Baby, the second Torchy film. I didn't quite get the race concept, but the film was still fun.

Kansas City Princess with Glenda, Joan Blondell and Pat O'Brien was another TCM choice. It was okay; I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more as a B film in a double feature.

More as I go through the films later.

Film Round-Up: TCM Edition

We've watched several movies on TCM in March.

The first was The Case of the Howling Dog, starring Warren William as Perry Mason and Mary Astor. The main reason I wanted to see this was that Bette Davis refused to do this film. She had been loaned to RKO for a brilliant performance in Of Human Bondage. When she returned to Warner Brothers, this was supposed to be her next film. Mary Astor is a good actress, but didn't have much to do in this film, which is probably why Bette turned the part down. I like Warren William; he may not be a great actor, but he has a kind of sophisticated charm. I've watched him in films with Bette before (Three on a Match, Satan Met a Lady, The Dark Horse) and as the Lone Wolf in another B movie series and miscellaneous other films.

A week later, I caught another Perry Mason movie, The Case of the Curious Bride with Warren William and Margaret Lindsay. I also learned about Margaret Lindsay from Bette Davis films. She was often cast as Bette's rival (Dangerous, Bordertown, Jezebel) but played her sister in Fog over Frisco (great title.) I was also interested to see that Michael Curtiz directed; he directed my favorite movie among others. Not much of a film, the main thing I remember is Perry's awesome office and built-in bar.

TCM returned to showing Torchy Blane movies on Saturdays. We saw Torchy Gets her Man and Torchy Blane in Chinatown. I think Torchy Gets her Man is one of the best in the series. She's usually a few steps ahead of her boyfriend Steve in solving the cases. In this entry, Steve saves Torchy and his driver Gahagan because the villain mentions that Torchy enjoys a steak dinner. The steak dinner was a tiny bit of characterization continuing from the first film. Full circle. 

Torchy Blane in Chinatown was okay; the most interesting part was that James Stephenson was in the cast. His best role (at least what I have seen) is with Bette Davis (yes, I'm obsessed with her) in The Letter.

I am distressed that I missed Torchy Runs for Mayor; I forgot to record it. It was the last of the series with Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane. I did see this years ago, but the details are sketchy.

Jeff recorded Torchy Plays with Dynamite, the last film and the only one starring Jane Wyman as Torchy and Allen Jenkins as Steve. I saw it years ago but haven't watched this recording yet.

On the 15th, TCM played eight Bette Davis/George Brent films. I recorded a few that I hadn't seen in a while. In The Rich Are Always With Us, Bette played the third lead: she mooned over George for the whole movie. Ruth Chatteron smoked up a storm--I'm not sure Bette lit up at all. I wonder if Bette got the smoking moves from her.

I also watched Housewife and Front Page Woman. Bette was the other woman to Ann Dvorak in Housewife. One of the Torchy films copied an idea from Front Page Woman--a weird circle of life for Warners Brothers movies.

Lola Lane's Torchy Blane

Last Saturday, TCM showed the fifth of nine Torchy Blane films, Torchy Blane in Panama. This was the first without Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane. According to TCM host Ben Mankiewicz, this movie flopped because people wanted Glenda back.

I have to agree. There's something missing in Lane's portrayal. I can't put my finger on it. I like Lola Lane; she has one of my favorite lines from Marked Woman, "They found him in a ditch full of slugs." But she just isn't Torchy to me. I even miss Barton MacLane.

I mentioned in an earlier post that Torchy was the model for Lois Lane. It was Lola Lane who inspired the name.

Torchy is going on hiatus during TCM's annual February homage to the Oscars. I'll have to wait until March 9th before Torchy Gets Her Man.

Torchy Blane: Ace Reporter and Crime Solver

I'm a fan of classic films; four of my five favorite movies were released from 1938 through 1942. I often spend time scrolling through TCM listings for films I haven't seen at all or haven't seen in a while.

But it's more than just the classics--the Casablancas and the Bringing Up Babys--that I enjoy. I'm a fan of old movies in general, including the B-pictures and series: Charlie Chan, Sherlock Holmes, The Lone Wolf and today's subject Torchy Blane.

Warners Brothers issued the nine Torchy Blane titles. Warners Brothers movies are my favorites. For one thing, many feature Bette Davis. Also, Warners movies had a grit to them--a focus on the working man or woman.

Torchy was the quintessential working girl reporter. Smart and fearless, she fast-talked and wise-cracked her way through the case to solve it and scoop the other reporters. In her first scene in the first film, Smart Blonde, Torchy leaps onto the back of a train just to get an interview. What a gal!

In seven of the nine films, Glenda Farrell plays Torchy; she was perfectly cast. Her onscreen partner was Barton MacLane as her boyfriend, Police Lieutenant Steve McBride. Both appeared in Warner Brothers classics in minor parts, but it's a treat to see them as stars in their own series.

Lola Lane and Jane Wyman each play Torchy in one film. Neither is particularly successful. They lack Glenda's crackling energy and intensity.  

Interesting trivia: Torchy was the inspiration for Lois Lane.