Torchy Gets Her Man (Warner Bros.) (1938)

Mat 202—30c “KISS OR I’LL SHOOT’—It’s that snappy, snoopy girl reporter Torchy Blane (Glenda Farrell) back again with her detective boy friend, Steve McBride, (Barton MacLane) in their latest adventure, appropriately entitled “Torchy Gets Her Man,” which comes to the Strand Theatre on Friday. (Lead) **Torchy Gets Her Man”’ Newest In Comedy Series Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane, the popular girl reporter and her detective lieutenant boy friend, who have made such a hit in the Torchy Blane series of adventure comedies, come back with a new one to the Strand Theatre next Friday — “Torchy Gets Her Man.” The blonde and wisec?acking Torchy always seems to get her man when she and Lt. Steve McBride start out after the crooks. They have a lot of fun doing it and always manage to get a lot of laughs at the same time. This time Torchy and Steve set forth on the trail of the country’s cleverest and most successful counterfeiter, who bears the picturesque name of “Hundred Dollar Bill” Bailey, because that is the size of the bogus money he makes. He passes these bills at race tracks, where the cashiers do not take much time to examine the paper money they receive and where bills of that denomination are not at all unusual. Torchy and Steve trail him there, then Torchy follows him on her own hook, and man ages to get herself captured and into a mess of typically Torchy trouble. It will be no surprise to you to learn in advance that “Hundred Dollar Bill” is captured, thanks to Torchy and Steve — with a little emphasis, as usual, on Torchy’s quick wit. But there are many exciting moments and many laugh situations before he and his pals are thrust into cells. The counterfeiter is said to be very well played by Willard Robertson and of course the lieutenant’s dumb chauffeur Gahagan, is again portrayed by the broken nosed ex-fighter, Tom Kennedy. Among other notables in the cast are John Ridgely, Tommy Jackson, Frank Reicher, Joe Cunningham, Herbert Rawlinson, Edward Raquello. The picture was directed by William Beaudine from an original screen play by Albert DeMond. William H. Moran, for many years chief of the United States Secret Service, acted as technical adviser, so the action concerning the counterfeiters should be entirely true to life. CAST OF CHARACTERS Torchy Blane ...... Glenda Farrell Steve McBride ..Barton MacLane Gahagan ........c..s00 Tom Kennedy $100 Bailey....Willard Robertson Desk Sergeant ........ George Guhl pe ee eee Seer i John Ridgely Gloomy. ........... Tommy Jackson PROP EEO 5 oes Frank Reicher Gonzales .......... Edward Raquello SEONERAM ....0...ccsvescvsceeee Ed Keane PRRPIBILLE ss ines ss censsenxlnene Nat Carr Capt. McTavish, Frank Shannon Mate wae Joe Cunningham Brennan. ...... Herbert Rawlinson eet, ee avevs init een John Harron es case nist dee asccas Loia Cheaney Mrs. Schmidt ........ Greta Meyer ICI ven esracnass eaten Cliff Saum PRODUCTION STAFF Directed by ....William Beaudine Original Screen Play by Albert DeMond Based on Characters Created by Frederick Nebel Photography by Arthur L. Todd, A.S.C. and Warren Lynch, A.S.C. Art Director .......... Charles Novi Dialogue Director..John Langan Film Editor ....Harold McLernon Gowns BY ........100 Howard Shoup OMT BOk ic ccsnscaicrar ies Lincoln Lyons Glenda Farrell Explains Rise of *‘Torchy Blane”’ The script of “Torchy Gets‘Judge Hardy’ series which Her Man” was on Glenda Farrell’s lap. Her head tilted back, eyes closed, she was moving her lips soundlessly, and making little half-gestures with her hands. The interviewer had come around the set, looking for her, but on discovering she was studying her lines, he tried to beat a silent retreat. That wasn’t to be, however. Glenda opened her eyes and the script simultaneously, leaned forward in her canvas chair to read some more dialogue. Then she spotted the caller out of the corner of her eye. She started violently. “Hello,” she said. “You scared me.” He apologized, and explained he’d come to interview her about her increasingly famous “Torchy Blane’”’ series. The latest, “Torchy Gets Her Man,” is coming Friday to the Strand Theatre. “The reason I was startled when you appeared, I’d just reached a spot in the script where Gahagan and I are caught and tied to chairs by counterfeiters. Fancy looking up at a time like that, and seeing someone standing in front of you!” Then she explained about the noted girl reporter character and her adventures. “Torchy, like Topsy, wasn’t born, she just grew—as a screen character,” Glenda was saying presently. “That’s the way with series pictures, I think. The public probably doesn’t realize that there’s a rather high mortality rate in series pictures. Once they get a healthy start they flourish and grow, but for every ‘Torchy Blane’ and ‘Charlie Chan’ and FILM ‘LINGUISTS’ HAVE DIFFICULTY DIRECTING DOG Glenda Farrell and Tom Kennedy studied German for scenes in the comedy-drama -“Torchy Gets Her Man,” which comes to the Strand Theatre next Friday. They’re supposed to give orders to a German police dog which understands that language only. Cyclone, the dog which appeared recently in the “Seeing Eye” featurette, was hired. He understands commands in English, German, French and Italian. “Sit down,” said Glenda in dictionary German. “Stand up,” said Tom Kennedy. Beyond looking completely bewildered, the dog did nothing. Director Bill Beaudine tried out his personal brand of German on the dog, with no response. Finally Beaudine appealed to the trainer. “I thought you said he could understand German,” he said. “He can,” said the trainer, “but the way you all speak I can’t understand you, let alone the dog.” ; The German gutturals were too much for the Gaelic palates of Miss Farrell and Mr. Kennedy. So they gave their commands in what passed for German while Cyclone, ignoring them completely, took his orders by hand motion from his trainer out of camera range. BOXER UNMARKED After ten years of a fistic career during which he met such boxing behemoths as Jack Johnson, Joe Jeanette, Jim Coffee, Kid McCoy, Frank Moran and Jess Willard, big Tom Kennedy, featured in “Torchy Gets Her Man,” emerged without a single mark of injury. The broken nose which he sports today is the result of a fast pitched ball during a Sunday baseball game. reached maturity, quite a few die unnoticed. “And the public rather than the producer finally evolves them. They may start one way, and gradually change, following the line of favor of their fans. For example, Warner Bros. filmed the first of this series with the intention that it should be simply a single vehicle for me—so they named it ‘Smart Blonde.’ “Another popped up because Dorothy Kilgallen, a reporter, had sped around the world. Always quick to follow headlines, the studio asked, ‘What good newspaper-women actresses have we?’ Joan Blondell and I were suggestions. That brought up the fact that ‘Smart Blonde,’ with my newspaper reporter character ‘Torchy Blane,’ was doing extra good business at the theatres. They decided to use ‘Torchy’ for the flying picture adventure, ‘Fly-Away Baby.’ “Barton MacLane, who had been playing a great variety of big, menacing ‘heavies,’ was meanwhile scoring as the slightlydumb but likeable detective lieutenant. We speedily made ‘Adventurous Blonde’ and ‘Blondes at Work.’ And here we are, back again, and I am sure with renewed interest.” Mat 103—15¢ GLENDA FARRELL — creator of that super-sleuth sob sister Torchy Blane, comes to the screen of the Strand Friday in her most hilarious adventure, “Torchy Gets Her Man.” GLENDA FARRELL NO COP SASSER OFF THE SCREEN Glenda Farrell was speeding down a boulevard at about sixtyfive miles an hour when she was stopped by a motorcycle cop. “What’s the rush,” he shouted. ‘““Where’s the fire?” Others might have quailed before this attack but not smart, pretty Glenda Farrell. She shrugged her expressive shoulders. ‘“Where’s the fire?” she said. “Why, in your eyes, darling.” Which so nonplussed the man on the motor-bike that Glenda was able to slip her car casually into gear and drive away before he had recovered: : This is a scene from “Torchy Gets Her Man” in which Glenda Farrell adds to her laurels as the most glib wisecracker, male or female, on the screen. The picture will soon be seen at the Strand Theatre. Two hours later, Glenda was driving down Ventura Boulevard making fifty-five miles an hour when she was stopped by a motorcycle cop. “What’s the rush?” he clamored. “Indians chasing you?” But this wasn’t for the movie camera. Glenda was on her way home after a day’s shooting at Warner Bros. Studio. So she shrugged her expressive shoulders—and took a ticket. Page Seven