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11-11-2018 05:20 PM
8:00 p.m. Eastern: "Smart Blonde"-- Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Jane Wyman. Followed by the others in the popular "Torchy Blane" newspaperwoman series-- this is a whole Glenda Farrell fest in prime time. Set your recorders, Farrell fans. There were nine or ten Torchy Blane movies in all, and Glenda Farrell was in seven of them.
Studios used to have lots of movie series, like "Andy Hardy", "Dr. Kildare", "The Saint", etc. Warner Brothers Studio, known for its gritty realism and street-savvy performers, struck gold with "Torchy Blane", girl reporter.
Love Glenda Farrell-- she's the definitive Torchy. Smart- talking, inquisitive, resourceful, straight-shooting, she's everything you wish real journalists were. She locks horns with her police department boyfriend over cases, chases down crooks, all the while looking tailored and jaunty and gorgeous in her Depression-era fashions.
The public formed a tight bond with the breezy Farrell and her cohort MacLane, and although they were replaced for a couple of the films, uproar over the loss of Farrell resulted in her reinstatement.
Farrell has something of the quality of my adored Claire Trevor. She had a long career, too, and was assaying character parts as late as the Sixties, where she popped up in David Janssen's classic TV series "The Fugitive", among other places.
Watch how Torchy "massages" a source and draws him out for her purposes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPNnASYejLA
11-11-2018 11:35 PM
oznell
You had recommended the Torchy Blane series awhile ago and I did have a chance to tape a couple. I enjoyed them very much. Thanks for the heads up and I will DVR a few for future watching. These movies are laid back easy movies which when I need to relax and watch something to escape, I have the Torchy Blanes's to go to!!!!!!
My sister is a devoted fan of the Thin Man series and has seen the movies over and over. However, we both absolutely love all Charlie Chan movies and have since we were kids. We always watched and now we have the DVD's. They are great rainy day movies and our enjoyment of Charlie Chan has spanned decades!!!!!!
11-12-2018 07:12 AM
Those are super as well, @spiderw-- it's amazing how many there were! I think they (along with the cowboy serials) were, pre-television, the closest thing to today's TV series. Audiences got to know the characters inside out, and were "invested" in them in a way they wouldn't be with a one-shot movie.
You're right, they are reliable, fun, stress-free escapes. I think my favorites so far is the effervescent "Thin Man" series. So well crafted and written, and with such top-drawer performers. I'd like to see more of "The Saint". I think TCM is now running that series every Saturday morning. George Sanders has grown on me over the years-- he's such a versatile, deft player....
11-12-2018 08:06 AM
I love this series and DVR it (which I did). I also love watching The Saint with George Sanders and Boston Blackie, also Nancy Drew. I DVR these series and save them for when my favorite TV shows end in the fall and then watch them on a cold winter morning with my cup of coffee - a great way to spend my early mornings all cuddled in like this. Love TCM network. I also enjoy The Bowery Boys, I know it is kind of silly, but I do like Satch and it is just simple fun. P.S. I love, love, love, the way women and men dressed in that time. So elegant.
11-12-2018 11:16 AM
I so agree, @lovesallanimals-- half the fun is seeing the beautifully tailored clothes and the elegant set design!
11-12-2018 09:22 PM
Hey, they're letting Dave Karger, one of the "newer" TCM hosts, do the intros for these Torchy Blane movies. He's not brand new, actually, but lately I've noticed him coming more into his own, and revealing a personality and a discernable passion for film classics. Nice to see, and he's looking good in his sharp, vaguely '30's inspired tailoring tonight!
11-14-2018 04:22 PM
@Oznell wrote:I so agree, @lovesallanimals-- half the fun is seeing the beautifully tailored clothes and the elegant set design!
oznell: That photo alone says it all! the suits/dresses, hats, shoes and matching bags and the perfect make-up. And the men, I drool looking at these movies, the suits, hats, even their hair, everything was so impeccable. I was born way too late! And the cars!! I could go on and on, I just love that time period.
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