The ninth and final Torchy Blane feature ends the series with a whimper instead of a bang despite "dynamite" in the title. With Glenda Farrell having departed Warner Brothers the title role was awarded to 22 year old Jane Wyman who comes full circle following a small role in the very first Torchy feature in 1937. Meanwhile Allen Jenkins steps into Barton MacLane's wingtips to portray Steve McBride. While the new leads aren't bad they fail to pump fresh blood into a rapidly decaying series. The film is best enjoyed on its own rather than part of the entire Torchy Blane milieu.
The movie starts out promisingly enough with a montage of robberies conducted by the notorious and elusive Denver Eddie. In an effort to catch him Torchy gets herself thrown into the jug to cozy up to his moll, Jackie McGuire (Sheila Bromley), hoping she'll tip the hoodlum's whereabouts. They stage the lamest prison break in the history of cinema and disappear to San Francisco to hook up with him as Steve and Gahagan follow in clandestine pursuit. The story takes a detour with a wrestling subplot but gets on back on track when they all convene at the sports arena for the climax.
Director Noel Smith was handed a cliched script full of familiar situations and enough plot holes to strain spaghetti. He does his best to maintain a brisk pace but the narrative gets irretrievably stuck in the mud around the 25 minute mark and goes nowhere. This coincides with Torchy herself being sidelined while Steve and Gahagan gobble up most of the screen time. The lazy finale once again features the heroine trapped in a volatile situation requiring a rescue from her eternal fiancé. There are some highlights, such as a surprisingly intense prison fight between Jackie, Torchy, another inmate, and a pair of spectacularly long scissors and a very clever scene in a book shop where Torchy and Steve exchange information while purportedly discussing a book. The audience also gets a fascinating tour of the Warner Brothers backlot as the characters walk & drive around what is ostensibly San Francisco. Unfortunately these interesting moments cannot compensate for the overall mediocrity.
Jane Wyman makes a strong initial impression as the fast talking, energetic Torchy but her performance gets derailed after she escapes from prison and loses center stage to Jenkins & Kennedy. Miss Wyman is very likable as Torchy and brings the enthusiasm but lacks the sardonic wit and hard edges that Glenda Farrell brought to the role. Plus, at 22, she is much too young for the character. Continuity is further disregarded when her first name is revealed to be Helen after being established as Theresa in previous films.
Allen Jenkins sheds his usual dumbbell persona to portray Steve but it is impossible to accept him & the beautiful (and much younger) Jane Wyman as a couple. However Steve is very crafty in this interpretation and demonstrates an uncanny ability to think on his feet which comes in handy on several occasions. While he pales in comparison to Barton MacLane Jenkins does a good enough job and is an asset to any film.
Enacting Gahagan once again Tom Kennedy is given more backstory to work with and is heavily involved in the story. We learn that his first name is Jerry and he used to wrestle in the Navy (and in a fabulous stroke of coincidence just happens to be wearing his championship belt to San Francisco under his suit coat). He also introduces some new schtick into his arsenal of buffoonery: banging his head into the doorframe of taxi cabs. With this appearance Kennedy has the honor of being the only actor to appear in all 9 Torchy Blane films.
Many familiar faces from the Torchy Blane milieu are reduced to bits. Frank Shannon barely makes an appearance as McTavish while George Guhl is replaced by John Sheehan and renamed "O'Toole". Joe Cunningham is back as Maxie and provides the information that puts Torchy on the trail of Jackie. John Ridgely pops up as a reporter that blows Torchy's cover at the wrestling match. Finally, John Harron reappears as a motorcycle cop who pinches Torchy for speeding.
Sheila Bromley heads the supporting cast as Jackie Maguire and bears a striking resemblance to Bette Davis in this picture. She does what she can with her perfunctory role. Equally bland is Eddie Marr as Denver Eddie; he conveys minimal menace or cleverness as the notorious bank thief. Worth mentioning is Tiny Roebuck as the Titanic wrestler Bone Crusher who's actually pretty funny while filling up the frame with his enormous stature.
The aforementioned grand finale at a sports arena is a wrestling match between Gahagan and the Bone Crusher; as comical sporting events in movies go this one is fair although not the exciting set piece it's supposed to be. The flow of action is compromised by the intercutting of Steve's predicament as he is taken for a ride by Eddie's goons. The movie ends on a particularly abrupt note even for a B picture which is jarring and sad end to a popular franchise. Torchy Blane established the standard for intrepid heroines who could compete with men on equal footing and deserved a better sendoff than is provided here. Torchy . . Playing With Dynamite is a breezy programmer that should have been so much more.
The movie starts out promisingly enough with a montage of robberies conducted by the notorious and elusive Denver Eddie. In an effort to catch him Torchy gets herself thrown into the jug to cozy up to his moll, Jackie McGuire (Sheila Bromley), hoping she'll tip the hoodlum's whereabouts. They stage the lamest prison break in the history of cinema and disappear to San Francisco to hook up with him as Steve and Gahagan follow in clandestine pursuit. The story takes a detour with a wrestling subplot but gets on back on track when they all convene at the sports arena for the climax.
Director Noel Smith was handed a cliched script full of familiar situations and enough plot holes to strain spaghetti. He does his best to maintain a brisk pace but the narrative gets irretrievably stuck in the mud around the 25 minute mark and goes nowhere. This coincides with Torchy herself being sidelined while Steve and Gahagan gobble up most of the screen time. The lazy finale once again features the heroine trapped in a volatile situation requiring a rescue from her eternal fiancé. There are some highlights, such as a surprisingly intense prison fight between Jackie, Torchy, another inmate, and a pair of spectacularly long scissors and a very clever scene in a book shop where Torchy and Steve exchange information while purportedly discussing a book. The audience also gets a fascinating tour of the Warner Brothers backlot as the characters walk & drive around what is ostensibly San Francisco. Unfortunately these interesting moments cannot compensate for the overall mediocrity.
Jane Wyman makes a strong initial impression as the fast talking, energetic Torchy but her performance gets derailed after she escapes from prison and loses center stage to Jenkins & Kennedy. Miss Wyman is very likable as Torchy and brings the enthusiasm but lacks the sardonic wit and hard edges that Glenda Farrell brought to the role. Plus, at 22, she is much too young for the character. Continuity is further disregarded when her first name is revealed to be Helen after being established as Theresa in previous films.
Allen Jenkins sheds his usual dumbbell persona to portray Steve but it is impossible to accept him & the beautiful (and much younger) Jane Wyman as a couple. However Steve is very crafty in this interpretation and demonstrates an uncanny ability to think on his feet which comes in handy on several occasions. While he pales in comparison to Barton MacLane Jenkins does a good enough job and is an asset to any film.
Enacting Gahagan once again Tom Kennedy is given more backstory to work with and is heavily involved in the story. We learn that his first name is Jerry and he used to wrestle in the Navy (and in a fabulous stroke of coincidence just happens to be wearing his championship belt to San Francisco under his suit coat). He also introduces some new schtick into his arsenal of buffoonery: banging his head into the doorframe of taxi cabs. With this appearance Kennedy has the honor of being the only actor to appear in all 9 Torchy Blane films.
Many familiar faces from the Torchy Blane milieu are reduced to bits. Frank Shannon barely makes an appearance as McTavish while George Guhl is replaced by John Sheehan and renamed "O'Toole". Joe Cunningham is back as Maxie and provides the information that puts Torchy on the trail of Jackie. John Ridgely pops up as a reporter that blows Torchy's cover at the wrestling match. Finally, John Harron reappears as a motorcycle cop who pinches Torchy for speeding.
Sheila Bromley heads the supporting cast as Jackie Maguire and bears a striking resemblance to Bette Davis in this picture. She does what she can with her perfunctory role. Equally bland is Eddie Marr as Denver Eddie; he conveys minimal menace or cleverness as the notorious bank thief. Worth mentioning is Tiny Roebuck as the Titanic wrestler Bone Crusher who's actually pretty funny while filling up the frame with his enormous stature.
The aforementioned grand finale at a sports arena is a wrestling match between Gahagan and the Bone Crusher; as comical sporting events in movies go this one is fair although not the exciting set piece it's supposed to be. The flow of action is compromised by the intercutting of Steve's predicament as he is taken for a ride by Eddie's goons. The movie ends on a particularly abrupt note even for a B picture which is jarring and sad end to a popular franchise. Torchy Blane established the standard for intrepid heroines who could compete with men on equal footing and deserved a better sendoff than is provided here. Torchy . . Playing With Dynamite is a breezy programmer that should have been so much more.