Torchy Runs for Mayor (1939)

Reporter Torchy Blane denounces City Hall corruption in a series of scathing newspaper stories that are raising some serious hackles. Her fiancé, Lieutenant Steve McBride, even goes to her editor and begs him to have somebody else write the stories—he's worried about Torchy's safety. And Steve doesn't even know about Torchy's eavesdropping operation in the City Hall basement, from which she listens in on the mayor's office, where local crime boss Dr. Dolan gives the puppet mayor his orders. Glenda Farrell is back once again as the intrepid reporter who loves to investigate. Barton McLane as Steve is plenty solid this time around—he's still generally a step behind Torchy but isn't as much of a dunce as in a couple of earlier series entries. ("Listen, Steve," Torchy tells him at one point, "I know more about this case than you." "Well," he replies, unimpressed, "if you do I'll find it out.")John Miljan is appropriately sinister as the wicked Dr. Dolan. In true Warner Brothers style, he talks so fast when he's excited that you can hardly understand him.Tom Kennedy returns as Gahagan, the poetry-loving police chauffeur who loves to blow the police car siren. Even Gahagan is fairly serious and competent this time around, though he does offer a few choice bits of comic relief (like when he commends Torchy for having such "international fortitude"). An exciting climax helps distinguish this as one of the better Torchy Blane pictures. The plot is a little ridiculous (see the title) but that's kind of beside the point—it's witty, acted with enthusiasm, and moves at a terrific pace.

"Torchy Runs For Mayor" was the only film in the series directed by Ray McCarey (brother of the more famous Leo), and the change is noticeable in the film's punchier, more adventurous directorial style compared to its "safer" predecessors. There is a real sense of danger here, with the villains playing it straight. But Torchy is also at her most determined and righteous. The comedy content is reduced, along with Gahagan's part; at the end, even he is transformed into a (mostly) competent action hero! My one main objection is that the title, catchy as it may be, gives away a plot development that occurs late into the movie, robbing it off its surprise factor. **1/2 out of 4.

The city where Torchy works apparently is run by a corrupt mayor. So naturally, she does exactly what any good reporter would do in this situation--she has the Mayor's office bugged AND breaks into his office and steals an incriminating red notebook! No, wait a moment,...this would involve committing multiple felonies and possibly result in 57023 years in prison, so I guess this isn't such a brilliant plan. But, considering it's Torchy doing it and she's the hero of this series, it's safe to assume the film will NOT end with her being sent to prison! Oh, and is there ANY criminal stupid enough to leave a little red (or black or blue) book sitting around with a list of payoffs and other illegal activities?! Apparently the editors of the major papers DON'T want to base an exposée by Torchy on illegally obtained information (go figure), so she finds a tiny little paper and convinces the sap the runs it to risk his life and livelihood to run these articles. But, when her one-woman campaign against corruption begins, it spells trouble for the newspaper man and the other guy running for mayor in the recall election. So it's up to Torchy to run for mayor herself! And during all this campaigning, she promises to convict the Mayor and his cohorts! Apparently, in addition to writing articles and running for mayor, Torchy also wants to be the district attorney and judge!! Wow, talk about an amazingly contrived plot! It's obvious from the start that the folks at Warner Brothers were running out of ideas when they come up with such ridiculous plot devices. It's not too surprising, then, that this was the last film of the series to star Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane in the leads. Perhaps the studio had Jane Wyman and Allen Jenkins star in the next film because it was an attempt to put some energy into the series or Farrell and MacLane were just sick of the films and saw no future in them. Regardless, this film is sort of like the beginning of the end for the franchise.Despite this totally insane plot, the film (like the rest of the series) is quite enjoyable. My advice is to just turn off your brain and enjoy. But be careful! If you think too much about what's going on, your brain might just explode! I know this is true because I read about it on the internet!

**SPOILERS** With her hard hitting articles on city corruption hitting their mark newspaper reporter Torchy Blane, Glenda Farrell, soon gets a bit ahead of herself in bugging mobster Doc Dolan's, John Mijan, office. Dolan is behind Mayor John Saunder's re-election campaign whom he, and his mob, controls like a puppet on a string. But Without a court order, which she doesn't have, Torchy's evidence against Dolan would be thrown out of court before it ever reached the light of day.We have Torchy get her hands on Dolan's "Little Red", or political payoff, book that has him use all his influence-by withdrawing advertisement to the newspaper that she works for-to have Torchy canned from her job as the papers star ace reporter. Not scared off at all by Dolan's tactics Torchy gets a job at a rival paper and continues her attacks, in print, on both Dolan and his stooge in City Hall Mayor Saunders. With the articles by Torchy hitting home the paper's-The Blotter- editor Hurbert Ward,Irving Bacon, is drafted by the people to run against Mayor Saunders in the upcoming city elections. This leads to Ward getting whacked by one of Dolan's hoods Spuds O'Brian, Joe Downing, and made to look like he was the victim of a love triangle gone wrong.With no one in city politics willing to run against Mayor Saunders and take on the Dolan Mob who's backing him It's then that Torchy on the advice-or practical joke-of her fiancée Det. Steve McBride, Barton MacLane, decides to run for mayor herself! This opens a whole new can of worms for Torchy in that she now has the full force of the Doc Dolan political machine bearing down on her. Something that the plucky and fast talking Torchy Blane seemed to have been totally unprepared for!The last of the Glenda Farrell Torchy Blane films and one of her best. It's also the film where Torchy and her long suffering boyfriend, in having to put up with her zany antics, Det. McBride finally tied the knot. But only after McBride together with his partner, police Irish Poet, Gahagan, Tom Kennedy, find out where the Dolan gang hid Torchy after they drugged and kidnapped her. With both McBride & Gahagan together with about a half dozen policemen coming to Torchy's rescue Dolan slipped out the back making his escape in Gahagan's police car.***SPOILER*** If Doc Dolan only knew what his gang, without them telling him, had done to Gahagan's car he may well have gotten away. The fact that they didn't had Dolan press the wrong button, or car floorboard, which instantly turned him into a blob of highway roadkill!