Torchy Blane has to solve a blackmail case.Torchy Blane has to solve a blackmail case.Torchy Blane has to solve a blackmail case.
Eddy Chandler
- Captain McDonald
- (as Ed Chandler)
James Conaty
- Club Member
- (uncredited)
Alice Connors
- Maid
- (uncredited)
Joe Cunningham
- Maxie
- (uncredited)
Roger Gray
- Cemetery Gateman
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough the onscreen credits state this is an original story, it is actually a remake of Murder Will Out (1930), which has a virtually identical plot and uses many of the same character names.
- GoofsThe money in the small bag handed over to the three men in the boat, although in fake currency, appears to be mostly $1 bills - in bundles marked $1,000, though in stacks to small for that amount in singles. Even with $1,000 bundles there would have to be 250 of them and only about a tenth of that is shown in the small bag. $250,000 in $1 bills would also weigh about 550 pounds.
- Quotes
Torchy Blane: Step aside, Gahagan, and let the lady in.
Detective Sergeant Gahagan: Now, quit kiddin' Torchy. You ain't no lady. You're a reporter. And I just got orders to throw you out.
- ConnectionsEdited from The Hatchet Man (1932)
- SoundtracksGarden of the Moon
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played when Torchy turns over the cards when playing bridge
Featured review
As much about Chinatown as was Roman Polanski's Chinatown
Fifth in the series of reporter-criminologist Torchy Blane who assists Detective Lieutenant Steve McBride in solving crimes. In this entry, Torchy figures out the solution to the deaths of three prominent men but allows Steve to get the credit at the end and make the collar. If this subservience is not enough, we are subjected to rampant racial stereotyping of Chinese and blacks. Detective Sergeant Gahagan provides comic relief that includes in this film his breaking into poetry from time to time. The film does involve Chinese burial tablets and has a few superficial shots that might have been take on the street of a major city "Chinatown" but the plot does not have anyone going there and doing anything. This version mostly takes place in police stations, at The Adventurers Club, homes, and at sea where a contribution is made by the US Navy. The plot is a remake of the 1920 "The Purple Cipher" and the1930 "Murder Will Out." It involves a combination of revenge murder and blackmail. There are notes to victims passed on Chinese laundry tickets and via additional means. Death comes via a multitude of means and bodies have a habit of disappearing. Fair.
helpful•1113
- Jim Tritten
- Mar 26, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Torchy in Chinatown
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime58 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1939) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer