''Torchy Runs for Mayor'' is a 1939 American drama-comedy film directed by

Ray McCarey Raymond Benedict McCarey (September 6, 1904 – December 1, 1948) was an American film director, brother of director Leo McCarey. Biography McCarey began working at Hal Roach Studios, where he did work on short films with Our Gang and L ...

. It is the eighth film in the

Torchy Blane Torchy Blane is a fictional female reporter, the main character of nine films produced by Warner Bros. between 1937 and 1939. The Torchy Blane series were popular second features during the later 1930s and were mixtures of mystery, action, adve ...

film series by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, and the last film starring

Glenda Farrell Glenda Farrell (June 30, 1904 – May 1, 1971) was an American actress. Farrell personified the smart and sassy, wisecracking blonde of the Classical Hollywood films. Farrell's career spanned more than 50 years, appearing in numerous Broadwa ...

and

Barton MacLane Barton MacLane (December 25, 1902 – January 1, 1969) was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s, including his role as General Martin Peterson on the 1960s NBC ...

as Torchy Blane and Steve McBride. It was released on May 13, 1939. The film is followed by '' Torchy Blane... Playing with Dynamite'' (1939).

Plot

Torchy Blane (Glenda Farrell) writes a series of articles criticizing the mayor John Saunders, accusing him of colluding with local crime boss Dr. Jerry Dolan (John Miljan) and Dolan's illegal activities. Torchy is getting all her information straight from the mayor's office, using a listening device. Torchy's boyfriend, detective Steve McBride (Barton MacLane) is concerned about the articles, believing that they are placing her in danger. Dolan asks his allies to withdraw advertising from Torchy's newspaper and pressure her editor into canceling her articles. Torchy is determined to prove that her articles are correct. She overhears Dolan telling the mayor about his "little red book" with all of his transactions and illegal payoffs and finds the book after breaking into Dolan's house. Dolan reports the burglary to police and demands the return of his book. Torchy writes more articles exposing Dolan, but her story is rejected by her newspaper editor, fearing more syndicates will pull advertising from the paper. She goes to all other newspapers, who all refused to print the story, then she encounters Hubert Ward (Irving Bacon) the publisher of a small and relatively unknown newspaper. Ward decides to print the story and Blane distributes the publication around the city with the help of Gahagan (Tom Kennedy). After Torchy revealed the mayor's corruption, the resultant publicity forces a recall election with the citizens choosing Hubert Ward as the new candidate running against the corrupt mayor. However, during the election, Ward is murdered by Dolan with a fatal injection. Steve, who is annoyed at Torchy's interference, writes her name as the new candidate as a joke. To his dismay, Torchy decides to run for mayor seriously and is winning voters. Dolan's man kidnaps Torchy and drugs her. Steve threatens Dolan to no avail but found an address where he believes Dolan is keeping Torchy. Steve and Gahagan track down the house and fight Dolan and his men and save Torchy. A half dozen policeman arrived at the house arresting them. Dolan manages to escape in Gahagan's police car but is killed when the car explodes. Torchy wins the election but decides, when presented with a baby to hold for a photograph, that she doesn't want to be the mayor and wants to marry McBride instead.

Cast

as Torchy Blane *

as Steve McBride *

Tom Kennedy Thomas or Tom Kennedy may refer to: Politics *Thomas Kennedy (Scottish judge) (1673–1754), joint Solicitor General for Scotland 1709–14, Lord Advocate 1714, Member of Parliament for Ayr Burghs 1720–21 * Thomas Kennedy, 9th Earl of Cassilis ...

as Gahagan *

John Miljan John Miljan (November 9, 1892 – January 24, 1960) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1924 and 1958. Biography Born in 1892, Miljan was the tall, smooth-talking villain in Hollywood films for almost four deca ...

as Dr. Dolan *

Frank Shannon Francis Connolly Shannon (27 July 1874 – 1 February 1959) was an Irish actor and writer. Career A stage actor and silent film pioneer, Shannon made his screen debut in 1913's '' The Artist's Joke''. He later appeared in dozens of film ...

as Captain McTavish *Joe Cunningham as Maxie *George Guhl as Desk Sergeant Graves *

Joe Downing Joe Downing (June 26, 1903 in New York City, New York – October 16, 1975 in Canoga Park, California) was an American stage, TV and B-movie actor who made more than 70 appearances. Downing's early acting experience included work with the Thea ...

as Spuds O'Brien * Irving Bacon as Hubert Ward

Home media

Warner Archive The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...

released a boxed set DVD collection featuring all nine Torchy Blane films on March 29, 2011.

References

External links

* {{Torchy Blane 1939 films 1930s crime comedy-drama films American black-and-white films American crime comedy-drama films American detective films Films about journalists Films directed by Ray McCarey Warner Bros. films Torchy Blane films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films