utgard14 The seventh in the Torchy Blane series and the penultimate one for Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane. This time our heroes try to foil an extortion plot. As with the last film, this one has a different vibe to it than the first four Farrell movies. The focus isn't mostly on Torchy, but rather the cops and the criminal plot. Great supporting cast that includes Henry O'Neill, Patric Knowles, Frank Shannon, James Stephenson, and Janet Shaw. The regulars - Farrell, MacLane, and Tom Kennedy - are all good.This one has a more of a Charlie Chan feel to it, and not because of the Chinese elements. The villains' plot isn't obvious and keeps the viewers (and the dimwitted coppers) guessing. The climax is hilariously offensive, so a point for that, but also has annoying music that doesn't quite fit the on screen action and goes on too long, so deduct a point for that. Worth a look for fans of the series or just B movies in general. But this isn't Torchy Blane at her best.

Michael_Elliott Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1939) ** (out of 4) The seventh film in the series finds Torchy (Glena Farrell) once again getting in the way as Detective McBride (Barton MacLane) tries to figure out who killing off a group of people with a connection to some valuable Chinese treasures. TORCHY BLANE IN CHINATOWN seems like it would fit the Mr. Moto or Charlie Chan series better but there's no question that this features an interesting story but sadly director William Beaudine can't add any life, energy or excitement to anything we're seeing. The story itself is pretty good and in fact it was interesting enough to make one upset that more wasn't being done with it. This story from Murray Leinster was originally filmed in 1920 and then again in 1930 but I've yet to see either version. The material here actually makes for a good mystery and I especially liked how one never fully understood why the murders were taking place. A great example of this is handled with various cards being left behind at crime scenes telling the cops who will die next. Another benefit this film has is that we're given a pretty strong cast. Farrell is once again highly entertaining and charming in her role. MacLane appears to be tired of his career and bored playing it because he pretty much sleepwalks through the film. The supporting cast is actually good with Tom Kennedy returning for comic relief and we also get Henry O'Neill, Patric Knowles and James Stephenson. What really kills the movie is the bad pacing, poor cinematography and the lack of any real energy. Director Beaudine probably kept the film under budget but he just wasn't able to add anything extra to the story. No matter how good the story is you still still someone to bring it to life and that just never happened.

gridoon2018 "Torchy Blane In Chinatown" is one of the better entries in the series. The plot, involving extortion, pre-announced murders and suspicious Chinese secret cults, may be semi-predictable, but at least it keeps moving. Glenda Farrell gives one of her most energetic performances as Torchy, and she has some of her wittiest lines as well ("What are you doing wandering around a graveyard?" - "Oh skipper, I've been a lost soul ever since you've been neglecting me"). She also ditches the "work clothes" for a while and wears a dress, for the first time in the series if I'm not mistaken. On the other hand, Steve is rather cold to her in this episode, but he redeems himself at the end. **1/2 out of 4.

MartinHafer This is the seventh film in the Torchy Blane series (though one review erroneously says it's the fifth) and it has an advantage over the previous films. Here there are some excellent supporting actors that previous movies in the series lacked. Henry O'Neill, James Stephenson and Patric Knowles all are on hand in supporting roles.The plot seems very much like one that you might have in a Charlie Chan or Mr. Moto film, though the film actually is a remake of MURDER WILL OUT (1930). It involves some rare jade tablets and threats that are supposedly from Chinese people who are angry that these priceless treasures were taken from the graves they adorned.As usual in the last few films, Torchy and her police lieutenant boyfriend work against each other instead of together like they did in the first few films in order to solve the crimes. This is a shame, as this is pretty much the same pattern MOST B-detective films fell into during this era--with heroes such as the Falcon, Boston Blackie and the Lone Wolf doing their own investigations since the cops are morons.By the way, with the one murder attempt involving cigarettes, this might be one of the silliest and most contrived bits I've seen in a film like this in a long time. The doctor begins choking and feeling ill when he starts smoking. Suddenly another person at the funeral grabs the cigarette from the doctor's mouth and announces "it has the sign of the golden dragon!!". And, it just so happens that the doctor has the antidote to the poison at his home! And, it just so happens that someone substituted the antidote with water! And, it just so happens that none of this makes any sense--especially when a bullet to the brain is a lot easier. It all was just too convenient and contrived to be believable.Despite this being so contrived, the mystery itself turned out to be a pretty dandy one. In fact, the film would have earned a 7 had they not had this silly poisoning segment.