Fly-Away Baby
Fly-Away Baby | |
---|---|
Movie poster | |
Directed by | Frank McDonald |
Produced by | Bryan Foy |
Screenplay by |
Kenneth Gamet Don Ryan |
Starring |
Glenda Farrell Barton MacLane |
Music by | Howard Jackson |
Cinematography | Warren Lynch |
Edited by | Doug Gould |
Production company | |
Release dates | June 19, 1937 |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Fly-Away Baby is a 1937 American crime-mystery film starring Glenda Farrell as Torchy Blane, solving a murder and smuggling case during a round-the-world flight. This is the second film in the "Torchy Blane" movie series by Warner Bros.[1][2][3] It was released on June 19, 1937.
Plot
When jeweler Milton Devereux is murdered and his collection of diamonds is stolen, reporter Torchy Blane (Glenda Farrell) is assigned to the case. Her boyfriend detective Steve McBride (Barton MacLane) is investigating the case, Torchy tags along as he hunts for the murder weapon. Torchy finds the gun hidden in a drainpipe in the alley behind the store. She learns that Milton had a confrontation with Sonny Croy (Gordon Oliver) over a loan and that he is the son of a rival newspaper owner. Sonny becomes a prime suspect, but he has an alibi from the victim's business partner Guy Allister (Joe King) that they were having lunch at the time of the murder.
Torchy and Steve question the waiter in the restaurant and find a clue on a menu. They trace Sonny to the apartment of nightclub dancer Ila Sayre (Marcia Ralston) who insists that Sonny was on the phone with her at the time of the murder. Sonny explains the notes on the menu, saying that he is taking a zeppelin flight around the world as a publicity stunt. Torchy decides to follow Sonny and talks her newspaper into sending her around the world in a race against Sonny and another reporter Hughie Sprague (Hugh O'Connell). When the airship lands in Hawaii, Torchy search Sonny's room and finds a message indicating that some items will be exchanged in Frankfurt. Sonny discovers her investigation after finding a lipstick Torchy accidentally lost in his room.
Later, Ila admitted that she didn't talk to Sonny on the phone. Steve who has joined Torchy on board the airship decides to arrest Sonny after Torchy points out that the back door of the restaurant is opposite to the back door of the jewelry store. However, Sonny is found dead himself and it is discovered that the diamonds hidden in the false bottom of his suitcase is not real diamonds. Torchy put various clues together and determined that Guy Allister was the real murderer, and Sonny was working for him to pay off his debt. After further investigation, they learned that Guy Allister boarded the airship using a false name. When he tries to parachute out of the airship, he falls to his death, when his parachute fails to open.
Cast
- Glenda Farrell as Torchy Blane
- Barton MacLane as Steve McBride
- Gordon Oliver as Lucien 'Sonny' Croy
- Hugh O'Connell as Hughie Sprague
- Marcia Ralston as Ila Sayre
- Tom Kennedy as Gahagan
- Joe King as Mr. Guy Allister
Torchy Blane series
- Smart Blonde (1937)
- Fly-Away Baby (1937)
- The Adventurous Blonde (1937)
- Blondes at Work (1938)
- Torchy Blane in Panama (1938)
- Torchy Gets Her Man (1938)
- Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1939)
- Torchy Runs for Mayor (1939)
- Torchy Blane... Playing with Dynamite (1939)
Home media
Warner Archive released a boxed set DVD collection featuring all nine Torchy Blane films on March 29, 2011.[4]
References
- ↑ Backer, Ron (August 25, 2012). Mystery Movie Series of 1930s Hollywood. McFarland. p. 262. ISBN 0786469757.
- ↑ "Fly-away Baby (1937)". British Film Institute. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- ↑ "Fly-away Baby (1937)". All Movie. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- ↑ KEHR, DAVE (May 7, 2010). "The Torchy Blane Collection". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
External links
- Fly-Away Baby at the Internet Movie Database
- Fly-Away Baby at the TCM Movie Database