Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Superman Related Torchy Blane & Lois Lane

Most of us know that Torchy Blane was one of the inspirations for Lois Lane and that Lois's name is derived from Lola Lane who played Torchy in the 5th movie, Torchy Blane in Panama.

I finally decided to see Torchy for myself and see if Lola Lane was that much like Lois. The only way that I could find to see the movie was to order the entire collection from Amazon. For the past month I've been working my way through the movies and, even thought I still have two movies left, I thought I'd share some opinions.

1. Glenda Farrell is the best Torchy. I had high hopes that Lola Lane would be the better Torchy – even though Torchy is played by Glenda in most (7 of 9) of the movies. Lola LOOKS more like the classic Lois, but Glenda has the energy and spirit that brings Lois to mind. I need to point out that Jane Wyman plays Torchy in the last movie of the series. If she proves to be a better Torchy, I'll come back and amend my opinion.

2. Torchy as played by Glenda is clearly the prototype for Lois. I wasn't ten minutes into the first movie before I turned to TFB and commented on how much Glenda's Torchy felt like a near-perfect Lois. Lola's portrayal was okay, but in my opinion it lacked the fire and energy that Glenda brought to the role.

3. The first two movies are – in my opinion – a step above the rest. Around the 3rd or 4th movie, my impression was that some of the energy was gone. Lola's movie was fifth in the series and that may have contributed to the lesser feel of both the movie and her portrayal.

If anyone else has see any or all of these movies I'd love to hear if you agree or disagree with my opinions. The one BIG takeaway that I have from watching the movies (so far) is that any true Lois Lane fan owes it to themselves to watch at least the first movie.

The movies – in order – are:
1. Smart Blonde: The Adventures of Torchy Blane – Glenda Farrell
2. Fly-Away Blonde – Glenda Farrell
3. Adventurous Blonde – Glenda Farrell
4. Blondes at Work – Glenda Farrell
5. Torchy Blane in Panama – Lola Lane
6. Torchy Gets Her Man – Glenda Farrell
7. Torchy Blane in Chinatown – Glenda Farrell
8. Torchy Runs for Mayor – Glenda Farrell
9. Torchy Blane...Playing With Dynamite – Jane Wyman

Interesting. I've never heard of Torchy Blane. Is she a journalist?

I'm always reminded of "His Girl Friday" whenever I think of an early Lois Lane (although this movie is from 1940).

I've heard how this one was an inspiration for S&S. I hadn't gotten around to watching it though because it was not on either Netflix (when I had that service) or Amazon Instant (either Prime or rent/buy). I kept waffling even as our only Blu-Ray/DVD player (outside of hubby's computer) stopped working. One of these days I WILL watch it but it's a ways down the road (unless Amazon decides to add it to Amazon Instant/Prime).

Re: Is she a journalist?
Absolutely!

Re: His Girl Friday
When I see that I think of it more as what Lois might have been had she been a different female reporter. Torchy is Lois. (Or, more correctly, Lois is Torchy.)

I looked up a few links and here, The Thrilling Detective Web Site I found this quote: Having seen the movies I think that is spot-on, and we all know what other female reporter fits this description.

Take a look at the link I provided for a good overview of Torchy.

Bob