Professional jealousy kickstarts the plot of the third Torchy Blane installment, The Adventurous Blonde (1937), which is a direct sequel to the previous two films. The title is a bit curious since there is minimal adventure but plenty of mystery. In the fine tradition of classic detective stories the suspects are ultimately assembled in a room where the master sleuth - in this case Torchy - unmasks the culprit. The subtext of marriage vs. career rears it's head again and the two leads must make some hard decisions by the end of the story. This added dimension makes the film more thoughtful than the typical Warner Brothers B quickie.
The cinematic tale commences soon after the previous one - Fly Away Baby - concluded: Torchy returns from the Chicago convention she was covering prepared to be married. Meanwhile Steve's superior Captain McTavish suggests to Steve that Torchy switch newspaper assignments to avoid the appearance of her receiving preferential treatment. He references the events of the previous two films while Steve boasts she was instrumental in cracking those cases. Four reporters from her rival newspaper hatch an idea to denigrate her by creating a phony murder, having her write the story, and then discredit her by revealing the hoax. Their boss, Mortimer Gray, is at first resistant to the idea but then suggests ham actor Harvey Hammond as the "victim" and convinces Hammond to partake in their scheme citing the publicity it will create. The boys unfold their plan, Torchy phones in the story, and - surprise! - Hammond is discovered to have actually been murdered.
Fortunately there are plenty of suspects as Hammond had been quite the ladies man: his wife, the leading lady in his current production Grace, her jealous boyfriend Hugo, and Mortimer's wife, Theresa Gray, who'd just been jilted following an affair with Hammond. As per the established formula Steve arrests the wrong person and it's up to Torchy to set things right. She makes a few deductions and masterfully plays the suspects off each other until the true culprit finally confesses. Hint: lots of self-sacrifice going on.
Glenda Farrell is her usual quick-witted, energetic self as Torchy. She's determined to be married but feels the murder must be solved before her wedding bells chime. Naturally her impeccable instincts convince her the police are botching another investigation so she sets a trap by manipulating the suspects and assembling them in Steve's office. She's actually pretty cold-blooded in the way she lies to a couple of them and puts them through the ringer to force a confession from real murderer. Through it all Miss Farrell is superb with her flawless diction, staccato delivery, and remarkable vitality.
Barton MacLane is a lot more mellow as Steve McBride in this offering; he's eager to get married, supportive of Torchy, and even nice to Gahagan. Early on he regards Torchy as an impediment to his speed at wrapping up his investigation although this is likely a plot contrivance to build suspense as to whether or not Torchy will be on hand for the planned hoax. Unfortunately in his zeal to get married he nearly railroads the wrong man to the chair. MacLane was a solid actor who's yelling routine sometimes got tiresome but he gives a pleasant performance here.
Series regulars Tom Kennedy and George Guhl return as Gahagan and Desk Sergeant Graves, respectively. Kennedy's screen time continues to increase although he isn't given much substantial to do here. People who remember football coach John McKay will get a chuckle when Kennedy and Charley Foy perform one of McKay's most famous quips: after attempting to hit a musical note Kennedy asks Foy "How d'ya like my execution?" to which Foy responds "I'm in favor of it".
Making his first appearance is Frank Shannon as Captain McTavish who lays down the law with the smitten Steve regarding Torchy and goes so far as to suggest Steve could lose his job. Shannon is perhaps most famous for portraying Dr. Zarkhov in the Flash Gordon serials. Raymond Hatton makes his second and final appearance as Maxie; he provides some key assistance to Torchy in her investigation and, as always, is her staunch ally. Also returning in bit roles are Carole Landis as a waitress (very difficult to spot) and John Harron as a police dispatcher. Another familiar face, Willard Parker, has a brief scene as the telegram clerk.
The main supporting cast performs its tasks competently. Anne Nagel snares third billing for her minor role as Grace while Anderson Lawler isn't particularly memorable as Hugo. The one standout is Leyland Hodgson as Harvey Hammond who encapsulates the essense of "ham actor" with his flamboyant performance.
Once the mystery is wrapped up one would suppose that Torchy and Steve will finally become "spliced" as several so quaintly describe it. However, in a bittersweet ending it becomes obvious that the characters are more interested in their careers: Steve wants to achieve the rank of Captain while Torchy doesn't need much prodding from Maxie to board a plane and head off to cover the Cleveland air races as a natural follow up to winning the round the world race in Fly Away Baby. As Torchy says to Steve earlier on their way to the Hammond estate, "You're the guy that swapped fireside for homicide."
