Glenda Farrell, often cast as a wise-cracking gold digger, found a fitting role as clever reporter Torchy Blane in Smart Blonde, the first of a series of nine pictures from Warner Brothers (Farrell played the role in seven of them). In this initial outing, she is right on the scene when a fellow buying a popular nightclub from his old friend (for less than other offers) is gunned down outside the railroad station. Suspicion falls on the other potential bidders, but especially on Chuck Cannon (Max Wagner), longtime assistant to the current owner of the club, Fitz Mularkey (Addison Richards), who had planned to sell out to get married. Torchy’s beau, policeman Steve McBride (Barton MacLane) investigates, while attempting to keep Mularkey, his friend, from taking the law into his own hands to avenge the murder. When a second killing occurs, things look bad for Mularkey, but luckily Torchy is digging into the case as well, leading to a perhaps unexpected resolution. Farrell, MacLane, and Richards are excellent in their roles, and they benefit from a good supporting cast. Jane Wyman gets plenty of screen time in a minor role as a hatcheck girl, and Tom Kennedy provides some comic relief as another police officer, Gahagan.

  Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.