In-joke, Skipper


Did anyone notice the in-joke? In the Torchy Blane movies Glenda Farrell always calls Barton Maclane "Skipper". In "Prison Break", Barton Maclane calls Glenda Farrell "Skipper". She's got his nickname!

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I didn't know that though I knew Barton Maclane & Glenda Farrell starred in the Torchy Blane series I never saw any of these films. It's mentioned in a book I have called "The Detective In Film". I do remember the ending of "Prison Break" where Maclane calls Farrell "Skipper". I have this 1938 film on VHS I bought at a video store back in the early 90's.

It's quite a good movie with a very solid plot & storyline about an innocent man wrongly accused & is sent to prison for a murder he didn't commit. It was also an unusually interesting novelty watching Barton Maclane in a leading role which he did very well & believably & convincingly as the sympathetic, tough & heroic Tuna Fisherman. Ward Bond was also great as the heavy, from what I've read Ward Bond also did a few leading roles like Maclane. Both actors had very strong personalities & screen presence.

As we all know both actors were well known established supporting players & it was probably something that the studios needed & wanted,for the studios had plenty of "leading actors". Barton Maclane & Ward Bond probably appeared in more great films than anyone else. Both actors were literally in hundreds of movies, more than they could count.

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I didn't know that though I knew Barton Maclane & Glenda Farrell starred in the Torchy Blane series I never saw any of these films.
They are very good, some of my all-time favorite movies. They just came out on DVD for the first time, they've been unavailable for years. In the Torchy movies, Glenda Farrell often calls Barton MacLane "skipper" and in this film he calls her "skipper" about five times. It must have been an in-joke, if not, it's quite a coincidence.

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Thanks for the info, I'll look online on Amazon first as I would actually like to watch & get the Torchy Blane series. I've been wanting to see these films for years but as you said they just haven't been available. And I don't recall ever seeing the series out on VHS back in the day. I'd like to see Barton Maclane in other leading roles for he & Glenda Farrell made a good team.

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