Torrid Zone

James Cagney Director: William Keighley William Keighley

Overview

Torrid Zone star James Cagney once described the film as "The Front Page among the bananas." Indeed, the screenplay diligently follows the Front Page plot device of a tough boss (Pat O'Brien) pulling every underhanded trick in the book to keep his top man (Cagney) from quitting. This time the setting is a Central American plantation owned by O'Brien, which supervisor Cagney would dearly love to leave behind. Complicating the plot is a nightclub singer (Anne Sheridan) over whom O'Brien and Tracy do battle; a bored married woman (Helen Vinson) with eyes for Cagney; and a gang of Latino bandits, led by George Tobias (providing comic relief). What Torrid Zone lacked in originality it made up for in sheer energy.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/10/2018
UPC:	0888574661441
Original Release:	1940
Source:	Warner Archives
Sales rank:	38,449

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

James Cagney	Nick Butler
Ann Sheridan	Lee Donley
Pat O'Brien	Steve Case
Andy Devine	Wally Davis
Helen Vinson	Gloria Anderson
Jerome Cowan	Bob Anderson
George Tobias	Rosario La Mata
George Reeves	Sancho
Victor Kilian	Carlos
Frank Puglia	Rodriguez
John Ridgely	Gardner
Grady Sutton	Sam the Secretary
Paul Porcasi	Garcia the Hotel Bar Proprietor
Frank Yaconelli	Lopez
Dick Boteler	Hemandez
Frank Mayo	Shaffer
Jack Mower	McNamara
Paul Hurst	Daniels
George Regas	Sergeant of Police
Elvira Sanchez	Rita
Trevor Bardette	First Policeman
Joe Dominguez	Manuel
Ernesto Piedra	Second Policeman
Rafael Storm	Man
Wade Boteler	Actor
Rafael Corio	Man (uncredited)
George Humbert	Hotel Manager
Manuel Lopez	Chico
Don Orlando	Employee
Tony Paton	Charley

Technical Credits

Richard Macaulay

Jerry Wald

William Keighley	Director
William Cagney	Producer
Adolph Deutsch	Score Composer
Leo F. Forbstein	Musical Direction/Supervision
Oliver S. Garretson	Sound/Sound Designer
Byron Haskin	Special Effects
Mark Hellinger	Associate Producer
James Wong Howe	Cinematographer
M. K. Jerome	Songwriter
Jack Killifer	Editor
H.F. Koenekamp	Special Effects
Richard Macaulay	Screenwriter
Jack Scholl	Songwriter
Howard Shoup	Costumes/Costume Designer
Ted Smith	Art Director
Edward Thorne	Set Decoration/Design
Jerry Wald	Screenwriter
Hal B. Wallis	Executive Producer
Jack L. Warner	Producer
Perc Westmore	Makeup

Editorial Reviews

Anyone visiting the Torrid Zone better be prepared to duck -- not to avoid a stray bullet (though there are a few of those), but to protect himself from the onslaught of wisecracks that are tossed around with such abandon. As might be expected from a film that many consider to be a variation on The Front Page, the lines in Torrid come thick and fast -- and that's just the way it should be. What is unexpected for the period is how double the entendre is in many cases; one wonders how the strict censors of the periods let some of these slide by, but thank goodness they did. The salty, slangy, streetwise dialogue is a huge asset for Torrid; what other film could get a howl from the simple line "History repeats itself"? The effect comes all from the setup (and from Ann Sheridan's impeccable delivery), and the creators of Torrid know exactly how to make setups work. The screenplay and William Keighley's rapid-fire direction are vitally important, but so is the cast. James Cagney and Pat O'Brien are once again a team that works together like a well-oiled machine, with Cagney played his familiar pugnacious ladies' man routine and O'Brien delivering a tougher characterization than usual. The aforementioned Sheridan is sensational, demonstrating that her label as the "Oomph Girl" applies as much to her delivery of a tart wisecrack as to her stunning looks. Andy Devine is his usual bizarrely voiced self, and there's even a young George Reeves on hand. Some of Torrid doesn't hold up as well today, especially its depiction of Latin Americans, but most viewers will give in to its verve and forgive it its flaws.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler