When she can't support her illegitimate child, an abandoned young woman puts her up for adoption and pursues a career as a torch singer.When she can't support her illegitimate child, an abandoned young woman puts her up for adoption and pursues a career as a torch singer.When she can't support her illegitimate child, an abandoned young woman puts her up for adoption and pursues a career as a torch singer.
Baby LeRoy
- Bobby, Dora's Baby at 1 Year
- (as Baby Le Roy)
Jean Acker
- Nightclub Patron
- (uncredited)
Bobbe Arnst
- Woman in Sally's Apartment
- (uncredited)
Carlena Beard
- Sally - the Little Black Girl
- (uncredited)
James Burke
- Taxicab Driver
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe uncredited little black girl who plays "Sally the fan" whom Claudette Colbert's character visits is played by Carlena Beard, the younger sister of Matthew "Stymie" Beard of The Little Rascals.
- Quotes
Mimi Benton: Well, I'll tell you what happened to her. While you were touring China, she went through hell. It's a nice place, you must go there someday.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Complicated Women (2003)
- SoundtracksGive Me Liberty or Give Me Love
(1933)
Music by Ralph Rainger
Lyric by Leo Robin
Played during the opening credits and at the end
Sung by Claudette Colbert at a nightclub
Reprised by Claudette Colbert at a nightclub
Featured review
For only a 72 minute movie Torch Singer packs quite a lot into the film with Claudette Colbert playing the starring role of an unwed mother who is forced to give up her daughter as she can't locate the baby's father David Manners and his rich family won't give her the time of day. She supports herself by becoming a nightclub singer and according to a recent biography of Claudette Colbert she actually sung her own numbers which were written by songwriting team of Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger for the film. Claudette's scenes with her child, her prospective in-laws and with the nuns running the adoption facility are heartbreaking and touching on melodrama.
A case of 'mike fright' scares off the prospective host of a children's radio program and sultry torch singer Claudette substitutes as the story lady who sings lullabies and tells fairy tales. Which gives her a day time career as well as a nighttime one as long as she can keep the secret. In the meantime the show affects her and decides to seek her child.
Claudette proves to have a nice style as a singer much as Susan Hayward did when played Lillian Roth in I'll Cry Tomorrow. And she treads on Barbara Stanwyck territory as a woman made hard by the circumstances of her life.
Ricardo Cortez who after the silent screen days ended where he played Latin lovers as a poor man's Rudolph Valentino, in sound either played smart alecks or downright heels. I was fully expecting him to be a heel in this film, but he turns out to be a nice guy as a radio executive who sympathizes with Colbert and her situation.
Lyda Roberti also makes an appearance here playing a fellow unwed mother who rooms with Colbert for a while. Her character has all too little time in Torch Singer, I wish we saw more of her.
Claudette Colbert whose career in 1933 was really beginning to take off moved a bit higher with this film. It holds up very well for today's audience.
A case of 'mike fright' scares off the prospective host of a children's radio program and sultry torch singer Claudette substitutes as the story lady who sings lullabies and tells fairy tales. Which gives her a day time career as well as a nighttime one as long as she can keep the secret. In the meantime the show affects her and decides to seek her child.
Claudette proves to have a nice style as a singer much as Susan Hayward did when played Lillian Roth in I'll Cry Tomorrow. And she treads on Barbara Stanwyck territory as a woman made hard by the circumstances of her life.
Ricardo Cortez who after the silent screen days ended where he played Latin lovers as a poor man's Rudolph Valentino, in sound either played smart alecks or downright heels. I was fully expecting him to be a heel in this film, but he turns out to be a nice guy as a radio executive who sympathizes with Colbert and her situation.
Lyda Roberti also makes an appearance here playing a fellow unwed mother who rooms with Colbert for a while. Her character has all too little time in Torch Singer, I wish we saw more of her.
Claudette Colbert whose career in 1933 was really beginning to take off moved a bit higher with this film. It holds up very well for today's audience.
- bkoganbing
- Apr 19, 2013
- Permalink
Details
- Runtime1 hour 11 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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