Torchy Passes the Buck

Torchy (Ray Cooke) is an office boy....sort of like a secretary that does a variety of tasks for the boss. Well, when the boss is out one day, a friend of Torchy's has friends come to see him. Torchy wants his friend to make a great impression, so he sneaks him into the boss' office and has him pose as the boss! Soon, however, the boss arrives but instead of exposing the ruse, he goes along with it. But he also convinces Torchy to do a job for him...to sneak some venison past the game warden. It seems the boss wants to serve it to friends and win some odd bet.

Directed by C.C. Burr, Torchy Passes the Buck leans on a strong ensemble — Ray Cooke, Dorothy Dix, Edmund Breese — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 1931.