Torrid Zone ★★ 1940

Nick (Cagney) is the former manager of a Central America banana plantation (set up on Warner's back lot) who's about to head for Chicago and a new job. But owner Steve Case (O'Brien) is in a bind since he thinks new manager Anderson (Cowan) is incompetent and a local revolutionary (Tobias) wants to take back the plantation's land. Throw in saloon singer Lee (Sheridan), who clashes with Nick, and Anderson's hot to trot wife Gloria (Vinson), and Nick's got his fair share of trouble. Sounds kinda like 1932's “Red Dust.” 88m/B DVD . James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, Pat O'Brien, Helen Vinson, Andy Devine, Jerome Cowan, George Reeves, George Tobias; D: William Keighley; W: Richard Macaulay, Jerry Wald; C: James Wong Howe; M: Adolph Deutsch.

tor·rid zone (also Tor·rid Zone) • n. the hot central belt of the earth bounded by the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

torrid zone General climatic term for the region between the northern and southern tropics, broadly the ‘equatorial’ zone.

torrid zone General climatic name for the region between the northern and southern tropics, broadly the equatorial zone.