Night Key (1937)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Lloyd Corrigan

Writers:

Jack Moffitt (writer)
William A. Pierce (story)

Release Date:

2 May 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The inventor of a new top-of-the-line burglar alarm system is kidnapped by a gang in order to get him to help them commit robberies. |

Plot Keywords:

Robbery | Burglar Alarm | Inventor | Father Daughter Relationship | Hostage

Cast

Boris Karloff	...	David Mallory
Warren Hull	...	Jim Travers (as J. Warren Hull)
Jean Rogers	...	Joan Mallory
Alan Baxter	...	John Baron aka The Kid
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Petty Louie
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Steven Ranger (as Samuel Hinds)
David Oliver	...	Mike Callahan
Ward Bond	...	Fingers
Frank Reicher	...	Carl - gang engineer
Edwin Maxwell	...	Lawyer Kruger

Runtime:

68 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The movie was made because although the new owners of Universal Studios in 1936 were convinced that the horror genre was commercially dead, they inherited a contract stipulating Boris Karloff’s participation in one more film. Carl Laemmle Jr. had signed him to this contract after the success of Frankenstein (1931), so, not knowing what other genre to put him in, they commissioned a story that would give him a suitable role but stipulated it would not be a horror film.

Burglary with Boris!

The almighty Boris Karloff is primarily an icon of horror cinema so it's a bit peculiar that this film, which is in no way horror-related, got included in the fancy and recently released Karloff DVD-collection (cover image displayed here on the main page). Personally, I'm glad it's there, as "Night Key" was completely unknown to me and it's always a great pleasure to discover a new film from your favorite actor, especially if it's as amusing and adequately plotted as this film! Boris is once again very convincing as the elderly inventor of burglar alarms who just reached a personal breakthrough with his new system of a beam-based alarm. When he attempts to sell his invention to a major company, the manager slash former business partner robs him for the second time and Mallory develops a plan to get even. By developing a way to crack the old alarm systems, he hopes to sell his new one quicker but unfortunately a gang of mobsters takes quite an interest in his burglary methods… "Night Key" is by no means a mesmerizing film, but it benefices from a good pace and excellent acting performances. Apart from Boris, there's the really great acting to admire of Alan Baxter, Ward Bond and Hobart Cavanaugh as a small time crook. It's a fun little film, albeit very politically correct and loaded with clichés and stereotypes.