The Glass Key (1942)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Stuart Heisler

Writers:

Dashiell Hammett (novel)
Jonathan Latimer (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 October 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Crime | Mystery

Plot Keywords:

Suicide Note | Reformer | Casino | Engagement | Escape

Cast

Brian Donlevy	...	Paul Madvig
Veronica Lake	...	Janet Henry
Alan Ladd	...	Ed Beaumont
Bonita Granville	...	Opal 'Snip' Madvig
Richard Denning	...	Taylor Henry
Joseph Calleia	...	Nick Varna
William Bendix	...	Jeff (Varna's henchman)
Frances Gifford	...	Nurse
Donald MacBride	...	DIst. Atty. Farr
Margaret Hayes	...	Eloise Matthews
Moroni Olsen	...	Ralph Henry
Eddie Marr	...	Rusty (Varna's henchman)
Arthur Loft	...	Clyde Matthews
George Meader	...	Claude Tuttle
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Dugan	...	Jeep (scenes deleted)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Politician (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #8207) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Sweden:15

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Several actors and their character names listed in studio records and casting call lists did not appear in the movie. These were Edward Peil Sr. (Politician), 'Al Hill' (Bum) and Tom Dugan (Jeep).

Goofs:

Continuity: In Farr's office, when Ed is slowly tucking the anonymous letter in his inside pocket, Farr tells him he expects a visit from Nick. The camera is on Ed who abruptly takes his hand out of his inside pocket and turns to Farr, but then the camera cuts to show both him and Farr and he's still tucking the letter in his inside pocket.

Quotes:

Man at campaign headquarters: But Paul, I can't make my boys vote the reform ticket!
Paul Madvig: Why not? Most of them come from the reform school.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man (1999) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I Remember You

Match made in heaven

Alan Ladd warns Brian Dennehy about "The Glass Key" in this 1942 noir also starring Veronica Lake and William Bendix. The glass key refers to a key that breaks in a lock - Ladd here is warning his boss (Brian Donlevy) to watch out for people out to get him. Donlevy is Paul Madvig, who controls a political machine and falls in love with the daughter (Lake) of a wealthy man, Ralph Henry, trying to get the benefit of Madvig's political influence. When Henry's no-good son Taylor is killed, Madvig falls under suspicion. Ladd, as his assistant Ed, works to prove his innocence.

This film is good but hard to follow. It's also cold as ice with nothing to warm it up. Ladd and Lake were one terrific team, but one could never call them warm, especially in this. It's also very violent - you practically cry out in pain when William Bendix, playing yet another whack job, beats Ed to a pulp. When Ed gets away from him, it's by throwing himself out a window - a stunning scene.

"The Glass Key" is a cross between a hard crime drama and a noir, and you couldn't ask for a more perfect actor for the noir genre than Ladd. He gives a focused, relaxed performance, saying his lines in his usual straightforward manner. He's one actor who never had to be tall to be tough or powerful, and one forgets all about his height, especially when seeing him next to tiny, gorgeous Lake. He takes some beating in this but keeps right on going. Donlevy does a good job as a political boss, and Bendix is scary. The one bad note is Granville, as Madvig's sister. She was an energetic actress who, when the director wasn't paying attention, could go way over the top in her dramatic scenes. Evidently the director was distracted.

The film has a Hollywood ending which many people won't like. Although "The Glass Key" is confusing, it's still worth watching to see the two stars at the top of their game.