The Glass Key (1942)

Director:

Stuart Heisler

Writers:

Jonathan Latimer (screen play)
Dashiell Hammett (based on the novel by)

Release Date:

23 October 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Plot:

During the campaign for reelection, the crooked politician Paul Madvig decides to clean up his past...

Plot Keywords:

Politician | Gangster | Newspaper | Gambler | Anonymous Letter

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
Frances Gifford	...	Nurse
Donald MacBride	...	Farr
Margaret Hayes	...	Eloise Matthews
Moroni Olsen	...	Ralph Henry
Eddie Marr	...	Rusty
Arthur Loft	...	Clyde Matthews
George Meader	...	Claude Tuttle
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Dugan	...	Jeep (scenes deleted)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Politician (scenes deleted)
Brooks Benedict	...	Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Farr's Receptionist (uncredited)
Conrad Binyon	...	Stubby (uncredited)
Frank Bruno	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Kenneth Chryst	...	Man in Barroom (uncredited)
Dane Clark	...	Henry Sloss (uncredited)
Edmund Cobb	...	Reporter Carrying Papers (uncredited)
Maurice Costello	...	Card Player (uncredited)
George Cowl	...	Butler #2 in Henry home (uncredited)
John W. De Noria	...	Groggins (uncredited)
Vernon Dent	...	Bartender Serving Beers (uncredited)
Frank Elliott	...	Peter - Butler #1 in Henry Home (uncredited)
Tom Fadden	...	Basement Club Waiter (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)
J.C. Fowler	...	Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Jack Gardner	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Kit Guard	...	Basement Club Barfly (uncredited)
Frank Hagney	...	Strongarm Thug Escorting Sloss (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Arthur Stuart Hull	...	Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Joe King	...	Fisher (uncredited)
Paul Le Pere	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Theodore Lorch	...	Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Jack Luden	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack	...	Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)
Joe McGuinn	...	Reporter (uncredited)
James Millican	...	Politician (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)
Edmund Mortimer	...	Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)
Jack Mulhall	...	Lynch (uncredited)
Spec O'Donnell	...	Usher at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)
Broderick O'Farrell	...	Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Tom O'Grady	...	Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Pat O'Malley	...	Politician (uncredited)
Stanley Price	...	Basement Club Barfly (uncredited)
Lillian Randolph	...	Basement Club Entertainer (uncredited)
Cyril Ring	...	Worker at Campaign Hedquarters (uncredited)
Francis Sayles	...	Seedy-Looking Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)
Jack Shea	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Bruce Sidney	...	Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan	...	Joe - Bartender (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	Cab Driver (uncredited)
George Turner	...	Dr. Redmond (uncredited)
Norma Varden	...	Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)
William Wagner	...	Butler (uncredited)
Fred Walburn	...	Kid (uncredited)

Directed by
Stuart Heisler

Writing credits
Jonathan Latimer		(screen play)
Dashiell Hammett		(based on the novel by)

Produced by
Fred Kohlmar	....	associate producer
Buddy G. DeSylva	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Victor Young
Walter Scharf		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Theodor Sparkuhl		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Archie Marshek

Art Direction by
Haldane Douglas
Hans Dreier

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Arthur S. Black Jr.	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Hugo Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Don Johnson	....	sound recordist

Stunts
Jimmie Dundee	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	....	stunts (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
George Parrish	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (as Paramount Pictures Inc.)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1942) (USA) (theatrical) (as Paramount Pictures Inc.)
• MCA/Universal Pictures (1958) (USA) (TV)
• MCA Home Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1993) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Teakwood Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

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

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on July 22, 1946 with Alan Ladd reprising his film role.

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 Don't Want to Walk Without You

Reaching For Some Class

In watching this and the first film version of The Glass Key you have to wonder why Brian Donlevy is making an alliance with the 'reform' forces led by Senator Moroni Olsen. The way I see it, Donlevy is a mug and he knows it, but he figures he'll step up in society if allies himself with the right people. It's the only explanation that makes sense for Donlevy to cut loose from gambling czar Joseph Calleia.

Everybody in Donlevy's family is getting involved with Olsen. Donlevy's taken a shine to daughter Veronica Lake who can't stand him, but will put up with it for her father's sake. Donlevy's sister Bonita Granville is involved with Olsen's playboy son Richard Denning, not something that Donlevy approves of. When Denning turns up dead all kinds of questions are raised.

Donlevy has someone on his payroll who takes care of these problems, Alan Ladd and Ladd's not particularly squeamish about the legalities of things. He starts investigating and at the same time tries to protect his boss's reputation. Not so easy as he finds out.

This was the second teaming Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd and they clicked as well as they did in This Gun For Hire. It was also the first time that Alan Ladd and William Bendix worked together on a film. Bendix became one of Ladd's best friends on the Paramount lot and his widow Tess Bendix was a prime source for Beverly Linet's revealing biography of Alan Ladd. Bendix portrays a truly malevolent thug who works for Calleia and he's pretty frightening. One of the best examples of a sadist ever done on the screen.

My personal favorite in this film besides Bendix is Joseph Calleia the racketeer kingpin of the city. He's one slick article as he usually is in most of his films and his fate is determined by something he really could not have foreseen.

The story by Dashiell Hammett on which this is based really does show how close politics and the criminal element mix, even the so-called 'reform' element. Even law enforcement is afraid to move here as typified by the very political district attorney Donald MacBride. He's not one to move against the local power structure unless he has to.

This version of The Glass Key is not too different from the 1935 version that starred George Raft and Edward Arnold. This one is seen more often and shows that corruption can be quite systemic in some of our local governments. Pity the poor voters.