The Glass Key (1942 film)

Infobox_Film
name = The Glass Key


image_size = 260px
caption = Lobby card
director = Stuart Heisler
producer = Buddy G. DeSylva
writer = Story:
Dashiell Hammett
Screenplay:
Jonathan Latimer
starring = Brian Donlevy
Veronica Lake
Alan Ladd
William Bendix
music = Victor Young
cinematography = Theodor Sparkuhl
editing = Archie Marshek
distributor = Paramount Pictures
released = October 14 1942
runtime = 85 minutes
country = United States
language = English
amg_id = 1:19941
imdb_id = 0034798|

"The Glass Key" is the second and better known film noir adaptation of the classic suspense novel "The Glass Key" by Dashiell Hammett, released a mere seven years after the first. This version features Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Brian Donlevy, and William Bendix. [imdb title|id=0034798|title=The Glass Key.]

Plot

Paul Madvig (Donlevy) is a political boss, who is determined to back reform candidate Ralph Henry (Moroni Olsen). Ed Beaumont (Ladd) is apprehensive of Madvig's choice and believes the move is a mistake.

Beaumont knows that Madvig is doing a political about-face merely to get in the good graces of Henry's daughter, Janet Henry (Lake). Beaumont cleans up the mess when crime boss Nick Varna (Joseph Calleia) murders Henry's son, Taylor Henry (Richard Denning), and pins the rap on Madvig.

As Beaumont tries to clear Madvig's name, he falls for Janet Henry.

Cast

* Brian Donlevy as Paul Madvig
* Veronica Lake as Janet Henry
* Alan Ladd as Ed Beaumont
* Richard Denning as Taylor Henry
* Bonita Granville as Opal "Snip" Madvig
* Joseph Calleia as Nick Varna
* William Bendix as Jeff (Varna's henchman)
* Frances Gifford as Nurse
* Donald MacBride as Dist. Atty. Farr
* Margaret Hayes as Eloise Matthews
* Moroni Olsen as Ralph Henry
* Eddie Marr as Rusty (Varna's henchman)
* Arthur Loft as Clyde Matthews
* George Meader as Claude Tuttle

Critical reaction

"Variety" magazine gave the film a favorable review, writing, "Parading a murder mystery amidst background of politics, gambling czars, romance and lusty action, this revised version of Dashiell Hammett's novel - originally made in 1935 - is a good picture of its type...Mixed well, the result is an entertaining whodunit with sufficient political and racketeer angles to make it good entertainment for general audiences. Donlevy makes the most of his role of the political leader who fought his way up from the other side of the tracks." [ [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117791292.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 "Variety"] . Film review, 1942. Last accessed: April 28 2008.]

Critic Dennis Schwartz wrote, "The film is mostly done for entertainment purposes, as it lightly skips over the corrupt political process as merely background for the unlikely love story developing between the engaging Lake and the deadpan Ladd. The film had many undeveloped film noir themes used by other films. Howard Hawks's much superior "The Big Sleep" borrowed freely from "The Glass Key"." [ [http://www.sover.net/~ozus/glasskey.htm Schwartz, Dennis] . "Ozus' World Movie Reviews," film review, December 4 2004. Last accessed: April 28, 2008.]

Critic Hal Erickson wrote, "Dashiel Hammett's "The Glass Key," a tale of big-city political corruption, was first filmed in 1935, with Edward Arnold as a duplicitous political boss and George Raft as his loyal lieutenant. This 1942 remake improves on the original, especially in replacing the stolid Raft with the charismatic Alan Ladd...Far less complex than the Dashiel Hammett original (and far less damning of the American political system), "The Glass Key" further increased the box-office pull of Paramount's new team of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake." [Erikson, Hal.amg movie|id=1:19941|title=The Glass Key.]

References

Notes

External links

*
* [http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews24/the_glass_key.htm "The Glass Key"] at DVD Beaver (includes images).