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CrimeMysteryThriller

The Glass Key

- The Tougher They Are—The Harder They Fall

A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.

Release Date : 1942-09-08

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Paramount Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Brian Donlevy

Character Name : Paul Madvig

Original Name : Brian Donlevy

Gender : Male

Veronica Lake

Character Name : Janet Henry

Original Name : Veronica Lake

Gender : Female

Alan Ladd

Character Name : Ed Beaumont

Original Name : Alan Ladd

Gender : Male

Bonita Granville

Character Name : Opal 'Snip' Madvig

Original Name : Bonita Granville

Gender : Female

Richard Denning

Character Name : Taylor Henry

Original Name : Richard Denning

Gender : Male

Joseph Calleia

Character Name : Nick Varna

Original Name : Joseph Calleia

Gender : Male

William Bendix

Character Name : Jeff

Original Name : William Bendix

Gender : Male

Frances Gifford

Character Name : Nurse

Original Name : Frances Gifford

Gender : Female

Donald MacBride

Character Name : Farr

Original Name : Donald MacBride

Gender : Male

Margaret Hayes

Character Name : Eloise Matthews

Original Name : Margaret Hayes

Gender : Female

Moroni Olsen

Character Name : Ralph Henry

Original Name : Moroni Olsen

Gender : Male

Eddie Marr

Character Name : Rusty

Original Name : Eddie Marr

Gender : Male

Arthur Loft

Character Name : Clyde Matthews

Original Name : Arthur Loft

Gender : Male

George Meader

Character Name : Claude Tuttle

Original Name : George Meader

Gender : Male

William Benedict

Character Name : Farr's Receptionist (uncredited)

Original Name : William Benedict

Gender : Male

Dane Clark

Character Name : Henry Sloss (uncredited)

Original Name : Dane Clark

Gender : Male

Tom Fadden

Character Name : Basement Club Waiter (uncredited)

Original Name : Tom Fadden

Gender : Male

Bess Flowers

Character Name : Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Bess Flowers

Gender : Female

Chuck Hamilton

Character Name : Policeman (uncredited)

Original Name : Chuck Hamilton

Gender : Male

James Millican

Character Name : Politician (uncredited)

Original Name : James Millican

Gender : Male

Bert Moorhouse

Character Name : Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)

Original Name : Bert Moorhouse

Gender : Male

Lillian Randolph

Character Name : Basement Club Entertainer (uncredited)

Original Name : Lillian Randolph

Gender : Female

Norma Varden

Character Name : Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Norma Varden

Gender : Female

Brooks Benedict

Character Name : Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)

Original Name : Brooks Benedict

Gender : Male

Conrad Binyon

Character Name : Stubby (uncredited)

Original Name : Conrad Binyon

Gender : Male

Frank Bruno

Character Name : Reporter (uncredited)

Original Name : Frank Bruno

Gender : Male

Kenneth Chryst

Character Name : Man in Barroom (uncredited)

Original Name : Kenneth Chryst

Gender : Male

Edmund Cobb

Character Name : Reporter Carrying Papers (uncredited)

Original Name : Edmund Cobb

Gender : Male

Maurice Costello

Character Name : Card Player (uncredited)

Original Name : Maurice Costello

Gender : Male

George Cowl

Character Name : Butler #2 in Henry Home (uncredited)

Original Name : George Cowl

Gender : Male

John W. De Noria

Character Name : Groggins (uncredited)

Original Name : John W. De Noria

Gender : Male

Vernon Dent

Character Name : Bartender Serving Beers (uncredited)

Original Name : Vernon Dent

Gender : Male

Frank Elliott

Character Name : Peter (uncredited)

Original Name : Frank Elliott

Gender : Male

J.C. Fowler

Character Name : Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : J.C. Fowler

Gender : Male

Jack Gardner

Character Name : Reporter (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Gardner

Gender : Male

Kit Guard

Character Name : Basement Club Barfly (uncredited)

Original Name : Kit Guard

Gender : Male

Frank Hagney

Character Name : Strongarm Thug Escorting Sloss (uncredited)

Original Name : Frank Hagney

Gender : Male

Louis Jean Heydt

Character Name : Man watching dice throw (uncredited)

Original Name : Louis Jean Heydt

Gender : Male

Arthur Stuart Hull

Character Name : Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Arthur Stuart Hull

Gender : Male

Joe King

Character Name : Fisher (uncredited)

Original Name : Joe King

Gender : Male

Paul Le Pere

Character Name : Reporter (uncredited)

Original Name : Paul Le Pere

Gender : Male

Theodore Lorch

Character Name : Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Theodore Lorch

Gender : Male

Jack Luden

Character Name : Reporter (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Luden

Gender : Male

Wilbur Mack

Character Name : Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)

Original Name : Wilbur Mack

Gender : Male

Joe McGuinn

Character Name : Reporter (uncredited)

Original Name : Joe McGuinn

Gender : Male

Edmund Mortimer

Character Name : Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)

Original Name : Edmund Mortimer

Gender : Male

Jack Mulhall

Character Name : Lynch (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Mulhall

Gender : Male

Spec O'Donnell

Character Name : Campaign Headquarters Usher (uncredited)

Original Name : Spec O'Donnell

Gender : Male

Broderick O'Farrell

Character Name : Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Broderick O'Farrell

Gender : Male

Tom O'Grady

Character Name : Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Tom O'Grady

Gender : Male

Pat O'Malley

Character Name : Politician (uncredited)

Original Name : Pat O'Malley

Gender : Male

Stanley Price

Character Name : Basement Club Barfly (uncredited)

Original Name : Stanley Price

Gender : Male

Cyril Ring

Character Name : Campaign Headquarters Waiter (uncredited)

Original Name : Cyril Ring

Gender : Male

Francis Sayles

Character Name : Seedy-Looking Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)

Original Name : Francis Sayles

Gender : Male

Jack Shea

Character Name : Policeman (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Shea

Gender : Male

Bruce Sidney

Character Name : Dinner Guest (uncredited)

Original Name : Bruce Sidney

Gender : Male

Brick Sullivan

Character Name : Joe (uncredited)

Original Name : Brick Sullivan

Gender : Male

Charles Sullivan

Character Name : Cabbie (uncredited)

Original Name : Charles Sullivan

Gender : Male

George Turner

Character Name : Dr. Redmond (uncredited)

Original Name : George Turner

Gender : Male

William Wagner

Character Name : Butler (uncredited)

Original Name : William Wagner

Gender : Male

Fred Walburn

Character Name : Kid (uncredited)

Original Name : Fred Walburn

Gender : Male

Laraine Day

Character Name : Nurse (uncredited)

Original Name : Laraine Day

Gender : Female

Reviews

J

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Hey, Rusty, Little Rubber Ball is back. I told you he liked the way we bounced him around. The Glass Key is directed by Stuart Heisler and adapted by Jonathan Latimer from a story written by Dashiell Hammett. It stars Brian Donlevy, Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Joseph Calleia, William Bendix & Bonita Granville. It's re-election time and tough guy politician Paul Madvig (Donlevy) falls for reform candidate Ralph Henry's (Moroni Olsen) daughter, Janet (Lake). Subsequently he throws his weighty support behind Ralph Henry's campaign and irks the underworld gangsters, notably Nick Varna (Calleia). When Ralph's son, Taylor Henry (Richard Denning), is murdered, it opens up a world of corruption, violence, romantic passions and shifty shenanigans. A world that puts Madvig's right hand man, Ed Beaumont (Ladd) firmly in the middle. Hammett's tale had already been filmed in 1935 with Frank Tuttle in the director's chair and featuring George Raft, Edward Arnold & Claire Dodd as the principal players. Few can argue that, now, knowing how film noir became a force in the 40s, a remake was more than appropriate. Heisler's movie boasts a bigger budget, a better cast and crucially a better screenplay. However, the film in truth has problems, even though it rightly crops up as an example of early film noir on account of the thematics at work, where corruption and wealth blends seedily with sexual ambiguity and amoral deadpanning. One of the key reasons for why The Glass Key has proved so popular over the years, is because of some dynamite scenes and that Ladd's character is so wonderfully hard to read. Ticking away is a mystery to be solved in the middle of the plot, which is driven by a mysterious protagonist - with Ladd excellently playing it up. That Ladd and Lake would make four films together is testament to their chemistry, yet although the knowing looks and ease with how they share the same frame is telling here, the film as a whole is actually the weakest of the three film noirs that they made. Casting aside the flat visuals (oh for an Alton, Ballard or Musuraca) - and that much of the political corruptness is put in the background of the whodunit structure - the film also falls flat due to the cop-out ending. Now it's true that many film noirs, and other devilish off shoots of such, have favoured a more "hopeful" ending, and have got away with it to a degree. Yet here it's practically unforgivable, given the tone and all round uneasiness of the previous narrative bents, a tone that's driven by Beaumont's amoral ambiguity lest we forget. Why the hard edge ending from the novel is not used I'm not too sure, but ultimately it's the wrong decision. Still, there's enough to enjoy here while it runs. The cast do great work, notably William Bendix as a pathetic hard man dealing out sado-masochistic beatings to poor Edward, and Donlevy who blends his "Great McGinty" character with old time mobster traits. While of course solving the whodunit is fun and thankfully no easy task. It's said that The Glass Key influenced the likes of "Yojimbo" and "The Big Sleep", which if true? is high praise all told. But as entertaining as the film is, and it is, this really should (and could) have been much better, and its reputation in noir circles to my mind is a little flattering. 7/10