The Keyhole

You just need to see a few seconds of this and you know exactly what you're getting. It's the sort of movie that can only be an early thirties Warner Brothers: wonderfully corny, fast moving fun.

Did the writers sit around a table playing a game of 'who can come up with the daftest story?' In this lovely chunk of 1930s life, a millionaire tests his wife's fidelity by seeing if gigolo, George Brent, whom he's hired to seduce her can tempt her into bed..... and to pointlessly over complicate things, she's also married to someone else as well. Only in pre-code!

It's no classic but it is classic Warner Brothers, encompassing every trope you'd associate with that studio - great stuff! The cast is also the classic ensemble of cold-hearted rich folk, a slightly shady hero, Kay Francis doing the thing she always did, an idiot friend, a saucy gold-digger and a Captain Hook type villain - only the bumbling Irish detective is missing.

If you enjoy those cheap and tacky Warner pre-codes which are nevertheless professionally made (Michael Curtiz was in the chair here) or just watching Kay Francis doing what Kay Francis does, this should float your boat.

Peeping through THE KEYHOLE we find an unhappy wife who sails to Cuba to shake off a blackmailing former lover, not knowing that her millionaire husband has sent a handsome detective to compromise her...

This elaborately plotted little picture is a very fine example of the kind of film Warner Bros. produced so effortlessly in the 1930's. Frothy, a bit silly & fun, it boasts entertaining performances and good production values. Depression audiences sat through scores of movies just like this, generally well made, but with interchangeable plots & stars.

Kay Francis & George Brent handle the romantic situations very nicely. Sophisticated & charming, they keep their stock characters from ever becoming dull. The humor is supplied by brassy blonde Glenda Farrell as a gold digging shill & dumb-as-dirt detective Allen Jenkins.

Henry Kolker as the suspicious husband, Helen Ware as his elderly, sympathetic sister, and Monroe Owsley as the oily Lothario, all add to the fun in their supporting roles. Especially enjoyable is little Ferdinand Gottschalk, appearing in only one scene as a comically flirtatious old banker.

Movie mavens will recognize sour-faced Clarence Wilson as the head of the detective agency.

Kay Francis was always watchable. George Brent for me was more variable, but in the right role he could be good. Need to see more of Glenda Farrell's work, but in the not enough already seen she came off well. Haven't seen enough of Allen Jenkins either, but from what has been seen when his material was good and gelled well with everything else he was fine. Always have considered Michael Curtiz a fine director, am not going to say what films of his are favourites of mine as it will sound too much of a broken record.

While 'The Keyhole' is watchable and Francis (not unexpectedly) and Brent (was not quite as certain) come off well, it didn't strike me as a particularly great film. In my mind it's lesser Curtiz too, as it was not material to properly engage in and not enough of his style comes through, this had a still settling feel instead. Some good things here and they are actually quite great, but 'The Keyhole' also has some serious drawbacks that in my mind are even more obvious.

Francis is glamorous and sophisticated and never plays her role too heavily. Brent is very charming, giving one of his most suave performances, and has a strong presence. Their chemistry is witty, endearing and elegant as one expects typically from golden age romance, so the romantic angle of the story convinces very much. Monroe Owsley is suitably oily and Farrell is amusingly brassy. Most of the cast come off fine.

'The Keyhole' also looks lovely, especially Francis' gowns which she looks quite a sight in. The music fits well with the tone of the film without sounding stock. There is some nice wit in the chemistry between Francis and Brent and the story tends to go at a lively pace.

Despite that, the story is predictable and can be nonsensical. Capped off by a suddenly introduced and that's it ending that makes one go what. Curtiz's direction usually has a lot more spark and style than here.

Script is uneven, often sparkling with Francis and Brent but flat too much everywhere else. Also agree with not seeing the point of Jenkins' character and Jenkins feels too out of place.

A just above average film but not great. 6/10

Kay Francis plays a woman being blackmailed by a former partner (Monroe Owsley). She discovers that he never got the divorce he promised and her new marriage is illegal. Hatching a scheme with her sister-in-law (Helen Ware), she flees to Havana, hoping the cad will follow. He does but so does the detective (George Brent) her husband hires to spy on her. Wild storyline becomes more believable as the film goes on because of the chemistry between Francis and Brent. Good support from Glenda Farrell, Allen Jenkins, and Clarence Wilson. This ranks as one of Kay Francis' best women's pictures of the early 30s--with One Way Passage and Confession.

Anne Brooks (Kay Francis) is married to a wealthy financier about twenty years older than herself. She was previously a dancer, and at a very young age married her dancing partner, Maurice LeBrun (Monroe Owsley). She found out he was a slime ball, and so when he asked for a divorce she was all for it. But he never got that divorce, and now he's blackmailing her over the fact that her marriage to Schuyler Brooks is not legal.

Ann goes to her sister-in-law, Portia, who comes up with a plan. Ann will lure Maurice out of the country by going on a ship voyage. Then Portia will use her connections in the federal government to get Maurice's visa revoked on grounds that he is an undesirable alien so that he cannot get back into the country. Then Ann can go get the marriage to Maurice annulled quietly.

But Schuyler, not knowing any of this, has separate plans of his own. All of Anne's skulking about, going to see Maurice secretly to try and stall him and keep him quiet have Schuyler believing Anne may be having an affair. He hires PI Neil Davis (George Brent) to follow Anne on her voyage and find out if she is the cheating kind. So far this sounds rather mundane, except that Neil has a natural skepticism towards women and their fidelity, and if he can't FIND infidelity, he sleeps with the women himself so that the husband has something in the way of evidence to take to court. But during the long time he is getting to know Anne, he begins to fall for her and determines that she is actually a good woman. Complications ensue.

The - I guess you'd call it courtship - between Anne and Neil takes a large part of the middle of the film, and it is rather slow going compared to the fast moving beginning and ending. Plus it doesn't show any of those Curtiz flourishes. It does show the great chemistry between Brent and Francis, and their later scripts were much better paced and suited to them.

Allen Jenkins, as a PI himself, actually helped this film, and he definitely livened up the rather slow middle as he struggles to be Neil's valet as a cover story for him being onboard the ship with him. But he also catches the eye of Dot (Glenda Farrell) who is a rich young woman on the ship. What does she want with Jenkins? Watch and find out.

There's a great bit of business towards the beginning where Jenkins goes to a hotel and warns a bunch of "Mr. Smiths" that there is about to be a raid. All of the Mr. Smiths leave their hotel rooms and head for the elevator at the same time.