The Glass Key

Despite being a Dashiell Hammett story, despite being directed by the talented Mr Tuttle and despite some clever cinematography, this film has a big problem that none of these positives can outweigh: it stars George Raft.

At one point he's hit on the head and gets concussed, he portrays the half-dead, emotionless zombie perfectly... not sure why he continues that act through the whole of this picture... or rather through his entire career. No, I don't rate Mr Raft at all. How on earth did someone with such an utter lack of acting talent ever become such a big star... or shouldn't I ask! Because he doesn't convey any trace of emotion or indeed that he's actually alive, it's impossible to engage with him. It might be an interesting story but this film is so lifeless you simply can't get interested in it.

The free copy on YouTube is only just watchable - this print has aged really badly and I can't say that suffering the abysmal quality is worth the effort. As someone who'd typically favour a 1930s version over a 1940s remake, this film has made me change the habit of a lifetime. I'm now going to say: roll on Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake!

In the unlikely event that the term "film noir" means anything, it must be the meeting of the US detective film and the sinister Germanic look.

The process can be seen well and truly evident in this rarely seen version of the Hammet story. This one has the down beat view of human nature, sinister nocturnal scenes, notably Raft's discovery of Ray Milland's body and the grim shadowed world of thug Williams in his best rôle.

Neglected in favour of the Alan Ladd version which borrows from it - disposing of the stroppy brother with a kick on the shins, the dog attack - this one plays better because it's easier to believe Arnold is running a city and for director Tuttle's use of comedy actors like Irving Bacon, in serious material. Raft as Ned Beaumont, the minder, fits right in here.

Notice the significant difference is the presence of the mother character in the space that the fiancée takes in the later film. The spectacular auto stunt opening gets things moving rapidly too. This one doesn't work up the intensity of the best of the forties thrillers - no erotic smolder and feelings of growing doom but it's still a good viewing that stands with the best crime films of its day.

Stark cinematography, crisp story-telling and quirky humor make this a ground-breaking film, showing later film noir creators the basics.

The classic Dashiell Hammitt story gets a unique treatment. The still, anticipatory mood punctuated with abrupt, staccato dialogue is an inspired match for George Raft, playing perfectly to his strengths. Like Raft the film is stylish, watchful and reticent. He doesn't have to fake a thing. Edward Arnold is at his best as Paul Madvig in the center of the drama.

As for plot, the ne're-do-well son of a senator is found dead in the gutter, and all the "evidence" points to his girlfriend's father, Madvig, a political boss in town. Arch-enemy Shad O'Rory (Robert Gleckler) pulls out all the stops to bring him down while Madvig's right-hand man Ed Beaumont (Raft) goes through hell to prove his innocence.

In one torturous sequence, Raft never speaks a word while being abused (not to mention mocked), and that silence is visually compelling. There is a delicious use of stark shadows throughout. Instead of a bombastic soundtrack we get subtle use of organic sound. A key scene of violence is underscored marvelously by a swinging light fixture and a solo rendering of "Walkin' the Floor" echoing up the stairs.

Pig-eyed Guinn Williams is somehow both comic and brutal as Shad's hired thug. Charles Richman is everything a senator should be. Claire Dodd is the passionate sister of the murder victim, and Rosalind Culli makes a watery Miss Madvig.

It is entertaining to see a very young Ray Milland in the brief role as the murder victim. And then there's Ann Sheridan, memorable in only one scene as one tough nurse.

This does not have elements that became stereotypical in the more fully developed film noir - such as the femme fatale and overt lustiness, which were in the popular Alan Ladd remake of this story. This version does hedge on some violent elements and is a little too simplistic in others, leaving some plot points unclear at first. But the its consistent sense of its own style and sense of reality with the more believable cast let this first version stand on its own.

This early adaptation of Hammett's novel is not as well known as the Alan Ladd version but is very much worth seeing. Different in some ways, eerily similar in some ways, it's usually a little more raw than the later remake (the car crash that opens the film is still jarring today). And as the other reviewer notes, it has all the classic noir elements. Definitely worth seeking out.

Original of the more famous remake starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, and Brian Donlevy in 1942. This 1935 film stars George Raft, Edward Arnold, Joseph Calleia, and William Bendix.

This "Glass Key" is the same Dashiell Hammett story, and much of the script was kept for the 1942 version, plus in the remake, there were scenes added.

The glass key refers to a key that breaks in a lock - Raft as Ed here is warning his boss (Edward Arnold) to watch out for people out to get him. Arnold is Paul Madvig, who controls a political machine and falls in love with the daughter (Claire Dodd) of a wealthy man, Ralph Henry, trying to get the benefit of Madvig's political influence. When Henry's no-good son Taylor (Ray Milland) is killed, Madvig falls under suspicion. Raft works to prove his innocence.

This Glass Key has none of the bite of the 1942 version except when it comes to the violence. You practically cry out in pain when Ed is beaten to a pulp. When Ed gets away, it's by throwing himself out a window - a stunning and exciting scene in both films.

Frankly, I liked the performances in the remake better, particularly Brian Donlevy as Madvig. Interestingly, in this version, there is a 'Ma' Medvig, Donlevy's mother. Raft always had a wonderful warmth when working with mother figures. Ladd's Ed was too busy making time with every female he met. In fact, in the remake, the newspaper publisher's wife is added as someone who makes a pass at Ladd.

Taylor is an early role for Ray Milland.

The ending is different in the original as well - neither ending follows the book which leaves the situation ambiguous.

All in all, both have good points and performances.