A writer, looking for some peace and quiet in order to finish a novel, takes a room at the Baldpate Inn. However, peace and quiet are the last things he gets, as there are some very strange ... Read allA writer, looking for some peace and quiet in order to finish a novel, takes a room at the Baldpate Inn. However, peace and quiet are the last things he gets, as there are some very strange goings-on at the establishment.A writer, looking for some peace and quiet in order to finish a novel, takes a room at the Baldpate Inn. However, peace and quiet are the last things he gets, as there are some very strange goings-on at the establishment.
- Second Deputy
- (uncredited)
- Deputy
- (uncredited)
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'Seven Keys to Baldpate', which Cohan adapted from a novel by Earl Derr Biggers -- now remembered as the creator of Charlie Chan -- is the only Cohan play which is still revived with any frequency. Even this one is squeaky and creaky. The story has been filmed (to date) *seven* times under its original title, with some disguised remakes such as 'House of Long Shadows' and Gene Wilder's wretched 'Haunted Honeymoon' (which ripped off its one and only funny gag from the unjustly obscure comedy 'Murder, He Says').
This 1935 edition is probably the best film version, which isn't saying much. It modernises the material somewhat, deviating significantly from Cohan's original play. Gene Raymond portrays a novelist who comes to the old abandoned Baldpate Inn so as to get some peace and quiet while he writes a novel. He expects to be left alone because he possesses the one and only key to Baldpate ... so nobody else can get in. But then a succession of oddball characters show up, each one weirder than the last ... and each one possesses what he or she claims is the one and only key to Baldpate.
There's a 'surprise' ending that's quite obvious, especially if you've seen 'Haunted Honeymoon'. The best performance in this 1935 movie is by Henry Travers, as a crusty hermit who's misogynistic with it, and who is busy writing a manuscript denouncing womankind. 'Hey, mister!' he shouts, interrupting just as Gene Raymond is about to smooch bland leading lady Margaret Callahan. 'If I start a sentence with the word 'women', do I *hafta* use a capital W?' That's a typical example of the weak humour on offer here.
Cohan's original play ended with a startling piece of meta-fiction, a coup de theatre in which we learn that the events we've just witnessed are actually the contents of the novelist's manuscript, which he has already written. It would have been an improvement if this 1935 film version had attempted something like that, instead of the flat obvious ending which this movie has. I'll rate it 3 out of 10, mostly for its fine cast of supporting actors.
There are, fittingly, a total of seven big-screen version of this story, although a couple seem missing in action. I don't think this is the earliest source novel in the Old Dark House genre. I believe it arose as a burlesque of the Gothic Romance. However, it seems to have seniority in the movies. The supporting cast, includes Moroni Olsen, Margaret Callahan, Erin O'Brien-Moore, Eric Blore, Grant Mitchell, Walter Brennan, and Henry Travers as a woman-hating hermit and part-time ghost.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Author William Magee (Gene Raymond) shows up at the Baldpate Inn to write a novel in twenty-four hours. The crime writer has a bet to win but before long he finds himself in a real-life mystery as there are crooks, missing money and ghosts to worry about.
This George M. Cohan play was a huge hit on the stage and it led to screen versions in 1916, 1917, 1925 and the first sound version in 1929. RKO remade it yet another for this version, which goes for more laughs, although, to its credit, it does slightly play up the ghost factor, which was somewhat overlooked int he 1929 version.
If you're a fan of the play (or novel for that matter) then you should find this to be a slightly entertaining adaptation. The main focus are laughs as Raymond delivers a fine performance, which goes for the fast-talking and loud approach that so many films did during this era. You know, those films with the reporter who knows more than anyone else and is smarter than everyone else. On that level this is mildly charming but there's no question that a lot of jokes fall flat.
The film does offer up some mild entertainment thanks to the cast, which includes Henry Travers as a sexist hobo who is constantly putting down women and rooting for their deaths! I'm sure this sexist humor was quite funny in 1935 but I'm sure some will be shocked by it. It actually makes the film seem a bit more fresh today.
The story has been altered a bit, and the supporting characters get more space for all kinds of jokes (especially the women-hater, 'hermit' Henry Travers); and the gangsters' slang and tough guy attitude make a wonderfully strange contrast to the cool and clever ways of the young novelist - and of course, to the classic settings with secret panels, candle-light and groaning staircases...
With a running time of just a little more than an hour, this movie nicely keeps a good pace and leaves no room for boredom; great entertainment for lovers of the genre!
Gene Raymond is dashing and funny as the writer who seems delighted with each new character who sneaks into the inn. When a gangster threatens him with a gun and a snarl, Raymond just laughs - "I've written this sort of thing a hundred times," he says, to the gangster's confusion.
The series of visitors includes, among others, Henry Travers as the neighborhood crank who masquerades as a ghost to scare people off; Eric Blore as a mysterious gentleman who may be a professor looking for a quiet place to read exams; and Margaret Callahan as the beautiful young woman who won't tell Raymond why she's there but stops him when he tries to phone the police.
The plot involves a stolen treasure, some crooks who are after it, and an insurance claim. It's not always clear who's who, and hardly matters, really. There are a few surprises, the dialog is good, and there's a bit of romance thrown in as well. It's not highbrow but this one is a lot of fun.
Did you know
- TriviaFifth of six films based on the same novel and play - three silents and three "talkies" released from 1916 to 1947.
- GoofsWhen Magee escapes with the money through a hidden compartment in the house; he goes to Mary's room and knocks a few times on her door. However, there is no audio heard of him knocking on the door.
- Quotes
Mrs. Quimby: [talking about Lem Peters, the hermit] ... But I know his wife run off with a musician used to play here in the hotel band.
William Magee: Hmm, that's bad.
Elijah Quimby: A saxophone player.
William Magee: Mmm, that *is* bad.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Snowed Under (1936)
Details
- Runtime
- 1h 20m(80 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1