Seven Keys to Baldpate

"Seven Keys to Baldpate" (1935) is the fifth version of this story from Earl Derr Biggers (originator of the Charlie Chan character) and George M. Cohan. It's the second sound version and an additional sixth version was released in 1947. In other words, it's been done again and again and again....and definitely a few times too many. This is because the story might have seemed fresh and enjoyable back in the day, but by 1935 it was incredibly dated.

A writer has rented an old mansion in the middle of nowhere in order to write a novel in some peace and quiet. However, from almost the minute he arrives, one person after another interrupts his peace and quiet. Many of them seem to be criminals looking for some stolen loot in the house...and at the end of the picture, there's a long explanation as to who everyone REALLY is and, of course, there are lots of contrived surprises and a happy ending.

To say this is old fashioned is like saying the pyramids in Egypt are a tad old! The story originally was a book (by Derr Biggers) and the play by Cohan debuted in 1913. For its time, it might have been original and enjoyable....but times change. To have such a long exposition at the end was sloppy by 1935 and so much of the story came off as stagy and dull...and very talky. Again, for an old play, this might have been okay...but the film needed a massive re-write to make it work well on the big screen.

As for the acting, it's hard to say who is good and who isn't because so many are simply caricatures...not realistic people. Henry Travers, for example, is one-dimensional...always talking about how he hates women (which will likely offend a lot of folks). And the crooks are all crooks...nothing more. Gene Raymond in the lead is very enjoyable...but his taking everything in stride and enjoying all this did seem strange. Overall, a film that is a bit dull and too old fashioned to be taken seriously. It is better than the 1929 version...but this isn't saying much. I really would love to see the silent versions (if they exist) to see if they work any better.

George M Cohan's success as a songwriter and performer has obscured the fact that he also wrote or co-wrote many plays, most of which were very successful in their day. But Cohan's plays have dated badly. He relied heavily on one very contrived device. Most of Cohan's plays feature a wide assortment of very old-fashioned stock characters, contrasted with a wise-cracking slang-slinging protagonist (often played by Cohan himself) who speaks directly to the audience, and who comments on the stiffness of all the other characters in the cast.

'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.

Seven Keys to Baldpate (1935)

** 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.

One of Earl Derr Biggers' most popular novels (which had been turned into a play by George M. Cohan), "Seven Keys to Baldpate" was adapted for the screen no less than six times; this was the fifth time. And although the movie admittedly can't reach the REALLY high class of the famous 1917 version, where Cohan himself played the leading role, and after more than 20 years the story may already seem a little bit worn-out and much-used, it's nonetheless hilariously lively, funny and at the same time pretty suspenseful, with a neat cast (especially Gene Raymond as the fearless, wisecracking novelist) and an unusual, but really successfully balanced mix of - a gangster movie and a 'Dark Old House' mystery!

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!

There are several film versions of this George M. Cohan play based on a novel by Earl Derr Biggers, the writer of Charlie Chan novels. Of the many movie versions that I have seen, this is the best-balanced production.

I read part of the book, this play starts with much of the book portrayed as we see a lady (Margaret Callahan) crying in the waiting room and being discussed by a male passenger (Gene Raymond) and the station agent (Walter Brennan.)

The story is of a writer who picks Baldpate Inn, a quiet place, closed for the winter, as an ideal place for writing a quick novel. He is given the "only key" to the Inn. The film slowly unfolds and makes you wonder why you are watching. Soon it picks up the pace as we find "Seven Keys to Baldpate" and discover who has them both the characters and the familiar actors of the time. It takes time to get used to the cavalier attitude of the writer.

We may find an interesting twist in the end.