The Glass Key (1942 film)
| The Glass Key | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Stuart Heisler |
| Produced by |
Fred Kohlmar Buddy G. DeSylva (uncredited) |
| Screenplay by | Jonathan Latimer |
| Based on |
The Glass Key 1931 novel by Dashiell Hammett |
| Starring |
Brian Donlevy Veronica Lake Alan Ladd |
| Music by | Victor Young |
| Cinematography | Theodor Sparkuhl |
| Edited by | Archie Marshek |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | 700,704 admissions (France, 1949) |
The Glass Key is a 1942 film noir directed by Stuart Heisler and based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. An earlier film version had been released in 1935.
Crooked political boss Paul Madvig (Brian Donlevy) is determined to back reform candidate Ralph Henry (Moroni Olsen) for governor after falling in love with Henry's daughter, Janet (Veronica Lake). Madvig's right-hand man, Ed Beaumont (Alan Ladd), believes the move is a big mistake and rightly distrusts Janet's motives. She is only playing along at her father's request; she is put off by Madvig's crudity and becomes very attracted to the more eclectic Beaumont. He fends off her advances out of strong loyalty to his friend. The deluded Madvig boasts that Henry has practically given him the key to his house; Beaumont warns him that it is liable to be a glass key, one that can break at any moment.
When Madvig tells gangster Nick Varna (Joseph Calleia) that he is cleaning up the city and that Varna will no longer receive protection from the police, Beaumont grows even more concerned. Complicating matters further, Henry's ne'er-do-well son, Taylor (Richard Denning), owes Varna for gambling debts, while Madvig's young sister, Opal (Bonita Granville), is in love with Taylor. When Madvig finds out, Opal fears what he will do to her boyfriend.
Beaumont later finds Taylor's lifeless body in the street. Madvig is the prime suspect, much to Varna's delight. When Varna hears that Beaumont and Madvig have split over the Henry mess, he also tries to recruit Beaumont. Beaumont turns him down, so Varna has him brutally beaten repeatedly by sadistic henchman Jeff (William Bendix) to torture him into revealing details of corruption to the editor of the newspaper Varna controls. Beaumont contrives an escape and is hospitalized. When Beaumont recovers, he learns that Varna has found a "witness" to Taylor Henry's killing, a man named Sloss (Dane Clark). Madvig has Sloss brought to his office, but Sloss is gunned down before he can talk. As a result, Madvig is indicted for the murder and held in jail.
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