The Steel Key

Robert S. Baker directs a good action script by the ever dependable John Gilling, and the result is a charming 69-minute film with handsome male lead Terence Morgan in fine form, the precursor of the Saint that Roger Moore would immortalize on TV in the 1960s. As pointed out by other viewers, Director Baker would be actively involved in THE SAINT series.

Always stylish and with a quirky sense of humor, Morgan rapidly puts Inspector Forsythe - whom he calls Basil - in his place, hunts down the much sought after "steel key" formula that hardens metals, and deals with a gang of fairly smooth villains led by Ross and Tapley, with sidekick evil-eyed Lovegrove playing nurse Gilchrist, who is definitely not good for anybody's health.

Curvaceous Dianne Foster provides the most curious character of all: she is clearly a scheming criminal intent on capitalizing on her hubby's "steel key" formula, and she thinks nothing of having Ross as her lover, French-kissing Morgan, and still keeping hubby Professor Newman out of sight in gaol-like tenements. The latter is understandbly less than chuffed.

Cinematography is better than I would expect of a B pic from Tempean films, the unobtrusive score is pleasant enough, and the ending is something to savor.

Definitely worth watching!

International playboy and thief Johnny O'Flynn (Terence Morgan) tries to prevent criminals from stealing a secret formula for processing hardened steel, called the Steel Key, and discovers that one of the scientists involved has been murdered while another, Professor Newman, has died of apparently natural causes. His investigation leads him to a sanatorium, run by one Dr Crabtree, and a captured scientist forced to reproduce the formula. On the way, Johnny meets Newman's glamorous, younger wife Sylvia and rescues Joan Rice, a nurse, after the kidnappers try to kill her. Inspector Forsythe of Scotland Yard is also on the scent, but is intent on arresting Johnny for the crime.

Okay, I'll be honest. Some people say they love a particular film. I'm willing to go further than that. If this film was a woman, I would invite her to the most expensive restaurant in town. I'd buy her flowers. I'd get on bended knee and propose. I've only seen the film once so far but - come on - there's such a thing as love at first sight, isn't there?

But seriously, this one is such a good deal of fun and will probably end up being one of my favourites of the era. It seems explicitly designed to appeal to me and other fans of fun adventure-thrillers in which a suave and witty hero make fools of the police, gets into fisticuffs with the bad guys, joins forces with a plucky heroine and flies by the seat of his pants until he prevents an international conspiracy to ... well, whatever the bad guys are trying to do.

This was originally intended to be a film of The Saint, but producers Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman could not secure the rights to the character. (They would eventually, of course, make a phenomenally successful television series based on the character with Roger Moore.) Its Saintly beginnings, however, remain obvious to all as O'Flynn is considered to be a thief who claims a reward for any boodle he recovers and spars wryly with a portly inspector who would love to put him behind bars. It's basically Simon and Inspector Teal, with all the hijinks that implies.

With his chiselled features, slick dark hair and glint in his eye, actor Terrence Morgan makes for a likable and charismatic hero as Johnny O'Flynn. Amid all the action, there are some good dollops of humour in here too. There is, of course, the constant cat-and-mouse game with the police, but there are also moments which border on farce (never a bad thing, in my book) as Johnny pretends to be one of the scientists involved with Newman. Indeed, nurse Joan never discovers his real name and it is uttered only a handful of times in the whole film. The finger of accusation moves frequently from one suspect to another, but this a pacey adventure and not a drawing room whodunit, though the revelation does come as a surprise. The only criticism I would make is the inclusion of three scientists (one who is only referred to), which seems a bit messy to me. Perhaps it would have been better if Newman alone had been the scientist and the other two helped fund his experiments or held government positions.

Morgan's career started out promisingly with roles in Olivier's Hamlet and Captain Horatio Hornblower with Gregory Peck, but he quickly slid into B-films and became typecast as villains, and though a switch to television with The Adventures of Francis Drake was successful, it did not last. Fortunately, there does not seem to have been an unhappy ending for Morgan, as he left acting to run a hotel in Sussex for many years before becoming a property developer. He died in 2005 at the age of 83. It's a wonder Hollywood didn't want him, but I suppose there were so many other actors out there who could also offer what he had.

Anyway, The Steel Key - see it!

An early Berman/Baker production for Tempean in which several people get murdered without anybody seeming particularly alarmed, least of all the police. Shady hero Terence Morgan meanwhile simply shrugs his shoulders and pleads innocence by declaring that "I haven't murdered anybody in a month of Sundays..."!

It being the fifties, Esmond Knight as the bearer of the film's MacGuffin (which furnishes the cool title) keeps his tie on throughout his incarceration and rough handling by what the principal bad guy calls "our little organisation". The women - Mata Hari Dianne Foster and Girl Friday Joan Rice - naturally look great in their permanent waves and immaculate clothes; and there are attractive locations used as backdrops in and around London in places that at today's prices would be prohibitively expensive (including a couple of visits to Newhaven).

Sam Kydd sports a spivvy little moustache as a sinister chauffeur, while Esma Cannon (billed as 'Esme') is a delight as usual in a very brief role sitting in a waiting room as a neurological patient who recently received a phone call in the middle of the night from her long dead husband. (Nobody else has mentioned that this film also contains the final featured appearance by Raymond Lovell as the scowling detective, since he died a few months after it was released aged only 53.)

A Metallurgist Writes: The process by which Iron is transformed into Steel is already a process for strengthening it; and anyone out there who understands chemical formulae could probably amuse themself by studying the scribblings we briefly get a close-up of to see if they actually make any sense...

I can see the point being made by the other reviewers.This is a Saint film in all but name.Terence Morgan is constantly evading the police whilst looking for the professor and his formula.The cast is quite interesting.Edmond Knight who was blinded in the sea battle with the Bismark,playing the professor.Michael Balfour is a sailor.Sam Judd with a moustache plays a henchman.Same Cannon is a rather dotty patient in the doctors waiting room.The film was made on the south coast and I am wondering if it used Brighton studios which was one of the oldest studios,closing in the sixties.The script isn't marvellous,but it provides some action.

An enjoyable B feature which races along for its 70 or so minutes, The Steel Key has all the requisite ingredients with Terence Morgan at his most dashing and quick-witted as the confidence trickster hero Johnny O'Flynn. Throughout the film, he is able to keep at least two steps ahead of the usual clay-footed police headed up by Insp Forsythe (Raymond Lovell) and at the same time outwit the gang of double dealers behind the plot to steal a rare chemical formula.

Colin Tapley is suaveness personified as the villainous boss but seems far too nice and polite to be truly evil; Arthur Cosgrove, however, is a completely different kettle of fish - no one did nasty, weasly unpleasantness better than him and he crops up in quite a few films of the time in much the same role, although remains a relatively little-known name.

With twist, double twist and counter twist, the narrative does become over confusing if scrutinised too closely; better to sit back and enjoy the fun ride.