Seven Keys to Baldpate

Seven Keys to Baldpate (1947)

** (out of 4)

The George M. Cohan play gets yet another version from RKO. This time out it's Phillip Terry playing author Kenneth Magee who agree to take a bet that he can write a novel in 24-hours. The only catch is that he must do it in the Baldpate Inn.

This here was the fourth sound version of the Cohan play and the third one made for the big screen. This one here certainly doesn't measure up with the 1917 silent version and I'd argue that it's weaker than both the 1929 and 1935 versions. There are some interesting changes done here by director Lew Landers (THE RAVEN) including the fact that they've slowed down the material.

The previous movies all had a bunch of fast dialogue and the action and comedy was done at a pretty fast pace. That's not the case here as it almost seems like the filmmakers thought viewers in 1947 wouldn't understand the material so they slowed everything down and the simplest plot points in earlier versions are fully explained here. I'm not sure why they did this but it certainly doesn't help things.

Terry is pretty bland in the lead role and he has zero chemistry with Jacqueline White who plays the love interest. Jimmy Conlin is decent in the role of the hermit but he's not given too much to work with. Margaret Lindsay appears in a small role as well. This version of SEVEN KEYS OF BALDPATE is for those who just want to say they've seen all the film versions.

Another perennial "classic" of crime from the brain of Earl Derr Biggers, who gave birth to the aphoristic sleuth Charlie Chan, Seven Keys to Baldpate endures in multiple screen versions. The 1947 model was an odd programmer to come out of RKO at a time when it was busy churning out film noir, because Seven Keys to Baldpate harks back to an older style, a cozy, old-fashioned Mystery of no great originality or complexity.

One dark and stormy night mystery writer Phillip Terry arrives at a supposedly deserted-for-the-season lodge called Baldpate somewhere in the Catskills or Adirondacks. He's there to win a big bet that he can complete a story within 24 hours only to find that he's not, as expected, alone since he was assured he possesses the only key. There's a creepy `caretaker' (Eduardo Ciannelli) installed, and as the night passes a succession of other suspicious key-holders gain access to the lodge: Jacqueline White, Jason Robards Sr., Margaret Lindsay et al. Seems there's nasty business afoot concerning a jewel theft, a payoff, and Heaven knows what else.

Despite a promisingly spooky start (sliding panels to secret passages, a black cat, a howling storm), the movie can't sustain its thread of suspense and opts for an `antic' mood, always the Kiss of Death. Unfortunately Terry, barely acceptable playing it straight, fails abominably at the light comedy required of him. And so the strong beginning degenerates into the mechanical fire-drill typical of the Charlie Chan vehicles – lights go out, shots ring out, a body hits the floor. Not having been privy to any of the earlier incarnations of this story (the first appeared in 1917), I can't account for its longevity. But if its last half lived up to its first, it wouldn't be a bad little movie.

If you like stereotypical mystery films that are amusing at various levels, than this B movie is for you. Philip Terry, a lifelong B actor stars in the film as a mystery writer. He does a decent job in the role. Various other B actors flesh out the roles as red herrings, villains, and heroes.

Although the film is pretty much predictable, it is highly atmospheric, and captures the film noir aura of the late 1940s. It is a harmless way to pass an evening of ordering out pizza and watching a film that does not require a great deal of our attention. The plot is a bit convoluted and hard to swallow, and would not be possible to be sold today in the modern mystery market.

It was about 2AM in the morning and I was watching late night TV, flicking aimlessly. Then I stumbled across the 1947 mystery/thriller Seven Keys to Baldpate. I was dead tired and expected to lose interest within a minute and doze off, but there was something about the setup to this film that was simply absorbing cinema, waking me up as if it was 2 pm in the afternoon. Granted it loses momentum half way through, tailing off considerably towards the end, perhaps due to not fleshing out the premise, which essentially is seven strangers mysteriously brought together in a dark, creaky old Mansion one stormy night. But the mood it creates in it's first half hour is 30 minutes of mystery/thriller cinema I rank as high as any in the genre. Perhaps it was the films ambiance, the darkness, the balance on interior and exterior, the set, the storm, the random characters appearing from no where, the less is more mentality which is so essential in setting up a mystery/thriller film. All those elements created mood that was so cinematic it took me from the depressing late night channel flicking into the mysterious happenings of the Baldpate mansion. I was mesmerized at one point, moving in close to the TV, hanging off each characters every word, wanting to know why. The why you find out later, and it doesn't live up, but I give the film 6/10, because the feeling of wanting to know more in the first 30 minutes was so engaging, they could've faded to black and never fade back in...still I would give it 6/10.

Yes this is the fourth version of the film and I am quite sure that the theatrical live play version of this mystery/story would have been quite entertaining as well. Having watched this 1947 film for the first time some seventy six (76) years subsequent to its initial release date I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this quirky mystery/crime/romance/comedy film.

Of course the on screen chemistry between two of the main characters author Kenneth Magee (Phillip Terry) and office secretary Mary Jordan (Jacqueline White) was very natural and amusing. The hectic pace between the other five (5) key holders residing at Baldplate only added to the mystery and comedy of the film. I only wish I could have seen them play their respective roles in a live theatre version performance of Seven keys To Baldplate. I am very fond of Ms. White's natural atlent in all of her films as well as with her natural beauty. An added bonus is Ms. White's acting career was fulfilled without any on screen or off screen scandals, not so typical of todays social media crazies.

I enjoyed the film considerably and as such I have rated it a deserving 7 out of 10 IMDb rating.