Seven Keys to Baldpate

Director: Hugh Ford Hugh Ford

Overview

Though not his motion picture debut as has often been claimed, Seven Keys to Baldpate was George M. Cohan's most popular silent-film effort. Based on the eternally popular play by Cohan and Earl Derr Biggers, the film stars "George M." as George Washington Magee, a mystery novelist suffering from writer's block. Hoping to recharge his creative batteries, Magee accepts a wager from his literary agent and vows to complete a novel within 24 hours. For this purpose, he squirrels himself away in a gloomy old country house called Baldpate, for which (he is told) he owns the only key. As the night progresses, however, it becomes obvious that six other people possess keys to Baldpate -- including a damsel in distress, a couple of crooks, a corrupt sheriff and a "woman of mystery" who is bumped off before Magee's astonished eyes! The "double-trick" ending of the play is perhaps one of the best-known denouements in theatrical history, but out of respect for those who have never seen Seven Keys to Baldpate -- nor any of its five remakes -- we will not divulge the climactic surprise (or surprises). Fortunately, the original Seven Keys to Baldpate still exists, permitting contemporary viewers the rare opportunity of seeing "Yankee Doodle Dandy" Cohan at the height of his powers.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/21/2011
UPC:	0842614102271
Original Release:	1917
Source:	Grapevine Video
Language:	English
Sales rank:	63,661

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

George Cohan	George Washington Magee
Armand Cortes	Lou Max
Hedda Hopper	Myra Thornhill
Eric Hudson	Peter the Hermit
Frank Losee	Hall Bentley
Anna Nilsson	Mary Norton
Purnell Pratt	John Bland
Joseph Smiley	Mayor Cargan

Technical Credits

Editorial Reviews

Adapted from a popular Broadway play that he co-wrote and in which he starred, Seven Keys to Baldpate is the best-known film of legendary stage performer George M. Cohan. While Cohan doesn't sing and dance in the film, there is ample evidence of his personal charisma and physical mannerisms. It's interesting to compare the real Cohan to the Oscar-winning impersonation of him by James Cagney in the Cohan-inspired biopic Yankee Doodle Dandy. The film itself is a clever mystery, with Cohan as a writer locked away overnight in a supposedly empty resort house. The production is handsomely mounted, and there are some notable secondary aspects -- for example, the word "prostitutes" appears on screen, an unusual occurrence for censorship-sensitive films of this era. It's also amusing to see future gossip maven Hedda Hopper in a supporting role, and to enjoy the realistic sets and exterior sequences. This is the first of six credited film versions of this play, and one of the best mystery films of its era.

All Movie Guide - Richard Gilliam