Seven Keys to Baldpate (1935)

So much average

Absolutely amazing

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

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!

This oft filmed drawing room mystery gets perhaps its worst treatment with a bad cast to go along with its insipid storyline. Basically a summer stock frolic with hints of Feydeau it boasts two directors, both clueless as they clumsily flub anything salvageable in what is slim pickings to begin with.A writer (Gene Raymond) seeking solitude to practice his craft feels he may have found a perfect spot to concentrate at the deserted Baldpate Inn. He gets more than he bargained for though when some shady characters begin to show up creating dismal havoc.Raymond leads a cast of lifeless dullards through the motions in this Chan like mystery (same author) sorely in need of the charm and wit of Charlie. It is lacking in both mystery and suspense and Raymond and company come across abrasive and flat as they interrupt and out shout each other. Totally bereft of drama and wit Seven Keys to Baldpate is a flawless mess, it misses in every department.

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.I only read part of the book but this play starts out with much of the book thrown in. 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 getting used to the cavalier attitude of the writer.