The Key (1934 film)
The Key | |
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Directed by | Michael Curtiz |
Produced by | Robert R. Presnell, Sr. |
Written by | Laird Doyle Story: R. Gore Brown Jocelyn Lee Hardy |
Starring | William Powell Edna Best |
Music by | Allie Wrubel (composer) Mort Dixon (composer) |
Cinematography | Ernest Haller |
Edited by | Thomas Richards |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates
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Running time
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71 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Key is a 1934 American Pre-Code film directed by Michael Curtiz. It was re-issued as High Peril (pre-release title Sue of Fury) in 1960.[1]
The story concerns a love set during the Irish War of Independence. It characterises the Irish Republican Army as "little more than a gangster organization".[2]
Contents
Plot
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Captain Bill Tennant (William Powell) is a British officer stationed in Dublin in 1920. Tennant gets involved with Norah, the wife of his best friend, British intelligence officer Captain Andrew Kerr. Andrew Kerr is captured by the IRA, to be released only on condition that an Irish prisoner, Peadar Conlan, is not hanged. Tennant forges an order for Conlan's release, saving the life of his lover's husband, but at the cost of a prison sentence.[3]
Cast
- William Powell as Capt. Bill Tennant
- Edna Best as Norah Kerr
- Colin Clive as Capt. Andrew Kerr
- Hobart Cavanaugh as Homer, Tennant's Aide
- Halliwell Hobbes as General C.O. Furlong
- Donald Crisp as Peadar Conlan
- J.M. Kerrigan as O'Duffy
- Henry O'Neill as Dan
- Phil Regan as Young Irishman Killed by Andrew
- Arthur Treacher as Lt. Merriman, Furlong's Aide
- Maxine Doyle as Pauline O'Connor
- Arthur Aylesworth as Kirby
- Gertrude Short as Evie a Barmaid
- Anne Shirley as Flower Girl (as Dawn O'Day)
Background
One of the writers of the film script was Captain J L 'Hoppy' Hardy, a decorated veteran of World War I who had made repeated escapes from German prisoner of war camps. His nickname derived from his wooden leg, having lost a limb in combat.[clarification needed][citation needed]
After the Great War Hardy served as a military intelligence officer attached to the Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary during the Irish War of Independence.[4] He specialised in interrogating IRA prisoners.[5]
References
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.cairogang.com/other-people/auxiliaries/duff/duff.html Details], cairogang.com; accessed September 13, 2015.
External links
- Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). The Key at IMDb
- The Key at AllMovie
- The Key at the TCM Movie Database
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- 1934 films
- English-language films
- Articles using small message boxes
- Wikipedia articles needing clarification from September 2015
- Articles with unsourced statements from September 2015
- 1930s drama films
- Black-and-white films
- Films directed by Michael Curtiz
- Films set in the 1920s
- Films set in Dublin (city)
- Films set in Ireland
- Irish War of Independence films
- Warner Bros. films
- 1930s drama film stubs