ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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Don't miss this enjoyable yarn in which Boris Karloff plays the brilliant and kindly old scientist who invents a revolutionary new burglar alarm system. A business associate (Samuel S. Hinds) cheats Karloff and steals his invention.

Two decades later, Karloff (now nearsighted but still brilliant) perfects a second gizmo that defeats his own security system. Badly in need of money to provide for the welfare of his daughter (Jean Rogers of "Flash Gordon"), Karloff sells the rights to his new invention (on a royalty basis) to the now-wealthy Hinds. But Hinds only buys the device to keep it off the market, which means Karloff receives no royalties!

In an attempt to compel Hinds to honor the agreement, Karloff uses his newest device to burglarize several stores supposedly protected by Hinds' alarm systems, the ones he stole from Karloff. Hinds' company is discredited by the sudden wave of successful burglaries.

Despite the imaginative premise, the pace is slow and the overall mood is somber. But there are plenty of 1930s-style gadgets, and Karloff's character is extremely likeable. The cast also includes Frank Reicher (Captain Englehorn in "King Kong"). Directed by Lloyd Corrigan.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[orzel-w]

[Bud Brewster]

I don't know if that means Karloff was stupid for not protecting his wonderful burglar alarm with his wonderful burglar alarm or . . . his burglar alarm didn't work too good!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[The Spike]

Night Key is directed by Lloyd Corrigan and adapted to screenplay by Jack Moffitt & Tristam Tupper from a story by William A. Pierce. It stars Boris Karloff, Jean Rogers, Warren Hull and Samuel S. Hinds. Music is by Louis Forbes and cinematography by George Robinson.

Plot sees Karloff as aging inventor David Mallory, who once again finds himself cheated by security business boss Stephen Ranger (Hinds). With his eyesight failing and a daughter (Rogers) he wants to set up before he passes on, Mallory decides to teach the scheming Ranger a lesson.

However, the criminal element headed by The Kid (Alan Baxter) have designs on using Mallory and his "Night Key" device for their own ill gotten gains.

Well Louis! We are in.

Out of Universal Pictures, Night Key was knocked out in under a month and budgeted, unsurprisingly, on the cheap.

Yet the film belies these matters to be a good old fashioned yarn for entertainment. Melodrama mixes with a touch of sci-fi as the story unfolds as an interesting character piece, the veins of which are mostly pumped by an honest versus dishonest theme.

Within there's a burgeoning romance etched in to the narrative, but this is handled well by the director as it aids the flow and reason of plotting, while the odd bit of action here and there stops the film from being too staid. The effects from John P. Fulton, too, are good fun and leave a favourable mark late in the story.

Picture gets most of its strength from Karloff's performance. An undervalued talent at the best of times,

Night Key gives viewers the chance to see just what he could do away from the horror iconography that defined his career. Here as the sombre and fragile David Mallory, Karloff isn't just looking the part because of make-up, he is able to match his body to the aged state of the character, simultaneously garnering great empathy from the viewers.

It's a character, courtesy of performance, that firmly has us rooting against the baddies. Around Karloff are effective turns from Rogers (bright), Hinds (weasel like), Hobart Cavanaugh (fun as the comedy side-kick, Petty Louis) and Ward Bond, who as henchman thug is an imposing presence.

It's all very daft and goes where we expect (and want) it to go, but with Karloff leading the way, this is a comfortably recommended time filler. 7/10
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The quality of mercy is not strnen.

[Bud Brewster]

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This does indeed look interesting! I wish YouTube had the full movie.

_________ Night Key (1937) ORIGINAL TRAILER


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)