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The Glass Key ()

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A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
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93 photos | 1 video

Cast verified as complete

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Paul Madvig
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Janet Henry
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Ed Beaumont
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Opal Madvig
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Taylor Henry
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Nick Varna
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Jeff
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Nurse
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Farr
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Eloise Matthews
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Ralph Henry
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Rusty
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Clyde Matthews
George Meader ...
Claude Tuttle
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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Jeep (scenesDeleted)
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Politician (scenesDeleted)
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Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)
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Farr's Receptionist (uncredited)
Conrad Binyon ...
Stubby (uncredited)
Frank Bruno ...
Reporter (uncredited)
Kenneth Chryst ...
Man in Barroom (uncredited)
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Henry Sloss (uncredited)
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Reporter Carrying Papers (uncredited)
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Card Player (uncredited)
George Cowl ...
Butler #2 in Henry Home (uncredited)
John W. De Noria ...
Groggins (uncredited)
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Bartender Serving Beers (uncredited)
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Peter (uncredited)
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Basement Club Waiter (uncredited)
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Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)
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Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Jack Gardner ...
Reporter (uncredited)
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Basement Club Barfly (uncredited)
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Strongarm Thug Escorting Sloss (uncredited)
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Policeman (uncredited)
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Man watching dice throw (uncredited)
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Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)
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Fisher (uncredited)
Paul Le Pere ...
Reporter (uncredited)
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Dinner Guest (uncredited)
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Reporter (uncredited)
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Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)
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Reporter (uncredited)
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Politician (uncredited)
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Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)
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Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)
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Lynch (uncredited)
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Campaign Headquarters Usher (uncredited)
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Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Tom O'Grady ...
Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)
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Politician (uncredited)
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Basement Club Barfly (uncredited)
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Basement Club Entertainer (uncredited)
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Campaign Headquarters Waiter (uncredited)
Francis Sayles ...
Seedy-Looking Man at Campaign Headquarters (uncredited)
Jack Shea ...
Policeman (uncredited)
Bruce Sidney ...
Dinner Guest (uncredited)
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Joe (uncredited)
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Cabbie (uncredited)
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Dr. Redmond (uncredited)
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Henrys' Dinner Guest (uncredited)
William Wagner ...
Butler (uncredited)
Fred Walburn ...
Kid (uncredited)

Directed by

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Stuart Heisler

Written by

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Jonathan Latimer ... (screen play)
 
Dashiell Hammett ... (based on the novel by)

Produced by

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Buddy G. DeSylva ... executive producer (uncredited)
Fred Kohlmar ... associate producer

Music by

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Victor Young
Walter Scharf ... (uncredited)

Cinematography by

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Theodor Sparkuhl ... director of photography

Editing by

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Archie Marshek

Art Direction by

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Haldane Douglas
Hans Dreier

Costume Design by

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Edith Head

Makeup Department

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Wally Westmore ... makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Arthur S. Black Jr. ... assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Hugo Grenzbach ... sound recordist
Don Johnson ... sound recordist

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Eugene Joseff ... costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department

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George Parrish ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Leo Shuken ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Crew believed to be complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

During the campaign for reelection, the crooked politician Paul Madvig decides to clean up his past, refusing the support of the gangster Nick Varna and associating to the respectable reformist politician Ralph Henry. When Ralph's son, Taylor Henry, a gambler and the lover of Paul's sister Opal, is murdered, Paul's right arm, Ed Beaumont, finds his body on the street. Nick uses the financial situation of The Observer to force the publisher Clyde Matthews to use the newspaper to raise the suspicion that Paul Madvig might have killed Taylor. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Keywords
Taglines The Tougher They Are - The Harder They Fall See more »
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Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • La Clé de verre (France)
  • Der gläserne Schlüssel (Germany)
  • La llave de cristal (Spain)
  • Lasiavain (Finland)
  • A Chave de Vidro (Brazil)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 85 min
Country
Language
Color
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Filming Locations

Did You Know?

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Trivia The always aloof Alan Ladd, a former laborer, preferred the friendship of film crews rather than other actors or studio execs. Yet he was able to form lasting friendships with a few of his co-stars, especially William Bendix who accidentally cold-cocked Ladd during a particularly vicious fight scene in this film. Ladd was so taken aback by the sincerity of Bendix's apologies that they formed an immediate and unlikely friendship. They even purchased homes across the street from one another at one point. According to Bendix's wife Tess, the bond was strained in later years after Ladd's wife and manager, Sue Carol, made an offhand remark about Bendix's lack of military service. Stuck in the middle, it would be a decade before the wounds healed between the two. By then, Ladd was career down and self-destructive, leaning heavily on Bendix, who was thriving out of town frequently in the 1960s with stage work. Bendix's heartbreak was evident in the wake of Ladd's premature death (and probable suicide) in January of 1964. Bendix's health failed quickly and he too died (of bronchial pneumonia) a week or so before Christmas that same year. See more »
Goofs At c.30 minutes, Paul and Ed are served a full glass of beer each. Following an argument, Ed knocks Paul to the floor, after which Ed breaks an empty glass on the table to threaten Paul. However, neither of them drank any of the beer. See more »
Movie Connections Edited into Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982). See more »
Soundtracks I Remember You See more »
Quotes Rusty: My first wife was the second cook at a third-rate joint on 4th Street.
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