Night Key (1937)
54KNight Key: Directed by Lloyd Corrigan. With Boris Karloff, Warren Hull, Jean Rogers, Alan Baxter. The inventor of a new top-of-the-line burglar alarm system is kidnapped by a gang in order to get him to help them commit robberies.
“1937u0026#39;s u0026quot;Night Keyu0026quot; came during Hollywood horroru0026#39;s lean period, proving that even at his home studio, Universal had no more idea what to do with u0026#39;horror staru0026#39; Boris Karloff than did their counterparts over at Warners, who (after u0026quot;The Walking Deadu0026quot;) cast him as a comic Oriental in u0026quot;West of Shanghai,u0026quot; a milquetoast red herring in u0026quot;The Invisible Menace,u0026quot; a railroaded doctor ala Samuel Mudd in u0026quot;Devilu0026#39;s Island,u0026quot; and a master spy in u0026quot;British Intelligence.u0026quot; At least Boris gets a starring vehicle to finish his one picture contract extension from u0026quot;The Invisible Ray,u0026quot; unlike co-star Bela Lugosi, whose contract was thrown away on a minibudgeted programmer, u0026quot;Postal Inspector,u0026quot; loaded with stock disaster footage, receiving a meager fourth billing as a nightclub owner gone bad. Previously billed at Universal only as u0026#39;Karloffu0026#39; (beginning with u0026quot;The Black Catu0026quot;), Boris does wind up somewhat diminished in this entertaining little u0026#39;B,u0026#39; as elderly electronics wizard David Mallory, who foolishly signs away the rights to his latest burglar alarm system to the same unscrupulous partner who had swindled him 20 years before, Steven Ranger, ironically played by perennial nice guy Samuel S. Hinds (u0026quot;The Raven,u0026quot; u0026quot;Itu0026#39;s a Wonderful Lifeu0026quot;). Now faced with an uncertain future for himself and devoted daughter Joan (Jean Rogers), the nearly blind Mallory resorts to petty mischief, with the aid of a small-time crook appropriately named u0026#39;Petty Louieu0026#39; (Hobart Cavanaugh), gleefully breaking and entering (but careful not to steal) using his own device to foil Rangeru0026#39;s security system. Trouble really starts when a criminal gang headed by u0026#39;The Kidu0026#39; (Alan Baxter) decide to use Malloryu0026#39;s invention to commit real robberies, purposely leaving clues to incriminate their unwilling accomplice. Lovely Jean Rogers, Flash Gordonu0026#39;s Dale Arden, is ably supported by J. Warren Hull, Karloffu0026#39;s former co-star in u0026quot;The Walking Dead,u0026quot; continuing his crime fighting ways by starring in u0026quot;The Spideru0026#39;s Web,u0026quot; u0026quot;The Spider Returns,u0026quot; u0026quot;Mandrake the Magician,u0026quot; and u0026quot;The Green Hornet Strikes Again.u0026quot; Interesting to see dependable Frank Reicher and Ward Bond in major villain roles, while Edwin Maxwell (u0026quot;Mystery of the Wax Museumu0026quot;) is perfectly in character as Malloryu0026#39;s shady lawyer, selling him down the river. Director Lloyd Corrigan only had one further feature before switching to full time acting by 1939, gracing such future Universals as u0026quot;Dark Streets of Cairo,u0026quot; u0026quot;North to the Klondike,u0026quot; u0026quot;Mystery of Marie Roget,u0026quot; u0026quot;Eyes of the Underworld,u0026quot; u0026quot;Captive Wild Woman,u0026quot; and u0026quot;She-Wolf of London.u0026quot; Despite its inclusion in Universalu0026#39;s popular SHOCK! television package of the late 50s, u0026quot;Night Keyu0026quot; has predictably remained under the radar ever since, even among Karloff fans. Classics like u0026quot;Frankensteinu0026quot; and u0026quot;The Mummyu0026quot; had already aired multiple times on Pittsburghu0026#39;s Chiller Theater before they finally got around to this one (twice)- Sept 18 1976 (preceding 1934u0026#39;s u0026quot;The Man Who Reclaimed His Headu0026quot;) and June 24 1978 (following 1946u0026#39;s u0026quot;She-Wolf of Londonu0026quot;).”
