Tue 1 Mar 2022
A Movie Review by David Friend: THE STEEL KEY (1953).
Posted by Steve under Mystery movies , Reviews[10] Comments
THE STEEL KEY. Eros Films, UK, 1953. Terence Morgan, Joan Rice, Raymond Lovell, Dianne Foster. Director: Robert S. Baker.
International playboy and thief Johnny O’Flynn (Terence Morgan) tries to prevent criminals from stealing a secret formula for processing hardened steel, called the Steel Key, and discovers that one of the scientists involved has been murdered while another, Professor Newman (Esmond Knight) has died of apparently natural causes.
His investigation leads him to a sanatorium, run by one Dr Crabtree (Colin Tapley), and a captured scientist forced to reproduce the formula. On the way, Johnny meets Newman’s glamorous, younger wife Sylvia (Dianne Foster) and rescues pretty nurse Doreen (Joan Rice), after the kidnappers try to kill her. Inspector Forsythe of Scotland Yard (Raymond Lovell) is also on the scent, but is intent on arresting Johnny for the crime.
This British second-feature is a great deal of fun and one of my favourites from the era. It has much in common with other adventure-thrillers featuring a suave and witty hero. This may have been deliberate as it was originally intended to involve The Saint, but producers Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman could not secure the rights to the character. (They would eventually, of course, make a phenomenally successful television series with Roger Moore in the role.)
Its Saintly beginnings, however, remain obvious to all as O’Flynn is considered to be a thief who claims a reward for any boodle he recovers and spars wryly with a portly inspector who would love to put him behind bars. It’s basically Simon and Inspector Teal, with all the hi-jinks that implies.
With his chiselled features, slick dark hair and mischievous glint in his eye, actor Terrence Morgan makes for a likeable and charismatic hero as Johnny O’Flynn. Amid all the action, there are some good dollops of humour in here too. There is, of course, the constant cat-and-mouse game with the police, but there are also moments which border on farce (never a bad thing, in my book) as Johnny pretends to be one of the scientists involved with Newman. Indeed, nurse Doreen never discovers his real name and it is uttered only a handful of times in the whole film.
The finger of accusation moves frequently from one suspect to another, but this a pacey adventure and not a drawing room whodunit, though the revelation does come as a surprise. The only criticism I would make is the inclusion of three scientists (one who is only referred to), which seems a bit messy to me.
Morgan’s career started out promisingly with roles in Olivier’s Hamlet and Captain Horatio Hornblower with Gregory Peck, but he quickly slid into B-films and became typecast as villains, and though a switch to television with The Adventures of Francis Drake was successful, it did not last. Fortunately, there does not seem to have been an unhappy ending for Morgan, as he left acting to run a hotel on the South-East coast of England for many years before becoming a property developer. He died in 2005 at the age of 83.
Rating: *****
March 1st, 2022 at 10:05 pm
This and the Felix Martin DANCE WITH DEATH are probably the best Saint feature films after THE SAINT IN NEW YORK. I do have a fondness for the George Sanders films, but Louis Hayward, Morgan, and Martin seem to come much closer to Charteris Saint than anyone else until Roger Moore.
There is one other non Saint Saint film, John Hodiak’s smooth criminal Ace in TWO SMART PEOPLE (co scripted by Charteris) has more than a touch of Simon Templar to him.
March 1st, 2022 at 11:06 pm
David agreed.
Steve, eighty – three is the new young. And I mean that.
March 2nd, 2022 at 12:01 am
Barry, This was David Friend’s review, but I won’t argue with you. How can I?
March 2nd, 2022 at 12:14 am
I salute you your sound judgment.
March 2nd, 2022 at 8:57 am
Raymond Lovell is one of those character actors deserving of more attention. His primary mode was bluff cluelessness, but he was positively loathsome in SO EVIL MY LOVE.
March 2nd, 2022 at 9:50 am
David, thanks for the head-up, I’m looking into ‘Two Smart People’ and ‘Dance with Death’ now.
Struggling to locate any information on the latter, though. Could you give me a bit more to go on? Thanks in advance.
March 2nd, 2022 at 10:56 am
David F
Here’s the IMDb page for THE DANCE OF DEATH
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062091/reference/
March 2nd, 2022 at 9:03 pm
David,
Two Smart People often shows up on TCM. Co stars Lucille Ball, Lloyd Nolan, and Elisha Cook Jr..
DANCE OF DEATH was on YouTube and through Sinister Cinema. It was an made as a Saint film without Charteris’s permission and released with the main character’s name changed.
March 13th, 2022 at 3:25 pm
[…] posts reviews of films both familiar and of more obscure. Three recent posts have seen coverage of The Steel Key (1953) by David Friend, and Dave Vineyard has reviewed Broken Lance (1954) and Rio […]
March 15th, 2022 at 12:05 pm
Thank you both.