''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' is a 1916 Australian silent film directed by

Monte Luke Monte Luke born Charles Robert Montague Luke, (1885–1962) was an Australian photographer, actor and director. Biography Born in Geelong he worked as an actor on stage before developing an interest in stills photography. He was appointed offici ...

for J. C. Williamson's. It was the first film adaptation of the popular play by

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

which had toured Australia successfully in 1914 with

Fred Niblo Fred Niblo (born Frederick Liedtke; January 6, 1874 – November 11, 1948) was an American pioneer film actor, director and producer. Biography He was born Frederick Liedtke (several sources give "Frederico Nobile", apparently erroneously) in Yo ...

. There were later versions of the story in

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Fo ...

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Itali ...

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

, 1935 and 1947. Three reels of the film survive today.

Plot

A novelist makes a bet he can complete a book within 24 hours. He goes to write it at a mountain resort which he thinks is deserted but is disturbed by a series of visitors.

Cast

* Dorothy Brunton as Mary Norton *Fred Maguire as Magee *J Plumpton Wilson as Peters the hermit *Agnes Keogh as Myra Thornhill *Alex C Butler as Jim Cargan *Gerald Harcourt as Lou Max * Charles Villiers as Thomas Hayden *James Hughes as Jim Kennedy *Marion Marcus Clarke as Mrs Rhodes *Monte Luke as Hal Bentley

Production

This was the film version of the fourth and final stage adaptation from J. C. Williamson Studios. Unlike the others the bulk of it was not shot at J. C. Williamsons studio facility but in the Theatre Royal. It is most likely this was because only the Theatre Royal was large enough to fit the set.Marsden, Ralph. 'The Old Tin Shed in Exhibition Street': The J. C. Williamson Studio, Melbourne's Forgotten Film Factory nline Metro Magazine: Media & Education Magazine, No. 157, 2008: 144-153. Availability: . ited 15 Nov 14 It was announced on 1 June 1916 that the screenplay had been completed and Dorothy Brunton was to star. This was the first of only two film appearances by popular stage star Dorothy Brunton. She and co star Fred Maguire were appearing in musical comedies in the evening at Her Majesty's Theatre while filming during the day.

had taken publicity stills of the Australian 1914-15 production of the play.

Reception

Critical

The film was not highly regarded by critics Ross Cooper and Andrew Pike who wrote "the production was static and graceless, with flimsy canvas sets and lengthy mute dialogues that relied heavily on the audience's familiarity with the play." Hal Carleton from ''Motion Picture News'' stated called the film "the finest attempt yet from "J.C.W." in the way of local production, although it is a noticeable fact that the artists appearing in the picture are off the legitimate stage." The critic from the ''Kalgoorie Miner'' said the film "represents quite an exceptional story of magnetic power and infinite charm and grace. Brilliant acting, fine staging and beautiful scenery obtain all throughout." Theatre historian Ralph Marsden later wrote that:

Although the film is statically photographed against the usual canvas walled stage sets, the photography is slightly more imaginative than in ''Officer 666'', with a greater variety of shots, use of close-ups and, on occasion, some atmospheric lighting. There are also tentative advances in pictorial composition, with figures set both near and far within the frame, rather than simply lined up on a single plane, as if on stage. The adaptation fails, once again, because the scenario makes no attempt to properly interpret the lengthy dialogue exchanges for the silent screen. The few titles try to précis the plot and only occasionally quote dialogue verbatim.

Box office

The film does not appear to have been a box office success, never been given a city screening in Sydney or Melbourne. After production finished, Williamson sent Monte Luke to Hollywood to study production. After witnessing filming on ''

Intolerance Intolerance may refer to: * Hypersensitivity Hypersensitivity (also called hypersensitivity reaction or intolerance) refers to undesirable reactions produced by the normal immune system, including allergies and autoimmunity. They are usual ...

'' (1916), Luke returned to Australia and recommended that Williamson abandon film production, which he did.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p 64

References

External links

*
''Seven Keys to Baldpate''
at National Film and Sound Archive
Original text of novel
{{Seven Keys to Baldpate Australian black-and-white films 1916 films 1916 drama films Australian drama films Australian silent feature films Australian films based on plays Films based on American novels Films based on adaptations Films based on Seven Keys to Baldpate Films based on works by George M. Cohan Films directed by Monte Luke Silent drama films 1910s English-language films