''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' is a 1917 American silent

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

produced 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 ...

and distributed by Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

. The film is based on Cohan's 1913 play of the 1913 novel by

Earl Derr Biggers Earl Derr Biggers (August 26, 1884 – April 5, 1933) was an American novelist and playwright. His novels featuring the fictional Chinese American detective Charlie Chan were adapted into popular films made in the United States and China. Biogra ...

. Cohan himself stars in this silent version along with

Anna Q. Nilsson Anna Quirentia Nilsson (March 30, 1888 – February 11, 1974) was a Swedish-American actress who achieved success in American silent movies. Early life Nilsson was born in Ystad, Sweden in 1888. Her middle name Quirentia is derived from her ...

and

Hedda Hopper Hedda Hopper (born Elda Furry; May 2, 1885February 1, 1966) was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, her readership was 35 million. A strong supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committ ...

, billed under her real name Elda Furry. One version of the play preceded this movie in

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...

and numerous versions followed in the succeeding decades such as the early

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...

talkie starring

Richard Dix Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

. ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' is an extant film with much home video availability.

Plot

As described in a film magazine, George Washington Magee (Cohan) bets a companion $5,000 that he can write a

bestseller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...

in twenty-four hours. He goes to an isolated summer hotel in the mountains, receives the only key to the place, and sets about his task. Soon he is interrupted by complications as guests arrive, unexpected and uninvited, each with their own key to the deserted hotel. Two hundred thousand dollars gets deposited in the hotel safe, a young woman is shot, and, while the author holds the crooks at bay waiting for the police to arrive, they cook up a scheme to turn the tables on George. The woman's body disappears from the room, and the crooks are marched off to prison by U.S. Secret Service men. The caretaker returns the following night and congratulates the author on his success, and a lady reporter capitulates under the smiles of the industrious writer.

Cast

as George Washington Magee *

as Mary Norton * Elda Furry as Myra Thornhill *

Corene Uzzell Corene Uzzell (1889–1938) was an American film actress of the silent era. In 1905, Uzzell acted with the Murray and Mack company. Film studios for which she worked included Essanay, Famous Players, Mirror, and Pathe. Selected filmography * '' ...

as Mrs. Rhodes * Joseph W. Smiley as Mayor Cargan *

Armand Cortes Armand Cortes, sometimes credited as Armand Cortez, (August 16, 1880 – November 19, 1948) was an actor in theater and film in the United States. He had various theatrical roles in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1902 he was cast in the mus ...

as Lou Max *

Warren Cook Warren Cook (May 23, 1878 – May 2, 1939) was an American film actor of the silent era. Cook was born in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1901, he appeared in ''The Shaughraun'' at the Castle Square Theatre in Boston. He was part of the stock co ...

as Thomas Hayden (credited as C. Warren Cook) *

Purnell Pratt Purnell Pratt (October 20, 1885 – July 25, 1941) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1914 and 1941. He was born in Bethel, Illinois and died in Hollywood, California. Partial filmography * ''The Great D ...

as John Bland *

Frank Losee Frank Losee (June 12, 1856 – November 14, 1937) was an American stage and screen actor. A veteran of the Broadway stage he began in silent films in 1915. Often he played the father of Mary Pickford, Pauline Frederick and Marguerite Clark. Car ...

as Hall Bentley * Eric Hudson as Peter the Hermit *

Carleton Macy Carleton Macy (1861-1946) was an American stage, screen and vaudeville actor. He appeared in much stage work before embarking on a film career in 1915 with William Fox. He often appeared in vaudeville with his wife, Maude Hall, in an act called "M ...

as Police Chief Kennedy * Paul Everton as Langdon *

Russell Bassett Russell Bassett (October 24, 1845 – May 8, 1918) was an American stage and film actor. He appeared in 76 silent films between 1911 and 1918. Bassett was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but he moved to Oakland, California at age 3 when his ...

as Quimby * Robert Dudley as Clerk

Critical reception

In ''Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings'', Dave Sindelar wrote, "Cohan himself appears in the lead role. This was his first of only a handful of screen appearances, and he does a fine job...The plot is far-fetched and sometimes confusing, and the fact that some sections of the plot are replaced by title cards doesn’t help, but I like the backstory, and there’s definitely an air of parody to the proceedings. At this point of time, I’d have to say it’s my favorite version of the story."

References

External links

* * * (free download) {{Authority control 1917 films 1910s mystery thriller films American mystery thriller films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films based on American novels American films based on plays Films directed by Hugh Ford American independent films 1917 drama films Films based on adaptations American drama films Films based on Seven Keys to Baldpate Films based on works by George M. Cohan 1910s independent films 1910s American films Silent American drama films Silent mystery thriller films 1910s English-language films

Plot

Cast

Critical reception

See also

References

External links