''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' is a 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 ...

. A bestseller, it was adapted 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 ...

into a play, which in turn was adapted several times for film, radio and TV. The plot of the novel differs from the play in many respects. The setting was based on the real

Baldpate Mountain Baldpate Mountain is a peak in the New York–New Jersey Highlands of the Reading Prong of Upper Pohatcong Mountain in Warren County, New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United State ...

. An American hotel inspired by that name,

The Baldpate Inn The Baldpate Inn is the historic name of a hotel located in Estes Park, Colorado, with designations on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties. The property has changed hands several times, al ...

, opened in 1918.

Adaptations

The

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

adapted by

in 1913 was subsequently filmed and broadcast on radio and TV several times: *

Seven Keys to Baldpate (1916 film) ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' is a 1916 Australian silent film directed by Monte Luke for J. C. Williamson's. It was the first film adaptation of the popular play by George M. Cohan which had toured Australia successfully in 1914 with Fred Ni ...

, from Australia *

Seven Keys to Baldpate (1917 film) ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' is a 1917 American silent mystery/thriller film produced by George M. Cohan and distributed by Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount. The film is based on Cohan's 1913 play of the 1913 novel by Earl Derr Bigge ...

starring Cohan himself *

Seven Keys to Baldpate (1925 film) ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' is a lost 1925 American silent comedy mystery film based on the 1913 mystery novel by Earl Derr Biggers and 1913 play by George M. Cohan. Previously made in Australia in 1916 and by Paramount in 1917, this version ...

with

Douglas MacLean Charles Douglas MacLean (January 10, 1890 – July 9, 1967) was an American stage and silent film actor who later worked as a producer and screenwriter in the sound era. Early life and stage career Born in Philadelphia, MacLean was educated at ...

Seven Keys to Baldpate (1929 film) ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' is a 1929 American pre-Code sound film produced and distributed through RKO Pictures. It was the first sound film based on the 1913 Earl Derr Biggers novel/ George M. Cohan play '' Seven Keys to Baldpate'', following t ...

with

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 (1935 film) ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' is a 1935 American comedy mystery film directed by William Hamilton and Edward Killy and starring Gene Raymond and Eric Blore. It is one of several filmed versions based on the popular 1913 play. Cast * Gene Raymond ...

with

Gene Raymond Gene Raymond (born Raymond Guion; August 13, 1908 – May 3, 1998) was an American film, television, and stage actor of the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to acting, Raymond was also a singer, composer, screenwriter, director, producer, and decorat ...

Seven Keys to Baldpate (1947 film) ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' is a 1947 American mystery film directed by Lew Landers and starring Phillip Terry, Jacqueline White and Eduardo Ciannelli. It is the sixth film based on the popular 1913 play of the same name. Plot While the Baldpate ...

with

Phillip Terry Phillip Terry (born Frederick Henry Kormann, March 7, 1909 – February 23, 1993) was an American actor. Early years Terry was born in San Francisco, California, the only child of German Americans, Frederick Andrew Kormann and Ida Ruth Voll. Hi ...

* ''

House of the Long Shadows ''House of the Long Shadows'' is a 1983 British comedy horror film directed by Pete Walker. It is notable because four iconic horror film stars (Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and John Carradine) are together in one feature. The ...

'' (1983) Radio adaptations: * 1938 for ''

Lux Radio Theatre ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company ...

'' with

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

* 1946'' for

Theatre Guild on the Air ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation (U. S. ...

'' with

Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. He earned two Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his roles in ''Mrs. Miniver'' (1942) and ''Madame Curie'' (1943). Pidgeon also starred in ...

Theatre Adaptation

*Victoria Theatre,

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, 1946.

Kenneth Williams Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was an English actor of Welsh heritage. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 Car ...

stage début.

Television

Adaptations were made in 1946 and 1961.

References

External links

Complete novel
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

* Novel 1913 American novels American novels adapted into films Novels by Earl Derr Biggers Bobbs-Merrill Company books {{1910s-mystery-novel-stub