''The French Key'' is a 1946 American

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

directed by

Walter Colmes Walter Colmes (1917–1988) was an American film director and producer sometimes billed as Walter S. Colmes. He directed six films between 1945 and 1947, including ''The Woman Who Came Back'' starring Nancy Kelly, '' Accomplice'' with Veda Ann Bo ...

and written by

Frank Gruber Frank Gruber (born February 2, 1904, Elmer, Minnesota, died December 9, 1969, Santa Monica, California) was an American writer. He was a writer of stories for pulp fiction magazines. He also wrote dozens of novels, mostly Westerns and detect ...

. The film stars

Albert Dekker Thomas Albert Ecke Van Dekker (December 20, 1905 – May 5, 1968) was an American character actor and politician best known for his roles in ''Dr. Cyclops'', ''The Killers (1946 film), The Killers'' (1946), ''Kiss Me Deadly'', and ''The Wild Bun ...

Mike Mazurki Mike Mazurki (December 25, 1907 – December 9, 1990) was a Ukrainian-American actor and professional wrestler who appeared in more than 142 films. His 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) presence and face had him typecast as often brainless athletes ...

Evelyn Ankers Evelyn Felisa Ankers (August 17, 1918 – August 29, 1985) was a British-American actress who often played variations on the role of the cultured young leading lady in many American horror films during the 1940s, most notably '' The Wolf Man'' (1 ...

John Eldredge John Eldredge (born June 6, 1960 in Los Angeles) is an American author, counselor, and lecturer on Christianity. He is known for his best-selling book '' Wild at Heart''. Life and work Eldregde received his undergraduate degree in theater from ...

, Frank Fenton and Selmer Jackson. The film was released on May 18, 1946, by Republic Pictures.

Plot

''The French Key'' is an adaptation of Gruber's novel of the same title, one of more than a dozen in a series featuring detective Johnny Fletcher. In this film Fletcher and his partner return to their hotel room and find a corpse clutching a gold coin. Attempting to solve the case, they deal with coin collectors and a pool room fight in addition to spending a night in jail.

Cast

as Johnny Fletcher *

as Sam Cragg *

as Janet Morgan *

as John Holterman * Frank Fenton as Horatio Vedder * Selmer Jackson as Walter Winslow *

Byron Foulger Byron Kay Foulger (August 27, 1898 – April 4, 1970) was an American character actor who over a 50-year career performed in hundreds of stage, film, and television productions. Early years Born in Ogden, Utah, Byron was the second of four ...

as Peabody *

Joe DeRita Joseph Wardell (July 12, 1909 – July 3, 1993), known professionally as Joe DeRita, was an American actor and comedian, who is best known for his stint as a member of The Three Stooges in the persona of Curly Joe DeRita. Early life DeRita wa ...

as Detective Fox *Marjorie Manners as Betty Winslow *

David Gorcey David Gorcey (February 6, 1921 – October 23, 1984) was an American actor and the younger brother of actor Leo Gorcey. Gorcey is best known for portraying "Chuck Anderson" in Monogram Pictures' film series The Bowery Boys, and "Pee Wee" in i ...

as Eddie Miller *Archie Twitchell as Murdock *Sammy Stein as Percy *Alan Ward as Madigan *Walter Soderling as George Polson *

Emmett Vogan Charles Emmett Vogan (September 27, 1893 – October 6, 1969) was an American actor with almost 500 film appearances from 1934 to 1954, making him, along with Bess Flowers, one of the most prolific film actors of all time. In 1913, Vogan ...

as Desk Clerk

References

External links

* 1946 films 1946 mystery films American black-and-white films American mystery films American detective films Republic Pictures films Films directed by Walter Colmes 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{mystery-film-stub