''The Steel Key'' is a 1953 British

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 ...

directed by Robert S. Baker and starring

Terence Morgan Terence Ivor Grant Morgan (8 December 1921 – 25 August 2005) was an English actor in theatre, cinema and television. He played many "villain" roles in British film but is probably best remembered for his starring role in the TV historical ...

Joan Rice Joan Rice (3 February 1930 – 1 January 1997) was an English film actress. Rice is best known for her role as Dalabo in the film '' His Majesty O'Keefe'' (1954) which co-starred Burt Lancaster. Apart from that she played Maid Marian in ''The ...

and

Raymond Lovell Raymond Lovell (13 April 1900 – 1 October 1953) was a Canadian-born actor who performed in British films. He mainly played supporting roles, often somewhat pompous characters. Lovell initially trained as a physician at Cambridge University, ...

Premise

Adventurer Johnny O'Flynn (Terence Morgan) attempts to track down thieves who have stolen a secret military formula for producing hardened steel; but ruthless others who will stop at nothing are also on the trail.

Cast

as Johnny O'Flynn *

as Doreen Wilson *

as Inspector Forsythe *

Dianne Foster Dianne Foster (born Olga Helen Laruska; October 31, 1928 – July 27, 2019) was a Canadian actress of Ukrainian descent. Early life Foster was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She began her career at the age of 13 in a stage adaptation of Ja ...

as Sylvia Newman * Hector Ross as Beroni *

Colin Tapley Colin Edward Livingstone Tapley (7 May 1909 – 1 December 1995) was a New Zealand actor in both American and British films. Born in New Zealand, he served in the Royal Air Force and an expedition to Antarctica before winning a Paramount Pictur ...

as Doctor Crabtree *

Esmond Knight Esmond Penington Knight (4 May 1906 – 23 February 1987) was an English actor. He had a successful stage and film career before World War II. For much of his later career Knight was half-blind. He had been badly wounded in 1941 while on active ...

as Professor Newman *

Arthur Lovegrove Arthur Lovegrove (15 July 1913 – 7 November 1981) was a British actor and playwright. His comedy ''Goodnight Mrs Puffin'' starring Irene Handl, ran for 3 years in London's West End, from 1961. Filmography * '' Noose'' (1948) - Drummer ...

as Gilchrist *

Sam Kydd Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British-Irish actor. His best-known roles were in two major British television series of the 1960s, as the smuggler Orlando O'Connor in '' Crane'' and its sequel ''Orlando''. He als ...

as Chauffeur *

Esma Cannon Esma Ellen Charlotte Littmann (née Cannon) (27 December 1905 – 18 October 1972), credited as Esme or Esma Cannon, was a diminutive () Australian-born character actress and comedian, who moved to Britain in the early 1930s. Although she freque ...

as Patient in Doctor's Waiting Room * Michael Balfour as Sailor * Tom Gill as Hotel Receptionist *

Cyril Smith Sir Cyril Richard Smith (28 June 1928 – 3 September 2010) was a prominent British politician who after his death was revealed to have been a prolific serial sex offender against children. A member of the Liberal Party, he was Member of ...

as Boat Owner (uncredited) * Ben Williams as Taxi Driver (uncredited)

Critical reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' gave the film two out of five stars, calling it a "Silly spy drama...The complicated plot doesn't quite work, but audiences should enjoy it anyway"; while '' Allmovie'' wrote, "a little-known British melodrama with some potent talent involved, including actors Terence Morgan and Joan Rice and future '' Saint'' director Robert Baker"; and ''Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings'' concluded, "It's a British B-movie thriller with slight touches of noir to it, and it's moderately entertaining. It's worth a look for the curious, if you can find it."

References

External links

* 1953 films 1950s thriller films British thriller films Films directed by Robert S. Baker British black-and-white films Films set in London Films shot in London 1950s English-language films 1950s British films {{1950s-thriller-film-stub