SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Curt Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

utgard14 Boris Karloff plays an inventor of high-tech burglar alarm systems. Twenty years before he was ripped off by crooked Samuel S. Hinds, who took full credit for his invention and built a thriving security business out of it. Now Boris has invented a system to top his old one. He makes the boneheaded decision to trust Hinds again and is again ripped off. So he teams with small-time thief Petty Louie to break into places and make Hinds look bad, leaving behind notes signed Night Key. But then a gang of crooks kidnaps Karloff and forces him to help them commit real robberies.It's a mix of science fiction and crime picture. Karloff is excellent as always. I don't think I've ever seen a bad Boris Karloff picture. Petty Louie, played by Hobart Cavanaugh, is lots of fun. Samuel S. Hinds plays a villainous role very far removed from Peter Bailey. Alan Baxter and Ward Bond are the two most noteworthy gang members. Only drawback is the insipid romantic subplot between Karloff's daughter Jean Rogers and security guard Warren Hull, but it doesn't intrude on things too much. It's a fun movie Karloff fans will love.

Woodyanders Kindly and brilliant inventor David Mallory (a fine and sympathetic portrayal by Boris Karloff) invents a new security system. Mallory gets abducted by a gang of nefarious burglars who force the old guy to assist them with a series of robberies. Directed with real flair by Lloyd Corrigan, with a nonstop brisk pace, colorful characters, crisp black and white cinematography by George Robinson (the artful use of fades and dissolves is especially impressive), a nice sense of playful humor, snappy dialogue, a tight and engrossing script by Jack Moffitt, a lighthearted tone, a robust score, and a lively and exciting climax, this movie overall sizes up as a highly entertaining item. Moreover, it's a total treat to see Karloff portray a rare decent and amiable good guy part: With his failing eyesight and gentle manner, David Mallory makes for a very appealing protagonist. The fetching Jean Rogers adds charm and spark as Mallory's perky daughter Joan, Alan Baxter does well as ruthless gang leader John Baron, Hobart Cavanaugh almost steals the whole show with his amusing turn as wormy low-life small-time crook Petty Louie, and Ward Bond is suitably menacing as hulking strong-arm thug Fingers. A fun flick.

MartinHafer This is one of the oddest Boris Karloff films I have ever seen. I don't mean this in a bad way, but say this because the plot is so atypical of his films. Instead of a horror film, it's sort of like sci-fi and comedy combined! Now calling is 'sci-fi' might be problematic. The film looks like it was set in 1937 but the electronics shown in the film really weren't possible for the day--you just need to suspend disbelief and enjoy.The film begins with Karloff and his daughter excitedly talking about how much better their lives are about to become. It seems that Karloff is an electronics genius and has invented a super-advanced alarm system for businesses. Now he can afford the eye surgery he needs AND give his daughter everything she wants. However, Karloff is soon cheated out of his plans by an old business rival who did exactly the same thing years before--so you'd wonder why Karloff would agree to sell the same jerk this patent! Well, it's not totally unbelievable, as Karloff's lawyer secretly is working for the jerk!! When Karloff finds out the truth, he threatens to do bad things if they don't honor their agreement. The jerk laughs it off and so Karloff, who invented the original system to the company 20 years earlier, uses one of his inventions to break into the businesses with contracts with this monitoring service. But he doesn't steal anything, as he's basically a good man. Instead, he leaves silly messages that the system stinks and can easily be compromised--thus hurting the jerk's reputation. Karloff assumes that eventually the jerk will give in and honor his crooked contract.In the meantime, two things happen. First, the jerk refuses to budge at all--sending out his goons to harass and threaten Karloff's daughter. Second, real criminals find out about Karloff's device and kidnap him--trying to force him to work for evil. So what is Karloff to do--help the crooks or back off on his attack on the jerk? Well, there's a lot more to it than that and I won't ruin it by saying more.The bottom line is that the film has clever writing and despite a fantastic story, it was handled so well that you can't help but get sucked into the film. The great acting and breezy direction sure helped--making this one of the better B-films of the era.Exciting, clever and fun from start to finish.

jsl151 I remember seeing this film on one of the independant channels in NYC. I don't know if AMC ever ran it. It was nice to see Boris in a role where he isn't the monster or villan.In a memorable scene, after being screwed by his former partners, he and a petty crook go to the alarm companys' clients' stores at night, over-ride the alarm system with radio waves from his "night key" (hence the title?) and cause harmless mischeif, such as opening all the umbrellas in an umbrella store. Eventually REAL criminals learn of his device, and force him to assist them in a major heist. He gets away but is injured (I think). At the central monitoring center he sets ALL the indicators to "alarm", so when the night key is used that location shows as "safe". The cops go there and arrest them. He gets possession of his patent on a new system, which hopefully will screw his old partners to an extent greater than they screwed him.A nice little film.