The Clue of the Silver Key (1961)

The Clue of the Silver Key is one of the incredibly numerous series of Edgar Wallace adaptations cranked out by Britain’s Merton Park studio around 1960-61. This particular film came out in 1961.

Superintendent Meredith (Bernard Lee) has a murder to deal with. Within a short space of time he has multiple murders to deal with. They all seem to have some connection with a gallery opening by young artist Gerry Domford (Lyndon Brook) and with elderly super-rich money-lender Harvey Lane (Finlay Currie). Dornford wants to marry Lane’s niece Mary (Jennifer Daniel) but the old man won’t hear of it and threatens to cut her off without a penny if she does marry him.

There’s also a financier named Jordan Worth but nobody seems to know anything at all about him. There’s a waiter who may be more than a waiter and a bank manager who may be less than a bank manager. And there’s Harvey Lane’s butler Binny (Patrick Cagill) whose one great ambition in life was to be a detective.

Superintendent Meredith and Detective-Sergeant Anson (Stanley Morgan) know there’s a connection but they cannot for the life of them see what it is. 

The clue of the silver key itself is a neat touch and it really is an important clue.

Philip Mackie wrote the screenplay. Mackie went on to be a very fine television writer with a real flair for crime so it’s not surprising that the script is well-constructed with some decent twists. Mackie later created the wonderful Mr Rose, one of the best British television crime shows of the 60s and wrote several episodes of the equally splendid The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes series as well as all twelve episodes of the Raffles TV series.

Director Gerald Glaister had more success as a producer than as a director but he keeps things moving at a pleasingly rapid pace (always a crucial ingredient in the success of a low-budget movie).

British B-movies of this were usually well-acted and this one is no exception (despite the rock-bottom budgets of Merton Park productions). Bernard Lee played countless policemen and he played them all in much the same style, which happened to be a very effective and very enjoyable style. Superintendent Meredith is no genius but he’s dogged and while he’s a bit crusty he’s fundamentally decent.

Finlay Currie is the standout actor here, having great fun as the cantankerous, suspicious and miserly Harvey Lane. Patrick Cargill as Binny provides some comic relief, and thankfully the comic relief is never overdone or allowed to overwhelm the mystery elements of the story. Jennifer Daniel is personable enough as Mary Lane.

This story doesn’t have the slightly outlandish touches that many of the most entertaining Edgar Wallace tales have. It’s a relatively straightforward mystery. 

With a running time of just 59 minutes there’s not much danger of boredom.

This is one of the seven films that make up Network’s Region 2 Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Volume 2 DVD set. The anamorphic transfer is extremely good.

The Clue of the Silver Key is an unassuming but well-made B-movie that provides perfectly harmless entertainment. Recommended for fans of British mystery thrillers of this era (a veritable golden age for such films).