Seven Keys to Baldpate (1916 film)
Encyclopedia
Seven Keys to Baldpate is a 1916 Australian silent film directed by Monte Luke
for J.C. Williamson Ld. It was the first film adaptation of the popular play
by George M. Cohan
which had toured Australia successfully in 1914 with Fred Niblo
. There were later versions of the story in 1917
, 1925, 1930, 1935 and 1947.
(1916), Luke returned to Australia and recommended that Williamson abandon film production, which he did.
Monte Luke
Monte Luke was an Australian photographer, actor and director. He worked as an actor on stage and directed several silent films. He then set up a photography studio and became one of the leading photographers in the country.-Select Filmography:...
for J.C. Williamson Ld. It was the first film adaptation of the popular play
Seven Keys to Baldpate (play)
Seven Keys to Baldpate is a 1913 play by George M. Cohan based on a novel by Earl Derr Biggers.-Synopsis:Novelist Billy McGee makes a bet that he can write a 10,000 word story within 24 hours. He retires to a summer mountain resort in the dead of winter and locks himself in, believing he has the...
by George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
which had toured Australia successfully in 1914 with Fred Niblo
Fred Niblo
Fred Niblo was an American pioneer film actor, director and producer.-Biography:He was born Frederick Liedtke in York, Nebraska, to a French mother and a father who had served as a captain in the American Civil War and was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg...
. There were later versions of the story in 1917
Seven Keys to Baldpate
Seven Keys to Baldpate is a 1917 silent film mystery produced by George M. Cohan and distributed by Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount. It is based on Cohan's play of the novel by Earl Derr Biggers. Cohan himself stars in this silent version along with Anna Q. Nilsson and Hedda Hopper,...
, 1925, 1930, 1935 and 1947.
Plot
A novelist makes a bet he can complete a book within 24 hours. He goes to write it at a mountain resort which he thinks is deserted but is disturbed by a series of visitors.Reception
After production finished, Williamson sent Monte Luke to Hollywood to study production. After witnessing filming on IntoleranceIntolerance (film)
Intolerance is a 1916 American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith and is considered one of the great masterpieces of the Silent Era. The three-and-a-half hour epic intercuts four parallel storylines each separated by several centuries: A contemporary melodrama of crime and redemption; a...
(1916), Luke returned to Australia and recommended that Williamson abandon film production, which he did.
External links
- Seven Keys to Baldpate at National Film and Sound ArchiveNational Film and Sound ArchiveThe National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...
- Original text of novel