A woman (Kay Francis) with two husbands (Monroe Owsley, Henry Kolker) tries to divorce one of them by heading down to Havana where things get more complicated.A woman (Kay Francis) with two husbands (Monroe Owsley, Henry Kolker) tries to divorce one of them by heading down to Havana where things get more complicated.A woman (Kay Francis) with two husbands (Monroe Owsley, Henry Kolker) tries to divorce one of them by heading down to Havana where things get more complicated.
Irving Bacon
- Grover - Brooks' Chauffeur
- (uncredited)
Maurice Black
- Cuban Jewelry Salesman
- (uncredited)
George Chandler
- Joe - Desk Clerk
- (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin
- Mr. Smith - Man Exiting Room 410
- (uncredited)
Gino Corrado
- Gino - Hotel Metropole Waiter #2
- (uncredited)
Bill Elliott
- Partygoer
- (uncredited)
George Humbert
- Hotel Metropole Waiter #1
- (uncredited)
John Sheehan
- Ship Bartender
- (uncredited)
Leo White
- Porter in Cuba
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured review
THE KEYHOLE has a clear plot hook, strong characters (you love 'em or hate 'em), non-static cinematography and colorful details that keep you entertained from the first frame. A number of Kay Francis movies had a similar plot structure: wealthy, beautiful, fashionable, sophisticated woman with man problems, usually triangular, but in this case quadrangular. Michael Curtiz keeps this one moving at a fast clip. In this particular plot, Francis's nasty ex-husband (Monroe Owsley) is blackmailing her while her jealous, aging current husband (Walter Kolker) hires a dapper private eye (George Brent) to follow her to make sure she's not seeing another man and of course Brent and Francis fall in love. Allen Jenkins (as Brent's dopey sidekick) and Glenda Farrell (as a crooked golddigger) are on hand as comic counterpoint to the lead players. Francis is charming as usual, exhibiting her trademark "look" - the raven hair swept back to show off her natural widow's peak, the unique eyebrow penciling that curves around her melancholy eyes, and the statuesque grace; and of course her character goes through about 15 costume changes in the 69-minutes of running time (a different drop-dead outfit for every segment of the day). The public inevitably tired of her, which is why she is forgotten today; she was more interested in her salary than in the quality of her roles, as she freely admitted. But when she was in her prime, wow, what a prime. Moving with feline grace in backless satin gowns, she is phantasmal and ravishing, yet still earthy, accessible and even vulnerable. You can't look away. So what if she couldn't pronounce her r's?
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to a contemporary article in Film Daily William Powell was announced for the role that went to George Brent, and that Monroe Owsley replaced Antonio Moreno for the role of Maurice.
- GoofsIn the restaurant of the Hotel Metropole in Havana, the supposedly Cuban waiters (one of whom is referred to as "Pedro") speak to each other in Italian rather than Spanish. The actors playing these roles, George Humbert and Gino Corrado, were both born in Florence, Italy.
- Quotes
Ann Brooks: [to Maurice] And the next time you try to kill yourself, let me know; I'd love to help you.
- ConnectionsRemade as Romance on the High Seas (1948)
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $169,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 9 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content