''The Master Key'' is a 1945

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

movie serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

, directed by Lewis D. Collins and Ray Taylor. It starred Milburn Stone, Dennis Moore and Byron Foulger. This serial also featured the screen debut of future western film star

Lash LaRue Alfred "Lash" LaRue (June 15, 1917 – May 21, 1996) was a popular western motion picture star of the 1940s and 1950s. Biography Early life and education Born Alfred LaRue in Gretna, Louisiana in 1917, he was reared in various towns th ...

Plot

Nazi spies, led by the mysterious "Master Key", kidnap Professor Henderson in order to acquire his "Orotron machine" which is capable of extracting gold from sea water. FBI agent Tom Brant, aided by reporter Janet Lowe and Detective Lt. Jack Ryan, attempt to rescue him and crack the Nazi spy ring.

Cast

Milburn Stone Hugh Milburn Stone (July 5, 1904 – June 12, 1980) was an American actor, best known for his role as "Doc" (Dr. Galen Adams) on the CBS Western series ''Gunsmoke''. Early life Stone was born in Burrton, Kansas, to Herbert Stone and the form ...

as FBI Agent Tom Brant *

Jan Wiley Jan Wiley (February 21, 1916 – May 26, 1993) was an American film actress. Early years Wiley was born Jan Harriet Wiley in Marion, Indiana and early in her career was billed as Harriet Brandon. Film Beginning in 1937 with '' New Faces of ...

as Janet Lowe, a reporter * Dennis Moore as Detective Lt. Jack Ryan *

Addison Richards Addison Whittaker Richards, Jr. (October 20, 1902 – March 22, 1964) was an American actor of film and television. Richards appeared in more than three hundred films between 1933 and his death. Biography A native of Zanesville, Ohio, Richa ...

as Gerhard Doenitz, alias Garret Donahue, private investigator and

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...

agent *

Byron Foulger Byron Kay Foulger (August 27, 1898 – April 4, 1970) was an American character actor who over a 50-year career performed in hundreds of stage, film, and television productions. Early years Born in Ogden, Utah, Byron was the second of fo ...

as Professor Elwood Henderson *

Maris Wrixon Mary Alice "Maris" Wrixon (December 28, 1916 – October 6, 1999) was an American film and television actress. She appeared in over 50 films between 1939 and 1951. Early years Wrixon was born in Billings, Montana, and raised in Great Falls, ...

as Dorothy Newton/The Master Key *

Sarah Padden Sarah Ann Padden (16 October 1881 – 4 December 1967) was an English-born American theatre and film character actress. She performed on stage in the early 20th century. Her best-known single-act performance was in ''The Clod'', a stage pr ...

as Aggie * George Lynn as Herman, the "Spearpoint Heavy" (chief henchman) *

Russell Hicks Edward Russell Hicks (June 4, 1895 – June 1, 1957) was an American film character actor. Hicks was born in 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. During World War I, he served in the U.S. Army in France. He later became a lieutenant Colonel in the Cali ...

as Police Chief Michael J. O'Brien *

Roland Varno Roland Varno (March 15, 1908 – May 24, 1996) was an American character actor from Utrecht, Netherlands. Varno's father was a tea planter, Martin Fredrick Vuerhard, and his mother was a concert pianist. Although they hoped for him to ha ...

as Arnold "Hoff" Hoffman, alias M-3 *

as Migsy, a street urchin. This was La Rue's screen debut. *

Jerry Shane Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...

as Dan, boys' club member *

Neyle Morrow Francis Neyle Marx Jr. (October 28, 1914 – September 30, 2006) was an American film and television actor. Morrow was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He began his screen career in 1940, appearing in the film '' Drums of the Desert''. In the sa ...

as Spike, boys' club member *

John Eldredge John Eldredge (born June 6, 1960 in Los Angeles) is an American author, counselor, and lecturer on Christianity. He is known for his best-selling book '' Wild at Heart''. Life and work Eldregde received his undergraduate degree in theater from ...

as Walter Stark, alias M-6

Production

Stunts

Carl Mathews Carl Mathews (February 19, 1903 – May 3, 1959), also sometimes credited as Carl Matthews, was an American character actor and stuntman of the 1930s through 1950s. Born on February 19, 1903 in Oklahoma, his first film role would be in '' Rough ...

* David Sharpe * Tom Steele *

Ken Terrell Kenneth Jones Terrell (April 29, 1904 – March 8, 1966) was an American western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Austr ...

Dale Van Sickel Dale Harris Van Sickel (November 29, 1907 – January 25, 1977) was an American college football, basketball and baseball player during the 1920s, who later became a Hollywood motion picture actor and stunt performer for over forty years. Va ...

Chapter titles

# Trapped by Flames # Death Turns the Wheel # Ticket to Disaster # Drawbridge Danger # Runaway Car # Shot Down # Death on the Dial # Bullet Serenade # On Stage for Murder # Fatal Masquerade # Crash Curve # Lightning Underground # The Last Key _Source:

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Master Key, The 1945 films American spy films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Universal Pictures film serials Films directed by Ray Taylor Films directed by Lewis D. Collins American crime films 1945 crime films Films with screenplays by George H. Plympton 1940s American films