S I T E   M E N U :
The latest Hammett news!
A short biography of
 Dashiell Hammett,
 followed by Frequently
 Asked Questions
“The Complete Works
 of Dashiell Hammett”
A chronology of
 Hammett’s fiction
The Continental Op:
 Hammett’s first hard-
 boiled detective (1923)
The short story collections
Blood Money (1927)

 Red Harvest (1929)

 The Dain Curse (1929)

 The Maltese Falcon (1930)

 The Glass Key (1931)

 The Thin Man (1934)

 The novels in one volume
Woman in the Dark:
 Hammett’s lost novel?
The Maltese Falcon on film

 Hammett’s army days
A photo tour of “Sam Spade’s
 apartment.” (2003)
Dashiell Hammett Place:
 another former Hammett
 residence (2004)

The Flood Building:
 Hammett’s Pinkerton
 Detective office (2004)
The Maltese Falcon’s
 75th anniversary (2005)
Interview with Hammett
 scholar Dr. George J.
 “Rhino” Thompson (2007)
The Dashiell Hammett Suite,
 Hotel Union Square (2008)
The Maltese Falcon prequel:
Spade & Archer (2009)
Interview with
 Hammett biographer
 William F. Nolan (2013)
Books about Hammett
E-mail the
 Dashiell Hammett website
Links to other websites
mikehumbert.com
 homepage
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 Bill Arney
 Vince Emery
 Don Herron
 Richard Layman
 Jo Marshall
 Eddie Muller
 Julie Rivett
 and so many others
for their many
contributions to this site.
Entire website ©2003-2014
 By Mike Humbert

THE GLASS KEY:

THE VIEW FROM THE OUTSIDE

Ned Beaumont is a gambler on a losing streak.  When his best friend, political boss Paul Madvig is accused of murder, Beaumont sets out to prove him innocent – which would be easier if Madvig wouldn't try so hard to seem guilty. And it’s not helping matters that Beaumont might be falling for the woman with whom Madvig is already in love.

The Glass Key originally appeared in the March, April, May and June 1930 issues of Black Mask, before  Alfred A. Knopf published it in hardback in 1931.  It was Hammett’s favorite of his five novels, and is also the most stylized.  The characters are defined only by their outward actions, and their inner motivations are often unclear.

First filmed in 1935 with George Raft, it was the 1942 version that made stars of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake.  While large chunks of the film were faithful to the novel, the overall tone was lightened considerably, including a thoroughly artificial "Happy Ending."

Although not based on The Glass Key (yeah, right!),  the 1990 Coen Brothers film Miller's Crossing resembled the novel in many ways, including its ultra-gritty view of  politics, greed and corruption.

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