JohnHowardReid Copyright 1960 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. New York opening at neighborhood theaters as a support to "Where the Hot Wind Blows": 11 November 1960. U.S. release: October 1960. Banned in the U.K. Australian release: 28 March 1962. Sydney opening as a support at the Liberty. Cut to 65 minutes in Australia. Original running time: 81 minutes.SYNOPSIS: While making a phone call to his office, Los Angeles businessman Fred Morrow is witness to a brutal street killing in which a "drug-store romeo" is knifed to death for dancing with the girl of a hoodlum called Cowboy. After calling the police, Morrow is astounded to discover that none of the other witnesses to the murder are willing to testify. Though warned by police detective Rafael Torno that there may be dire consequences, Morrow agrees to be a key witness. Almost immediately, Morrow, his wife Ann and their two children are menaced by threatening phone calls, near auto accidents and ominous letters. Despite this, and prompted by a sense of civic duty, Morrow is adamant in his determination to see that Cowboy is brought to trial. But when the hoodlum is arrested, his gang swings into action.NOTES: Film debut of singer, Johnny Nash.COMMENT: Low-budget crime thriller, long on crime but short on thrills. It is quite obvious that young, idealistic Mr. Hunter is going to identify the killer in the court-room, so the film manages to build up very little suspense. Also, it is equally obvious that no-one is going to malign the Los Angeles Police Department in this film, so we never have any doubt that the police are going to provide Mr. Hunter and his family with solid protection.Mr. Hunter, beautifully dressed and immaculately groomed, driving the latest model sedan and living in a lavishly appointed home in a tree-lined street, is hardly likely to elicit audience sympathy. Still, good to view Dennis Hopper, even if he is completely unrecognizable as the clean-shaven, short-haired killer, in the days before he became famous as director and star of Easy Rider.Pat Crowley is colorless as Hunter's wife, while Susan Harrison goes to the other extreme with her exaggerated vamping as the killer's girl-friend. Miss Harrison is very unflatteringly photographed too. Phil Karlson's direction is uninteresting and routine, despite a bit of location shooting. The film is at best a distinctively minor exercise, shot on a very tight "B"-picture budget. However, it's always great to see Frank Silvera — this time he's a somewhat unconventional detective, a sort of philosophical realist, hardened by years of experience.

reprtr KEY WITNESS, based on Frank Kane's novel of the same name, is sort of the successor to MGM's 1955 BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, but with more acting flourishes (mostly by the supporting cast) and realistic settings. By 1960, delinquency and gang violence were recognized as an unpleasant reality outside of "old" urban centers such as New York -- but also not always (or often) involving such well-scrubbed suburbanites as those depicted in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. Though its script stumbles in some notable places (a few involving basic logic -- except that this was a new world for many of the people who would have been watching in 1960), KEY WITNESS is a good depiction of the law abiding running up against the sociopathic lawless, with horrendous consequences for all concerned. The movie also plays, in somewhat naive fashion, on a racial angle in its plot and characterizations -- this is an odd touch, considering that the entire gang in Kane's book, if memory serves, was African-American. (Additionally, the book is more violent and also a lot more raunchy in terms of the Ruby character, who alludes to the idea of explaining her assault on the witness's wife because of a (rejected) lesbian overture in a courthouse ladies' room). The movie ends a little too squeaky clean and optimistically, not that differently from THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, but is more harrowing along the way. Along with releases such as THE SUBTERRANEANS, which was done around the same time, it was all a really interesting venture by MGM into territory far from its roots in high art and Americana, and an admission that the 1940s were long-gone. And anyone who likes the movie should check out the novel.

aimless-46 "Key Witness" was Sam Katzman's inspiration for "Hot Rods to Hell" (1967). In both, wholesome (All-American) families are terrorized by over-age wimpy teenage hoods. Katzman replaced Jeffrey Hunter with a bottom feeding Dana Andrews, Patricia Crowley with Jeanne Crain, and Dennis Hopper with Paul Bertoya. He substituted a Corvette for the XK Jag and moved the action out of the family living room and onto the road. And for some reason "Hot Rods to Hell" became a revered cult classic (with its own website) while "Key Witness" was assigned to daytime TCM obscurity. This despite a bigger budget and superior performances from pretty much the entire cast. Susan Harrison (as the delinquent teen girlfriend who starts all the trouble and keeps it going until the end) is especially good. Ironically, it is the much better acting for the camera directing in "Key Witness" that keeps it from cult status. With these lame scripts competent performances tend to spoil the fun.The two films have equally preachy themes although "Key Witness" works harder to pound you over the head about the duties of a good citizen. That is what businessman Fred Morrow (Hunter) is; as the title character. Fred stops at a hangout in East Los Angeles (circa late 1950's) to use the phone. Along with a small crowd he witnesses a gang murder. The crowd is composed of ordinary but bad citizens who refuse to cooperate with the police. But Fred considers it his duty and when Hopper's gang learns his identity they begin a campaign to discourage him from giving further testimony. To the tune of "Ruby Duby Du", the gang torments the family members until a final big showdown scene. Hopper's gang is a pretty strange outfit. Hopper looks as wimpy as he did in "Giant" (where he actually played a wimp). The gang is multi-racial and they kill a Hispanic kid who looks about 30 and about as Hispanic as David Soul. The teen gang inexplicably has a garage full of cars and Hopper drives a large V-Twin motorcycle (probably a Harley) in the opening scene.If you suspend disbelief and allow yourself to get into it, "Key Witness" will get your reactionary juices flowing and prove relatively entertaining. Not campy enough to be a classic it can still provide some good laughs, if that's your idea of a good time.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Tiger_Mark I really enjoyed this film. However, I enjoy all films of this particular genre. Black and whites film from the late 1950's/early 1960's. Plenty of hip looking individuals with snappy lingo. The detectives wear hats and the punks are bad news. It reminds me of "Blackboard Jungle" or some Stanley Kramer film.The story is about doing the right thing, even when the wrong thing is much easier to do. Moreover, you get to see a young Dennis Hopper do his early version of Frank Booth from "Blue Velvet." Good stuff in a retro kind of way.