The picture was directed by Stuart Heisler starring Brian Donlevy, Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd (who plays the actual lead despite being billed third).

[2] The 1942 version's supporting cast features William Bendix, Bonita Granville, Richard Denning and Joseph Calleia.

Cast notes: Dashiell Hammett's The Glass Key had been filmed by Paramount in 1935 as a vehicle for George Raft.

Hammett's reputation had become extremely strong again in Hollywood following the success of the 1941 smash hit version of his novel The Maltese Falcon starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor, and Paramount decided on a new version of The Glass Key; De Sylva said the studio wanted a "sure-fire narrative to help him [Ladd] on his way".

Two months later Paramount said that Ladd would make Red Harvest, from another Hammett novel, instead of The Glass Key, with Jonathan Latimer to write the script and Fred Kohlmar to produce.

[9] Old time movie stars Maurice Costello, Jack Mulhall and Pat O'Malley played minor roles.

[10] Unbilled Dane Clark (as "Sloss"), Laraine Day (as a nurse), Lillian Randolph and Vernon Dent also briefly appear in the film.

On the film’s release, Variety magazine gave the film a favorable review: "Parading a murder mystery amidst background of politics, gambling czars, romance and lusty action, this revised version of Dashiell Hammett's novel—originally made in 1935—is a good picture of its type...Mixed well, the result is an entertaining whodunit with sufficient political and racketeer angles to make it good entertainment for general audiences.

"[11] In a retrospective review, critic Dennis Schwartz wrote, "The film is mostly done for entertainment purposes, as it lightly skips over the corrupt political process as merely background for the unlikely love story developing between the engaging Lake and the deadpan Ladd.

This 1942 remake improves on the original, especially in replacing the stolid Raft with the charismatic Alan Ladd...Far less complex than the Dashiel Hammett original (and far less damning of the American political system), The Glass Key further increased the box-office pull of Paramount's new team of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake.

Lake is clearly inexperienced but is so beautiful and enigmatic you overlook her flaws, and she once again teams marvelously with Ladd – two blonde shorties, full of mutual smirking/contempt/admiration.