You remember that feeling of watching an old black-and-white flick and realizing the chemistry is better than half the blockbusters coming out today? That’s the 1950 classic Key to the City. It’s a movie that lives or dies on its leads. If you don't have the right people playing two mayors from opposite sides of the tracks—literally and figuratively—the whole thing falls apart like a cheap suit.
Honestly, the cast of Key to the City is a masterclass in mid-century star power. It’s not just about Clark Gable, though he’s obviously the sun that everything else orbits around. It's about the weird, wonderful friction between him and Loretta Young. They shouldn't work. One is a rough-and-tumble ex-longshoreman turned mayor of a gritty California town; the other is a Harvard-educated, prim-and-proper mayor from Maine. It sounds like the setup for a bad sitcom, but these actors turned it into a surprisingly sharp exploration of post-war American identity.
Clark Gable as Steve Canfield
He was "The King" for a reason. By 1950, Gable wasn't the young buck from It Happened One Night anymore. He had a bit of gravel in his voice and a few more lines around his eyes, which is exactly what the character of Steve Canfield needed. Canfield is the mayor of Puget City. He’s a guy who leads with his fists as much as his brain.
Gable brings this effortless masculinity that feels earned. He’s not playing a caricature. You actually believe he could run a city and win a bar fight in the same afternoon. In the film, he’s attending a mayors' convention in San Francisco, which is basically a playground for his character to clash with the "high-brow" elites. Gable’s performance works because he never mocks the blue-collar roots of the character; he inhabits them.
Loretta Young as Clarissa Standish
Loretta Young had this incredible ability to look like she was made of porcelain while possessing a spine of absolute steel. As Clarissa Standish, the mayor of Wenonah, Maine, she is the perfect foil for Gable. While he’s all impulse and "common sense," she’s all logic, tradition, and New England refinement.
It’s easy to play the "strait-laced woman" as a bore, but Young gives Clarissa a hidden fire. The moments where she has to let her hair down—sometimes literally—are the highlights of the film. There’s a specific scene involving a costume party where she’s dressed as an Atom Girl, and the contrast between her dignity and the absurdity of the situation is comedic gold. Young and Gable had worked together years prior in Call of the Wild (1935), and that established comfort level is visible here. They trust each other on screen. They know how to push buttons.
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The Supporting Players That Kept Things Moving
A movie about a mayors' convention needs a lot of "types" to fill the background, and the cast of Key to the City is stacked with character actors who knew exactly how to chew the scenery without overdoing it.
Frank Morgan plays Fire Chief Duggan. You know him. He’s the Wizard from The Wizard of Oz. This was actually one of his final roles, as he passed away shortly before the film was released. He brings that same flustered, slightly chaotic energy that made him a legend. Then you’ve got Marilyn Maxwell as "Sheila," the dancer who provides the necessary romantic complication. Maxwell was often pigeonholed as the "blonde bombshell," but she has a sharp wit here that makes her more than just a plot device.
Raymond Burr is also in this. Yeah, that Raymond Burr—Perry Mason himself. Before he was the world's most famous TV lawyer, he played a lot of heavies and shifty characters. Here, he plays Les Taggart, a crooked figure from Canfield's past. He’s looming and genuinely intimidating, providing a stakes-heavy subplot that prevents the movie from becoming too much of a fluff piece.
Other notable faces include:
- James Gleason as Sergeant Lonergan, the quintessential "old-school cop."
- Lewis Stone as Judge Silas Standish, bringing that "Andy Hardy’s dad" gravitas to Clarissa’s lineage.
- Raymond Walburn as Mayor Billy Birch, representing the more... let's say "festive" side of the convention-goers.
Why the Casting Worked for 1950 Audiences
We have to talk about the context. In 1950, the U.S. was grappling with what it meant to be a modern, unified country. You had the rugged West and the intellectual East. By putting Gable and Young in these roles, MGM was basically dramatizing the "marriage" of these two American ideals.
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The chemistry wasn't just romantic; it was symbolic. People wanted to see the tough guy learn a bit of culture and the refined lady get some dirt under her fingernails. It’s a classic trope because it works. If you cast anyone else, the "Key to the City" metaphor becomes too heavy-handed. With these actors, it stays light. It stays human.
Behind the Scenes Dynamics
Interestingly, the production wasn't all sunshine. George Sidney, the director, was known for being efficient, but working with two stars of this caliber required a delicate touch. Gable was notoriously punctual and expected everyone else to be the same. Young was deeply religious and had a "swear box" on set—if you used a profanity, you owed a fine.
You can almost see that tension in the film. Canfield’s rough edges meeting Standish’s moral high ground isn't just acting; it's a reflection of the two very different worlds these actors occupied in real life. Gable was the outdoorsman who loved hunting and fast cars. Young was the glamorous Hollywood royalty who took her image very seriously.
The San Francisco Connection
The setting of San Francisco acts like an uncredited member of the cast of Key to the City. The movie uses the city’s hilly landscape and iconic landmarks to mirror the ups and downs of the relationship. It’s not just a backdrop. The city represents the "neutral ground" where a man from Puget City and a woman from Maine can actually find a middle path.
The cinematography by Harold Rosson—who also worked on The Wizard of Oz and Singin' in the Rain—gives the film a crispness that makes the urban environment feel alive. It doesn't feel like a soundstage, even when it is.
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Evaluating the Film’s Legacy
Is it the greatest movie ever made? No. But the cast of Key to the City makes it one of the most watchable films of its era. It’s a reminder that before CGI and massive franchises, movies were sold on faces and personalities.
The central conflict—can two people with diametrically opposed worldviews actually lead together?—is oddly relevant today. We’re still shouting at each other across the same cultural divides. Steve and Clarissa figure it out by realizing that neither of them has all the answers. He needs her ethics; she needs his grit.
How to Appreciate the Film Today
If you’re looking to dive into this classic, don’t just watch it for the plot. The plot is predictable. Watch it for the craft.
- Observe the non-verbal cues: Look at how Loretta Young reacts to Gable’s physical presence. She uses her eyes to convey a mix of horror and attraction that is incredibly subtle.
- Listen to the dialogue pacing: The banter is fast. It’s "screwball-lite." Notice how they never step on each other's lines, a hallmark of actors trained in the studio system.
- Spot the character actors: See if you can recognize the faces in the convention scenes. Many of these men and women appeared in hundreds of films but rarely got the spotlight. They are the backbone of the Golden Age.
To get the most out of your viewing, try to find the remastered version. The original prints can be a bit grainy, and Rosson’s lighting design deserves to be seen in high definition. Check your local library’s digital resources or classic film streaming services like Criterion or TCM, as they often cycle through Gable’s MGM catalog.
The next step for any classic film buff is to compare this to Gable’s earlier work. Watch Key to the City back-to-back with It Happened One Night. You’ll see the evolution of a screen icon—from the cocky youth to the seasoned veteran who knows that sometimes, the best way to open a door isn't to kick it down, but to find the right key.