Character Relationship Map: Turn the Key Softly

Characters

• Monica Marsden (played by Yvonne Mitchell) — protagonist

  A well-bred young woman who was imprisoned after taking the blame for a crime masterminded by her lover, David. On release, she finds an office job and initially considers a fresh start with him, but...

• David (played by Terence Morgan) — supporting

  Monica's smooth-talking lover, whose crime led to her imprisonment while he remained free. He reappears after her release, claims he is now working as a car salesman, and persuades her to consider a f...

• Stella Jarvis (played by Joan Collins) — supporting

  A beautiful West End prostitute released from prison and engaged to Bob, an honest bus conductor who has waited for her. She resolves to change and become a good wife, but spends the money Bob gives h...

• Granny Quilliam (played by Kathleen Harrison) — supporting

  A kindly elderly widow who has been jailed repeatedly for shoplifting and returns to her poor room in Shepherd's Bush after release. Her closest companion is Johnny, her little dog, and she visits her...

• George Jenkins (played by Russell Waters) — supporting

  A businessman who picks Stella up on the street and goes drinking with her. He becomes drunk and falls asleep against a building while Stella worries about being late to meet Bob. Before nodding off,...

• Bob (played by Glyn Houston) — supporting

  Stella's honest fiancé and a bus conductor who has patiently waited for her release from prison. He plans to marry her the following week and gives her money to rent a room and buy food, asking her to...

• Granny's Daughter (uncredited) (played by Hilda Fenemore) — minor

  Granny Quilliam's daughter, who lives in a comfortable suburban home with her husband and daughter. When Granny visits after leaving prison, she is embarrassed by her mother's poverty and criminal rec...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Granny's Daughter (uncredited) → Granny Quilliam (daughter)
• Stella Jarvis → Bob (Romantic Fiancés) — Bob offers Stella a chance to build an honest life with him, and their reunion ends on a hopeful note.

  Bob has waited for Stella's release and tells her they can marry the following week. After Stella admits she did not go to Canonbury, he accepts her r...

• Monica Marsden → David (Romantic Lover Turned Criminal Accomplice) — David's betrayal first sends Monica to prison; after release, she briefly considers a fresh start with him before rejecting his robbery plan.

  The plot identifies David as Monica's lover and says she took the fall for a crime he masterminded. He later pressures her to help with a safe robbery...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Monica Marsden → George Jenkins (Unknown No Direct Relationship Established) — The plot provides no direct relationship or interaction between them.

  The plot describes George's evening with Stella and Monica's separate evening with David, without stating that Monica and George meet or interact.

• Granny Quilliam → George Jenkins (Social Dinner Companions) — No direct personal interaction is established between them; their only connection in the plot is the sequence of events around the dinner and Stella's later encounter.

  The plot says the three women dine at the Monte Christi and later identifies George Jenkins as the businessman Stella meets after the dinner. It does...

• Monica Marsden → Stella Jarvis (Social Dinner Companions) — Monica initiates their meeting, giving the three women a chance to compare their first experiences after prison.

  Monica proposes that the women meet for dinner, and the plot confirms that Monica and Stella dine together at the Monte Christi.

• Granny Quilliam → Stella Jarvis (Social Dinner Companions) — They share a dinner arranged by Monica on their first day of freedom.

  Monica proposes a dinner for the three women, and the plot confirms that Granny Quilliam and Stella dine with Monica at the Monte Christi.

• Granny Quilliam → Monica Marsden (Social Dinner Companions) — Monica brings the three newly released women together for a shared dinner.

  Monica proposes that the three women meet for dinner to discuss their first day of freedom. The plot later says the three women dine together at the M...

• Stella Jarvis → George Jenkins (Social Client) — Their brief evening together complicates Stella's attempt to keep her promise to meet Bob, but she leaves George and returns to Bob.

  George picks Stella up on the street and they go drinking together. He gives her three pounds for a decent pair of earrings, and she returns his walle...

Story Analysis

Three women leave prison and face different tests of loyalty, survival, and the possibility of beginning again.

Plot Progression

1. Freedom and Uneasy Returns — Monica, Stella, and Granny leave prison and begin confronting the challenges of ordinary life. Monica finds work, while David's return revives the danger of their past.
2. Promises Under Pressure — Stella receives money and a marriage promise from Bob but spends the money on earrings. Granny is rejected by her daughter, deepening the contrast between the women's hopes and their circumstances.
3. One Dinner, Diverging Paths — The three women meet at the Monte Christi. Afterwards, Stella's evening with George threatens to make her late for Bob, while Granny's search for Johnny turns tragic.
4. Monica Rejects the Crime — David reveals his safe-robbery plan and forces Monica to wait on the theatre roof. She finds a way back inside, leaving him to be discovered and apprehended.
5. A Quiet New Beginning — Monica learns that Granny has died and sees Johnny nearby. She takes him home, ending the story with a small act of care after a day of loss and moral choices.