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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

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Oct. 31, 2020, Ghost Breakers
This week’s mystery movie was the 1940 Paramount picture “The Ghost Breakers,” with Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, Richard Carlson, Paul Lukas, Anthony Quinn (in two roles!) and Willie Best.

Screenplay by Walter DeLeon, based on a play by Paul Dickey and Charles W. Goddard.

Photography by Charles Lang, art direction by Hans Dreier and Robert Usher, edited by Ellsworth Hoagland, costumes by Edith Head.

Music by Ernst Toch, musical adviser Andrea Setaro, recording by Harold Lewis and Richard Olson, process photography by Farciot Edouart, interior decoration by A.E. Freudeman.

Produced by Arthur Hornblow Jr. Directed by George Marshall.

“The Ghost Breakers” is available on DVD from TCM. The recently released Blu-ray is available from Amazon. Howard Mandelbaum says that the Blu-ray is quite good. In some versions of the DVD, the audio is out of sync with the video for about the last 20 minutes of the film.

I rarely select seasonal pictures, but I decided to do “The Ghost Breakers,” figuring I needed a more accessible, recognizable film after last week’s “Native Son.” I’m not a huge fan of Bob Hope, though I do like Paulette Goddard, and in discussing the movie with Howard, I said it was a second-rate “spooky house movie,” while Howard disagreed with me completely. (Howard says he’s also a fan of the 1939 “Cat and the Canary,” which I did back in the “before times”  of 2018).

Earlier this year, in scouting potential mystery movies (yes, I do that), I noted “The Ghost Breakers” because Bosley Crowther of the New York Times, who seems to have never like anything, raved about the film.

Crowther, writing in the New York Times (July 4, 1940) said:

It looks as though Paramount has really discovered something: It has found the fabled formula for making an audience shriek with laughter and fright at one and (as the barkers say) the simultaneous time. And apparently the necessary contents for such a valuable witch’s broth are nothing more esoteric than a thoroughly haunted house, a web of tangled intrigue with some sort of treasure at the end, and Paulette Goddard and Bob Hope to grope their terrified way through and to the same. It worked out very nicely in “The Cat and the Canary” last year, and it is working quite as nicely — and even more amusingly in fact – in “The Ghost Breakers,” which came yesterday to the Paramount.

Oct. 26, 2020, Mystery Photo

For Monday, we have a mystery guest who does not approve of such goings-on.

Update: This is Noble Johnson.

Oct. 27, 2020, Mystery Photo

For Tuesday, we have this mystery gentleman.

Update: This is Pedro de Cordoba.

Oct. 27, 2020, Mystery Photo

And we also have this mystery gent.

Update: This is Paul Fix, whom you may remember as Micah in “The Rifleman.”

Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery zombie), Megan and Thom (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery zombie), Michael Ryerson (Monday’s mystery zombie), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery zombie), Sheila (Monday’s mystery zombie), James (mystery movie) and Bob Hansen (Monday’s mystery zombie).

Oct. 28, 2020, Mystery Photo

For “Hm Wednesday,” we have a mysterious ambulance attendant.

Update: I was going for Robert Ryan, who made his debut in “The Ghost Breakers,” but got Douglas Kennedy. Ryan is holding the other end of the stretcher and not readily visible. Also Grace Hayle as the screaming lady, Robert Elliott as the police lieutenant, Willie Best in the background, and just a bit of Paul Lukas.

Oct. 28, 2020, Mystery Photo

We also have this somewhat inebriated fellow. And Back of the Head Guy.

Update: This is famous screen drunk Jack Norton (A. Pismo Clam in “The Bank Dick”) and Willie Best as Back of the Head Guy.

Brain Trust roll call: Tucson Barbara (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Jenny M. (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Tuesday’s mystery guests), Michael Ryerson (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Megan and Thom (Tuesday’s mystery guests), Mike Hawks (Tuesday’s mystery guests), Sylvia E. (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Mary Mallory (mystery movie and all mystery guests) and Sheila (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery guests).

Oct. 29, 2020, Mystery Photo

For “Aha Thursday,” we have this mystery chap. He has a gun, indicating his disapproval of such goings-on.

Update: This is Richard Carlson.

Oct. 29, 2020, Mystery Phot
We also have this somewhat mysterious gent with very large lapels.

Update: This is Anthony Quinn.

Oct. 29, 2020, Mystery Photo

And finally, we have this mystery gentleman.

Update: This is Willie Best.

Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Wednesday’s debonair possible bad guy and Back of the Head Guy), Tucson Barbara (Wednesday’s mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery ambulance attendant and mystery drunk), Michael Ryerson (Wednesday’s mystery ambulance attendant, mystery debonair possible bad guy, mystery drunk and Back of the Head Guy), Megan and Thom (Wednesday’s mysterious screaming woman, mystery lieutenant, mystery drunk and Back of the Head Guy),  Chrisbo (right actor, wrong role), Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mystery ambulance attendant, mystery lieutenant, mystery drunk and Back of the Head Guy), Roget-L.A. (Wednesday’s mystery drunk), Anne Papineau (Back of the Head Guy) and Sylvia E. (Wednesday’s mystery ambulance attendant, mystery debonair possible villain, mystery drunk and Back of the Head Guy).

Oct. 30, 2020, Mystery Photo

For Friday, we have our mystery leading lady and mysterious leading man.

Update: This is Paulette Goddard and Bob Hope.

Brain Trust roll call: Tucson Barbara (Thursday’s mystery guests), Mary Mallory (Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery guests), Chrisbo (Thursday’s mysterious lapel gent), Michael Ryerson (Thursday’s mystery guests), Megan and Thom (Thursday’s mystery guests), B.J. Merholz (mystery movie), David Inman (Wednesday’s mystery lieutenant and mysterious, affable drunk, Thursday’s mystery lapel gent and mystery gent No. 3), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery guests), Sylvia E. (Thursday’s mystery guests), Gary (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery zombie, Thursday’s mystery lapel gent and mystery guest No. 3), Anne Papineau (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery lapel gent), Blackwing Jenny (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery lapel gent and mystery guest No. 3), Roget-L.A. (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery guests), Beachgal (mystery movie and all mystery guests — congratulations on consulting your copy of the film!) and “Noir” Allie Francis (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery zombie, Thursday’s mystery lapel gent and mystery gent No. 3).


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