Movie mystery photo

Posted on October 24, 2008 by lmharnisch

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Our mystery guest has 66 credits on imdb and is an Oscar winner.  Update:
This is Gregg Toland with his first wife, Helene Barclay. They later divorced and he married Virginia Thorpe in 1945.

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Los Angeles Times file photo 		Here’s another picture of our mystery fellow.
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Los Angeles Times file photo		 Update: Toland poses with Loyola High School junior Bob Mathewson during Boys Week activities at the Goldwyn studios, 1948.

Congratulations to Calum McFarlane, Sam O’Neal and Alexa Foreman for identifying him. I’ll wait until Friday just to give other folks a chance.

"The Best Years of Our Lives"

 And here’s some of his work. Many people have recognized him now. Congrats!

UCLA Special Collections has Toland’s annotated script from "Best Years," but it’s difficult to locate in the library’s incredibly clunky online catalog.

"Citizen Kane"

Yes, as everyone finally guessed, this is Gregg Toland, who died of a heart ailment at his home, 1257 Sunset Plaza Drive, in 1948 after returning from scouting locations in Sonora, Calif. He was 44.   

Note that in "Best Years" and "Citizen Kane," the music (Hugo Friedhofer/ Bernard Herrmann) and the photography tell the story, with minimal dialogue.

Unknown's avatar

About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times
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44 Responses to Movie mystery photo

  1. Gregory Moore's avatar Gregory Moore says:
    October 20, 2008 at 8:41 am

    Olivia de Havilland? I don’t know who the guy is, but he looks mighty familiar….

    Like

  2. Rinky Dink's avatar Rinky Dink says:
    October 20, 2008 at 8:44 am

    Which one is the mystery guest?

    Like

  4. Unknown's avatar zabadu says:
    October 20, 2008 at 9:46 am

    Joan Bennett?

    Like

  5. william's avatar william says:
    October 20, 2008 at 9:59 am

    ronald colman? Whatever….the style of these celebrities is so elegant! Those days are gone forever. Also Greer Garson?

    Like

  6. Calum McFarlane's avatar Calum McFarlane says:
    October 20, 2008 at 10:06 am

    gotta be the great Greg Tolland!

    Like

  7. Calum McFarlane's avatar Calum McFarlane says:
    October 20, 2008 at 10:25 am

    It’s glorious black and white so it must be the great Greg
    Tolland!

    Like

  8. Barry O'Brien's avatar Barry O'Brien says:
    October 20, 2008 at 11:07 am

    Tom Neal?

    Like

  9. Joe Gannon's avatar Joe Gannon says:
    October 20, 2008 at 11:15 am

    The woman is Mary Astor, a.k.a. Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke. Dunno about the guy.

    Like

  10. mg's avatar mg says:
    October 20, 2008 at 11:55 am

    Joseph Schildkraut could be the Oscar Winner
    Gail Patrick the woman in the picture

    Like

  11. Mary Mallory's avatar Mary Mallory says:
    October 20, 2008 at 2:45 pm

    Is it Joseph Schildkraut and Gale Sondergaard during the making of “The Life of Emile Zola”?

    Like

  12. D. Webb's avatar D. Webb says:
    October 20, 2008 at 6:32 pm

    Dalton Trumbo?

    Like

  13. David Warheit's avatar David Warheit says:
    October 20, 2008 at 9:25 pm

    Van Heflin, seen with Rosalind Russell. They were in The Feminine Touch (1941).

    Like

  14. herb nichols's avatar herb nichols says:
    October 21, 2008 at 9:15 am

    dalton trumbo

    Like

  15. Dewey Webb's avatar Dewey Webb says:
    October 21, 2008 at 3:22 pm

    Geo. James Hopkins

    Like

  16. MichaelRyerson's avatar MichaelRyerson says:
    October 22, 2008 at 4:31 am

    I think maybe Dalton Trumbo and his wife Cleo Fincher early, maybe 1937ish.

    Like

  17. Sam O'Neal's avatar Sam O'Neal says:
    October 22, 2008 at 7:47 am

    Gregg Toland?

    Like

  18. Arye Michael Bender's avatar Arye Michael Bender says:
    October 22, 2008 at 9:51 am

    While I don’t have the answer, the open Mitchell camera must be a clue. In the days when the film unions were particularly strong, only a D.P. or camera operator was allowed to touch the equipment. A D.P. was regal on the set, second only in importance to the director.
    Wish I knew which Director of Photography it is, if it is…

    Like

  19. zapgun's avatar zapgun says:
    October 22, 2008 at 12:33 pm

    The best thing that ever happened to Orson Welles: Gregg Toland.

    Like

  20. Nancy's avatar Nancy says:
    October 22, 2008 at 1:31 pm

    Michael Curtiz

    Like

  21. herb nichols's avatar herb nichols says:
    October 22, 2008 at 2:25 pm

    cinematographer gregg toland

    Like

  22. Joe Gannon's avatar Joe Gannon says:
    October 22, 2008 at 5:20 pm

    I can’t believe I didn’t realize it was Gregg Toland. Not until i saw the picture of him with the camera. He shot many famous movies, including Citizen Kane and Song of the South.

    Like

  23. Rinky Dink's avatar Rinky Dink says:
    October 22, 2008 at 7:54 pm

    Dana Andrews.

    Like

  24. Gary Hertzberg's avatar Gary Hertzberg says:
    October 22, 2008 at 8:33 pm

    Gregg Toland – Giveaway was the pic with the camera. Also I did a little reverse engineering with IMDB!!

    Like

  26. Nancy Benedict's avatar Nancy Benedict says:
    October 22, 2008 at 9:31 pm

    It’s Gregg Toland.
    Thanks!
    Nancy Benedict

    Like

  27. Mark Reyes's avatar Mark Reyes says:
    October 22, 2008 at 11:04 pm

    Roman Bohnen

    Like

  28. JL Strickland's avatar JL Strickland says:
    October 23, 2008 at 12:27 am

    William Wyler? I’ve never seen him with a moustache, but it looks like Wyler.

    Like

  29. JL Strickland's avatar JL Strickland says:
    October 23, 2008 at 12:40 am

    No — wait a minute —
    It’s Gregg Toland, the cinematographer.

    Like

  30. Amy Ludwig's avatar Amy Ludwig says:
    October 23, 2008 at 2:16 am

    Cinematographer Gregg Toland, who taught Orson Welles about camerawork over lunch.

    Like

  31. Charlie's avatar Charlie says:
    October 23, 2008 at 6:08 am

    Aha! Gregg Toland.

    Like

  32. MichaelRyerson's avatar MichaelRyerson says:
    October 23, 2008 at 6:20 am

    Well that makes it Gregg Toland and the lady Helen Barclay still maybe 1937ish?

    Like

  33. Regina Wilcots's avatar Regina Wilcots says:
    October 23, 2008 at 6:38 am

    Greg Toland is the man not sure of the woman

    Like

  34. Don Scrivner's avatar Don Scrivner says:
    October 23, 2008 at 7:48 am

    William Wyler?

    Like

  35. herb nichols's avatar herb nichols says:
    October 23, 2008 at 8:32 am

    cinematographer gregg toland

    Like

  36. Nancy Price's avatar Nancy Price says:
    October 23, 2008 at 12:04 pm

    Gregg Toland

    Like

  37. JL Strickland's avatar JL Strickland says:
    October 23, 2008 at 12:45 pm

    Gregg Toland

    Like

  38. LC's avatar LC says:
    October 23, 2008 at 1:23 pm

    That the great cinematographer Gregg Toland.

    Like

  39. Rinky Dink's avatar Rinky Dink says:
    October 23, 2008 at 3:55 pm

    Robert Walker?

    Like

  40. Rinky Dink's avatar Rinky Dink says:
    October 23, 2008 at 3:58 pm

    Is the woman Phyllis Thaxter?

    Like

  41. Unknown's avatar JL Strickland says:
    October 23, 2008 at 4:34 pm

    This is the wonderful cinematographer Gregg Toland

    Like

  43. Rinky Dink's avatar Rinky Dink says:
    October 24, 2008 at 8:36 am

    He looks so much older than 44 in that later photo.

    Like

  44. Arye Michael Bender's avatar Arye Michael Bender says:
    October 24, 2008 at 9:22 am

    Larry, Thank you for giving face to a master whose work I’ve admired all my life, Gregg Toland.
    Very much appreciated. His photo now goes into my idiosyncratic image collection.

    Like

Comments are closed.