This week’s mystery movie is the 1931 RKO picture “Men of Chance,” starring Ricardo Cortez, Mary Astor (Friday’s mystery guests) and John Halliday (Wednesday’s mystery guest). It was directed by George Archainbaud and written by Louis Weitzenkorn and adapted by Louis Stevens with additional dialogue by Eddie Welch.
The movie opened in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve 1931, against “Frankenstein,” “Ladies of the Big House,” “Hell Divers,” “The Woman From Monte Carlo,” “Delicious” and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” which was playing for a second week. This pre-code film has apparently never been released on VHS or DVD. I recorded it from TCM in 2012.
For Monday, we have this mystery chap. He is talking to our mystery leading lady, but you would recognize her instantly, so she won’t be revealed until later in the week.
Update: This is John Larkin.
And for Tuesday, we have a mystery woman.
Update: This is Kitty Kelly.
And for Wednesday, we have this dapper mystery chap.
Update: This is John Halliday.
For Thursday, we have this chap in a three-piece suit and boater.
Update: This is Ralph Ince, a director and actor who played Pete Montana in “Little Caesar.”
Please congratulate Benito (Wednesday’s mystery chap), David Inman (Wednesday’s mystery chap), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and guests), Mary Mallory (mystery movie and guests), Don Danard (Wednesday’s mystery guest) and Bob Hansen (Wednesday’s mystery guest).
For Friday, we have our (totally not) mystery leading man and woman. It’s the stuff that dreams are made of.
And this is Mary Astor, who appeared in the 1941 version of “The Maltese Falcon,” and Ricardo Cortez, who appeared in the 1931 version. Astor and Cortez also appeared together in “Hollywood,” “Behind Office Doors,” “White Shoulders,” “The Man With Two Faces,” “I Am a Thief” and “The Murder of Dr. Harrigan.”
Please congratulate Mike Hawks and Mary Mallory for identifying Thursday’s mystery guest).
Our leading man.
Our leading lady.
ladailymirror.com 
This isn’t Clarence Muse and BROADWAY BILL is it?
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We have done “Broadway Bill” and “Riding High,” so the answer is, alas no.
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Eddie “Rochester” Anderson?
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Alas, no.
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Well the obvious guess would be Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry better known as Stepin Fetchit.
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Alas, no.
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OK, perhaps Bill “Bogangles” Robinson in his overalls in “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm”?
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I’m afraid not.
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Clarence Muse?
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Sorry, no.
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Is it Eddie Anderson from CABIN IN THE SKY?
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Dooley Wilson?
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Alas, no.
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Well, I’ll take a wild guess. Is it Fred “Snowflake” Toones?
(Sorry ’bout the nickname, but that’s what he was stuck with at Republic Pictures.
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Interesting guess. But alas, no.
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Don’t know the actor’s name, but this looks like a horse racing movie. How about “The Return of October”?
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Alas, that isn’t the mystery movie. But an interesting guess.
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Nick Stewart
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Interesting guess. But alas, no.
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Is this Arthur Walker?
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An interesting guess. But alas, no.
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Is Wednesday’s gent John Halliday, best known as Kate Hepburn’s adulterous dad in THE PHILADELPHIA STORY?
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Wednesday is John Halliday.
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John Larkin, Kitty Kelly and John Halliday in MEN OF CHANCE 1931.
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This Mystery chap today looks like John Halliday.
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Another try for Monday: Louis Armstrong in “Going Places” (1938)
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Alas, no.
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I think Wednesday’s gentleman is John Halliday.
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Ralph Ince.
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Mary Astor and Ricardo Cortez today.
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Mary Astor and Ricardo Cortez make their long awaited appearance.
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John Larkin, Kitty Kelly, John Halliday, Ricardo Cortez and Mary Astor in Men Of Chance 1931
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Too many blurry pictures in this batch.
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Friday looks like Robert Taylor but not sure if that is Binnie Barnes maybe with him? She looks too tall to be Janet Gaynor – have to think on this one.
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The latest are Ricardo Cortez and Mary Astor.
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