The two weeks’ mystery movie has been the 1945 Warner Bros. film “Roughly Speaking,” with Rosalind Russell, Jack Carson, Robert Hutton, Jean Sullivan, Donald Woods, Alan Hale, Andrea King, Ann Doran, Mona Freeman, Robert Arthur, Ray Collins, John Qualen, Kathleen Lockhart and Ann Todd. The screenplay was by Louise Randall Pierson from her book. The film was photographed by Joseph Walker, with art direction by Robert Haas, set decorations by George James Hopkins, dialogue direction by Frederick de Cordova, wardrobe by Leah Rhodes, Russell’s gowns by Travis Banton, music arrangements by Hugo Friedhofer, musical direction by Leo F. Forbstein, music by Max Steiner, produced by Henry Blanke and directed by Michael Curtiz.
It is available on DVD from Warner Archive for $17.99.
March 27, 1945: “Roughly Speaking” is coming to Los Angeles.
New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther said (Feb. 1, 1945):
The charmingly giddy life story of Louise Randall Pierson, which that lady quite frankly told with considerable gusto and good humor in “Roughly Speaking” a couple of years ago, has now been used to peg a picture which follows, roughly, the same general line and which the Warners, as productive sponsors, delivered to the Hollywood yesterday. But there’s no evading the plain fact that the film is not as good as the book, nor does it have the deep and tender penetration of Mrs. Pierson’s autobiography. Where the latter revealed a character of tremendous originality and spunk, the film presents a woman of rather shallow eccentricity. And Rosalind Russell plays the lady in a generally flip and brittle way.
Writing in the Los Angeles Times (March 31, 1945) Edwin Schallert said:
Good human stuff … That is what “Roughly Speaking” consists of — to put it sort of roughly, as to rhetorical construction…. Many who see the film will enjoy its reminiscent mood. Others will find — well — that it is good human stuff.
For Monday, we have a mournful mystery guest.
Update: This is Kathleen Lockhart.
Update: OK, technical difficulties have been resolved.
Update: Technical difficulties are making it impossible to follow up on the mystery movie this week. More next week.
And for Monday No. 2, we have another mystery woman.
Update: This is Eily Malyon.
And for Tuesday, we have a dapper mystery gent in a bow tie.
Update: Craig Stevens, later the star of TV’s “Peter Gunn.”
Brain Trust roll call: Sheila (Monday 2 mystery woman), Dewey Webb (Monday 2 mystery woman), B.J. Merholz (Monday 2 mystery woman), Chrisbo (Monday 2 mystery woman), Jenny M. (Monday 2 mystery woman), Anne Papineau (Monday 2 mystery woman), Howard Mandelbaum (Monday 2 mystery woman), Lee Ann, Megan and Thom (Monday 2 mystery woman) and Don Danard (Monday 2 mystery woman).
For Wednesday, we have an astonished mystery guest.
Update: This is Donald Woods.
And also….
A process shot of the 1939 Worlds Fair rather than stock footage.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie, Monday 1 mystery woman, Tuesday’s mystery gent), Mike Hawks (mystery movie, Monday 2 mystery woman, Tuesday’s mystery gent) and Lee Ann, Megan and Thom (mystery movie, Tuesday’s mystery gent).
Update: A very different role for Ray Collins, with Ann Todd.
For Thursday, we have three guests with varying levels of mysteriousness.
Update: This is John Sheridan.
Brain Trust roll call: Sheila (Wednesday’s mystery guest), Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery guest and mystery event), Mary Mallory (mystery movie, Monday mystery woman No. 2, Tuesday’s mystery gent), Howard Decker (mystery event), Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mystery guest), B.J. Merholz (Wednesday’s mystery guest and mystery event), Benito (mystery event), L.C., (mystery movie, mystery cast and mystery event) and Lee Ann Megan and Thom (Monday’s mystery woman No. 1, Wednesday’s mystery gent, mystery event).
And for Friday, a non-mysterious couple.
Update: Jack Carson and Rosalind Russell.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery bearded gent, mystery event), Benito (mystery bearded gent), Mike Hawks (mystery bearded gent, mystery girl and mystery man waving out of the window), Don Danard (mystery bearded gent), David Inman (Wednesday’s mystery gent), B.J. Merholz (mystery movie) and Howard Mandelbaum (mystery bearded gent, mystery girl and mystery man waving out of the window).
ladailymirror.com 
Patrician Mary Forbes in LADY ON A TRAIN.
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Interesting guess. But alas, I’m afraid not.
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Barbara O’Neil
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Eily Malyon for Monday.
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Eliy Maylon
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Eily Malyon
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Is Monday’s second Mystery woman Eily Malyon?
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Wily Malyon
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For Monday, Monday it sure looks like Edna Mae Oliver.
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Eily Malyon, by chance?
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Eily Malyon.
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Edna May Oliver today?
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Alas, I’m afraid not. She’s a bit too easy for a Monday. 🙂
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This Monday’s lady is Eily Malyon.
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Miss Hathaway (Nancy Kulp) dresses up as Disraeli (George Arliss) in drag to help Jethro Bodine (Max Baer, Jr.) study for his upcoming SAT’s. Or maybe not.
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Alas, I’m afraid not. I have thought about doing Nancy Kulp, but the right vehicle hasn’t yet presented itself.
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Just a guess but is the current Mystery Lady Eily Malyon?
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Oh, it’s that wonderful family saga, ROUGHLY SPEAKING.
Monday: Kathleen Lockhart
Today: Craig Stevens
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Tuesday is John Hodiak. Is the movie somewhere in the night?
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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OK, if not Herbert Marshall, how about Margaret Seddon for Monday 1?
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Monday #2 is Eily Malyon in ROUGHLY SPEAKING. And for tuesday Craig Stevens.
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We think Tuesday’s guest is Craig Stevens in Roughly Speaking.
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Donald Woods for Wednesday.
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Donald Woods and the 1939 World’s Fair.
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ROUGHLY SPEAKING. Monday is Greta Grandstedt, Monday 2 is Ely Malyon, Tuesday is Craig Stevens, and today is Frank McLure.
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Well for Wednesday we’re getting the Trylon and Perisphere from the 1939 World’s Fair so I will guess your flicker is “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”.
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Donald Woods.
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Donald Woods and the Pylon and Bathysphere at the 1939 World’s Fair.
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Is the movie We Are Not Alone?
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Trylon and Perisphere of the 1939 New York Worlds Fair. My mom saw a working TELEVISION there…
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This would be Roughly Speaking (1945) w/Rosalind Russell, Jack Carson, Donald Woods, Craig Stevens, Eily Malyon, Kathleen Lockhart & the 1939 New York World’s Fair.
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Donald Woods for today, with the 1939 World’s Fair, and Kathleen Lockhart for the first Monday guest.
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Ray Collins and Jean Sullivan in first picture, John Alvin in second. So we’re getting credit for mentioning the World’s Fair? Then do we get credit for saying there’s sheet music on the piano, a Yale banner on the wall, pointing out makes and models of cars, guns, fashion, planes, and listing credits like gaffer, best boy, and the like?
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Ray Collins with beard and girl; Arthur Lake waves goodbye?
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Ray Collins, Ann E. Todd and John Sheridan.
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Ray Collins with the young lady and a young Dean Jagger waving out the train window.
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Donald Woods on Wednesday?
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I don’t really know this one, but before you give it away tomorrow, I’m going to guess: Roughly Speaking.
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Ray Collins and Ann E. Todd; John Sheridan going off to war.
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Rosalind Russell and Jack Carson today, and am I also going to get credit for the 1939 World’s Fair?
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Jack Carson and Rosalind Russell.
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Jack Carson and Rosalind Russell.
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Roughly speaking, I’d say your flicker is “Roughly Speaking.” The elderly lady is Eily Malyon and you have Jack Carson with Roz Russell for Friday. Ray Collins is in there, too. This was a good one.
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Roughly Speaking …just as I suspected all week long.
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“Roughly Speaking”! Nice movie.
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Is that the 1939 World’s Fair Trylon and Perisphere?
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Friday is Jack Carson and Rosalind Russell
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Roughly Speaking
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