This week’s mystery movie has been the 1933 MGM picture “Fast Workers,” with John Gilbert, Robert Armstrong, Mae Clarke, Muriel Kirkland, Vince Barnett, Virginia Cherrill, Muriel Evans, Sterling Holloway, Guy Usher, Warner Richmond and Robert Burns, based on the play “Rivets” by John W. McDermott, with continuity by Karl Brown and Ralph Wheelwright, dialogue by Laurence Stallings, art direction by Cedric Gibbons and photography by Peveral (Peverell) Marley. It was directed and produced by Tod Browning.
“Fast Workers” is available on DVD from Warner Archive for $17.99.
Note: It is merely coincidence that “In Fast Company” was a recent mystery movie, but we shall avoid mystery movies with “Fast” in the title for a while.
Writing in the New York Times (March 20, 1933), A.D.S. said:
In his new picture John Gilbert is a dashing riveter with an enormous talent for persuading young women to make fools of themselves. A temperamental and sometimes sullen lover, he drinks freely in after-midnight dives, punches men he does not like, mistreats his women, deceives his friends and shows himself to he an intolerable braggart. It requires witty writing to make an audience feel any affection for such a character, and there is little wit in “Fast Workers.” The suspicion grows, watching Gunner Smith at his increasingly moronic tricks, that in real life the Gunner would be pitched from a convenient skyscraper by his outraged fellow-workers for one-tenth the things he does in the picture.
For Monday, we have a mystery gent.
Update: This is Otto Hoffman.
For Tuesday, we have a mystery movie within a mystery movie.
Update: This is Joan Crawford and Neil Hamilton in “Laughing Sinners.”
For Wednesday, we have a mystery hat check girl. I have cropped out Back of the Head Guy, who will appear later in the week.
Update: This mystery guest is a bit ambiguous. Mae Clarke addresses her as “Nona” in the film, but imdb doesn’t list a character by that name. Several people said Virginia Cherrill, who plays Virginia, or Muriel Evans, who plays a nurse. I haven’t time this morning to scan through the DVD to look for her, so I’ll leave it as inconclusive for now. But for comparison, here is Virginia Cherrill with Charlie Chaplin in “City Lights.”
Brain Trust roll call: David Inman (mystery actor in mystery movie within a mystery movie) and Anne Papineau (mystery actor in a mystery movie within a mystery movie).
For Thursday we have these two mystery guests ….
Update: This is Bob “Bazooka” Burns and Sterling Holloway
…. and a mystery gent in a newsboy ….. hey, wait just a minute! What’s that white building on the left?
Update: Robert “King Kong” Armstrong.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery man in Tuesday’s mystery movie within a mystery movie) and Bob Hansen (mystery man in Tuesday’s mystery movie within a mystery movie).
And for Friday….
Update: John Gilbert in his last film at MGM and Mae Clarke.
Brain Trust roll call: David Inman (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery guests), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and mystery guests), Mary Mallory (mystery movie and mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and mystery guests), Sarah (mystery movie and mystery guests), Don Danard (two-thirds of Thursday’s mystery guests), Charles Kjelland (one of Thursday’s mystery guests), Dan Nather (mystery movie, our mystery director and Thursday’s mystery guests), Jenny M. (mystery movie and two-thirds of Thursday’s mystery guests), Benito (one of Thursday’s mystery guests), beachgal (mystery movie and mystery guests), Sue Slutzky (mystery movie and mystery guests), Richard Wegenscheide (mystery movie and two-thirds of Thursday’s mystery guests), Tucson Barbara (mystery movie and mystery guests), L.C. (mystery movie and mystery cast), Lee Ann, Megan and Thom (mystery movie and two-thirds of Thursday’s mystery guests) and Michael Ryerson (mystery movie and two-thirds of Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Ivan Simpson.
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Looks like John Miljan playing a perjorious pretend paraplegic in Camera Sleuth 1951, a Pete Smith Specialty short. I prefer the Dogville shorts…
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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“Tiny Newlan?
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Correction: perjorious pretend paraplegic PLAINTIFF
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Correction: perjorious pretend paraplegic PLAINTIFF
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I’m pretty sure that’s Lucius V. Burlingame, who got his start as a supernumerary in 1903 with Feinbaum’s Yiddish Players & Fancy Jugglers. Best role: the saucy shaygetz Worthington Bremmer who yearned for the zaftig Miriam Schottenstein (played by Eva Goetz). He did well in the talkies, his most memorable roles as Captain “Biff” Underwood, the plucky airline pilot in “Crime Syndicate of the Air” (1934) and Sandor Nesbit, the fast-talking fight manager in “Larceny in the Ring” (1936). I believe he’s still alive, though quite frail.
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Even tho it’s Monday I have to say Royal Dano.
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Neil Hamilton on Tuesday, maybe?
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Sullivan’s Travels?
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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For Tuesday, my guess is Neil Hamilton and Thelma Todd
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Could it be TAXI! (1932) with James Cagney and Loretta Young?
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Right era, but alas, I’m afraid not.
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Neil Hamilton as the mystery man.
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I think Tuesday’s guy is Neil Hamilton. I have no clue what the movie is.
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Sterling Holloway on the right today.
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Robert Armstrong and Stanley Holloway are two-thirds of today’s trio, making this “Fast Workers.”
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Otto Hoffman, Neil Hamilton, Joan Crawford, Sterling Holloway, Irene Franklin, Robert Armstrong in FAST WORKERS.
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FAST WORKERS. Bob Burns with Holloway, Robert Armstrong last photo.
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Muriel Evans on Wednesday.
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Joan Crawford in second clip on Tuesday. Is that LA City Hall to the left of Armstrong?
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FAST WORKERS (1933)
Otto Hoffman; Neil Hamilton and Joan Crawford; Virginia Cherrill; Bob Burns and Sterling Holloway; Robert Armstrong.
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Thank you for Sterling Holloway today. I’m guessing the film is “Fast Workers” (1933).
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Irving Bacon and Sterling Holloway having a snort on the job.
Next shot is Robert Armstrong. He’s up there making sure King Kong isn’t lurking around.
That isn’t the movie, by the way.
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Looks like Sterling Holloway on the right today.
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Bob Burns and Sterling Holloway today! That means the film must be FAST WORKERS (1933), John Gilbert’s last film for MGM (which means we will probably see him and Mae Clarke tomorrow). This was also the last film Tod Browning directed at MGM . . .
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Forgive me, NOT the last film Tod Browning directed at MGM — that was MIRACLES FOR SALE in 1939. But how in the world did I overlook films like MARK OF THE VAMPIRE and THE DEVIL DOLL? I’m too young to have a senior moment!
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Oh, and that’s Robert Armstrong and the Empire State Building in today’s other photo. They also appeared together (more or less) in KING KONG. Interesting fact: FAST WORKERS and KING KONG were released eight days apart in March, 1933!
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Thursday – Photo 1, Sterling Holloway on right. Photo 2, Robert Armstrong.
Movie – Fast Workers
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Constance Bennett on a Wednesday?
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Sterling Holloway, then Broderick Crawford looking blue collar. Is that the Daily Planet building?
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This week’s mystery movie is Fast Workers.
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Thurs photo #1 – guy on the right is Sterling Holloway — Thurs photo #2 is Robert Armstrong.
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Tues. man in the movie with-in the movie is Neil Hamilton
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Tues woman in the movie within the movie must be Joan Crawford in her Salvation Army uniform when she hooks up again with Neil Hamilton.
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Monday must be Otto Hoffman
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Is the hat check girl Virginia Cherrill?
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Mystery movie: “Fast Workers” 1933 Monday: Otto Hoffman, Tuesday: Joan Crawford and Neil Hamilton, Wednesday: ? Thursday: Pat Moriarity (?) and Sterling Holloway, 2nd photo: Robert Armstrong
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Ok, Sterling Holloway as a construction worker. I’ll guess ‘Fast Workers’. I believe that is Robert Armstrong in the other pic. I haven’t seen this picture in a long long time.
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“Fast Workers”
Monday – Otto Hoffman
Tuesday – Joan Crawford and Neil Hamilton
Wednesday – Muriel Evans (I think)
Thursday – Sterling Holloway (holding milk bottle) and Robert Armstrong in newsboy hat
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This is Fast Workers (1933) w/ Robert Armstrong, Sterling Holloway, Mae Clark, John Gilbert. The film that they are watching is Laughing Sinners (1931)
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Sterling Holloway and Robert Armstrong are two of our guests today, in “Fast Workers.”
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Well, I see a fresh faced Sterling Holloway on Thursday and also (next image) a pensive Robert Armstrong making this Fast Workers (1933).
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The movie is “Fast Workers” from 1933 with, among others, Robert Armstrong, Sterling Holloway, Irving Bacon and Mae Clarke.
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John Gilbert and Mae Clarke today.
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John Gilbert and Mae Clarke.
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John Gilbert and Mae Clarke discuss the future of MGM and their careers.
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Fri. is John Gilbert and Mae Clarke
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Friday: John Gilbert and Mae Clarke
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Sterling Holloway out on a limb(beam).
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And there’s Jack and Mae, right on schedule. Hard to believe he had less than three years to live at this time — he was in really good shape in this picture . . .
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