This week’s mystery movie has been the obscure 1939 Paramount film “The Great Victor Herbert,” with Allan Jones, Mary Martin, Walter Connolly, Lee Bowman, Susanna Foster, Judith Barrett, Jerome Cowan and John Garrick. The screenplay was by Russel Crouse and Robert Lively, from a story by Robert Lively and Andrew L. Stone. Photography was by Victor Milner, with art direction by Hans Dreier and Ernst Fegte, costumes by Edith Head and interior decorations by A.E. Freudeman. All music was by Victor Herbert, music supervisor was Phil Boutelje, music scorer was Arthur Lange, vocal arrangements by Max Terr, orchestra directed by Arthur Kay, musical numbers staged by LeRoy Prinz. The film was produced and directed by Andrew L. Stone.
“The Great Victor Herbert” has never been released commercially. It’s available from Zeus for $9.99. It was Walter Connolly’s last film and Mary Martin’s first film.
Writing in the New York Times (Dec. 7, 1939), B.R.C. said:
That exhaustless fount of romantic melody, the late Victor Herbert, is said to have been an artist of infinite physical exuberance and personal charm, a bon vivant, a man of the world. Perhaps it is just as well, therefore, that “The Great Victor Herbert,” at the Paramount, should have a diffident afterword to the effect that it is not an attempt to portray the life of Victor Herbert. If we think of it just as a Paramount musical picture, with an album of twenty-eight Victor Herbert melodies in its score—and beautiful and sweetly nostalgic they are, indeed—we shall feel more tolerant toward the distorted portrait it presents of the master, who suffers as only a music master can suffer at the hands of a light-opera librettist.
For Monday, we have a mystery woman.
Update: This is Susanna Foster.
For Tuesday, we have another mystery woman.
Update: This is Mary Currier.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and mystery actress).
For Wednesday, we have a mystery girl with a (not terribly) mysterious gent.
Update: This is Sandra Lee Richards and Walter Connolly.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (Tuesday’s mystery woman).
For Thursday, we have a (totally not) mysterious gent – and Back of the Hat Woman.
Update: This is Jerome Cowan and Mary Martin as Back of the Hat Woman.
Brain Trust roll call: David Inman (Wednesday’s mystery gent), Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery girl and mystery gent), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Mary Mallory (mystery movie and Monday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests), Sheila (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mystery guests), Anne Papineau (Wednesday’s mystery gent), Dan Nather (Wednesday’s mystery gent), Benito (Wednesday’s mystery gent) and Tucson Barbara (Wednesday’s mystery gent).
And for Friday……
Update: This is Allan Jones and Mary Martin.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Tuesday’s mystery woman and Thursday’s mystery gent), Roget-L.A. (Thursday’s mystery gent), Anne Papineau (mystery movie, Thursday’s mystery gent), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery gent and Back of the Head Lady), Chrisbo (Thursday’s mystery gent), Tucson Barbara (mystery movie and Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Diane Ely (Thursday’s mystery gent), Dan Nather (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery gent — and no, I doubt you have ever seen this — hence the lousy print), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery gent and Back of the Head Lady), L.C. (mystery movie and mystery cast) and Rick Scott (Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery gents).
ladailymirror.com 
Susanna Foster in THE GREAT VICTOR HERBERT.
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Joan Fontaine, or maybe not.
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Scarlett Empress.
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Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Mary Currier
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Walter Connolly today.
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Sandra Lee Richards, Walter Connolly.
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Susanna Foster, Mary Currier, Sandra Lee Richards and Walter Connolly in THE GREAT VICTOR HERBERT.
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Walter Connolly today.
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Sandra Lee Richards and Walter Connolly, ‘The Great Victor Herbert’ for Wednesday?
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THE GREAT VICTOR HERBERT. Susanna Foster Monday, Judith barrett yesterday, Sandra Lee Richards today.
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Walter Connolly on Wednesday
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I think that’s Walter Connolly today; don’t know who the slightly creepy little girl is. Man, I know I’ve seen this film, but I can’t think of the title! I’m probably going to be kicking myself by Saturday . . .
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Walter Connolly, best known as Claudette Colbert’s dad in It Happened One Night. PS thought that was Carole Lombard on Monday
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Wednesday’s gent looks like Walter Connolly.
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Mary Currier Tuesday and Jerome Cowan today.
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Thursday: Jerome Cowan
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Jerome Cowan in “The Great Victor Herbert”
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Jerome Cowan and Mary Martin.
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Jerome Cowan on Thursday?
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The Great Victor Herbert
Monday – Judith Barrett
Tuesday – Mary Currier
Wednesday – Sandra Lee Richards (w/ Walter Connolly)
Thursday – Jerome Cowan
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Looks like Jerome Cowan on Thursday.
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Jerome Cowan today, which makes this THE GREAT VICTOR HERBERT, a film I don’t think I’ve ever seen. Hmmm . . .
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Jerome Cowan, Mary Martin.
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The Great Victor Herbert (1939) w/Susanna Foster, Mary Martin, Walter Connolly, Allan Jones & Lee Bowman.
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oops and Jerome Cowan!
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Wednesday’s gent was Walter Connelly. Thursday was Jerome Cowan.
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Allan Jones and Mary Martin, and she was back of the head yesterday.
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Allan Jones and Mary Martin.
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Allan Jones today so its The Great Victor Herbert. Overshadowed by great movies that year
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Walter Connolly and Jerome Cowan in the great Victor Herbert?
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Friday – Jack’s dad and Larry’s mom. 🙂
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Allan Jones & Mary Martin.
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