This week’s mystery movie has been Warner Bros. 1946 heartwarming holiday classic “The Beast With Five Fingers,” with Robert Alda, Andrea King, Peter Lorre, Victor Francen, J. Carrol Naish, Charles Dingle, John Alvin, David Hoffman, Barbara Brown, Patricia White and William Edmunds. The screenplay was by Curt Siodmak from a story by William Fryer Harvey, photography by Wesley Anderson, art direction by Stanley Fleischer, special effects by William McGann and H. Koenekamp. The technical advisor was Dario Sabatello, wardrobe by Travilla, set decorations by Walter Tilford, makeup by Perc Westmore, orchestral arrangements by Hugo Friedhofer, musical direction by Leo F. Forbstein, music by Max Steiner, produced by William Jacobs and directed by Robert Florey. (Paul Henreid took a suspension from Warners rather than make the picture, according to Film Bulletin, Dec. 10, 1945).
“The Beast With Five Fingers” is available on DVD from Warner Archive.
Writing in the New York Times (Dec. 26, 1946), Bosley Crowther said:
The meticulous Warner Brothers, apparently careful not to miss any of the standard ingredients, have endowed “The Beast With Five Fingers” with psychological, whodunit, romantic and comedy twists. But this Christmas film package, which was opened at the Victoria yesterday, hardly is a thing of joy. For, taking its title literally, the producers, obviously respecting the tradition of “The Invisible Man,” herein have a ghoulish hand scaring the daylights out of the residents of a villa in northern Italy. And, if audiences are reasonably tolerant, chances are this thriller will scare them too.
For Monday, we have a mystery gentleman.
Update: This is Antonio Filauri.
For Tuesday, we have a mystery gent. The fellow in the background has been cropped out due to his total lack of mysteriousness.
Update: This is David Hoffman (Peter Lorre was cropped out of the background).
Brain Trust roll call: Floyd Thursby (yes, he is in the mystery movie, but it’s not “ A Bell for Adano” and this isn’t him).
For Wednesday, we have a mystery gent.
Update: This is John Alvin.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery guest) and Don Danard (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery guest).
For Thursday, we have two not terribly mysterious gentlemen.
Update: This is Robert Alda and J. Carrol Naish.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery gent), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mystery gent), Don Danard (Wednesday’s mystery gent), Jenny M. (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mystery gent) and Sheila (mystery movie and Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests).
For Friday, we have a non-mystery guest and a mystery companion. Well, part of a mystery companion.
Update: This is Peter Lorre in his final film at Warner.
Brain Trust roll call: Sheila (mystery movie and Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery guests), Mary Mallory (mystery movie and Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guest), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery guests), Tucson Barbara (mystery movie and Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Jenny M. (Thursday’s mystery guests), Sarah (Thursday’s Mystery Guest No. 2), Don Danard (Thursday’s mystery guests), Sylvia E (mystery movie, Tuesdays guy cropped out for lack of mysteriousness, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests) and Lee Ann, Megan and Thom (mystery movie, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Gino Corrado in “A Bell For Adano”?
LikeLike
Henry Calvin. He also played Sgt. Garcia in Disney’s “Zorro.”
LikeLike
Alas, I’m afraid not.
LikeLike
Paul Maxey?
LikeLike
Alas, I’m afraid not.
LikeLike
Salvatore Baccaloni in THE PIGEON THAT TOOK ROME.
LikeLike
Alas, I’m afraid not.
LikeLike
Antonio Filauri and David Hoffman in THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS.
LikeLike
Tuesday’s Mystery Gent is David Hoffman.
LikeLike
The film which always comes to mind when David Hoffman’s name appears, is “The Beast With Five Fingers” which starred Peter Lorre.
LikeLike
Ah! OK, my mistake. Then it must be Delmer Katchigian, former headliner of the Royal Armenian Moving Picture Company in the 1920s. He starred in such films as “My Father, the Tractor,” “Blood and Manure,” and “My Aunt, the Turkish Swine.” Emigrating to Hollywood in 1926, he received substantial roles as a bartender, dental assistant, and, most famously, as the Armenian anarchist, Anatoly Atablechian in “Prince of the Caucasus.” He retired in 1932 because of an extreme lack of parts for actors who spoke nothing but Armenian. I ran into him 20 years ago, still working in Canter’s bakery and exchanging his colorful banter with customers: “Who next, goddam?” “Slice bread? What you are, some sissy goddam”?” When he died, Canter’s closed down for an hour. He’ll be missed in the Fairfax.
LikeLike
John Alvin.
LikeLike
John Alvin THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS.
LikeLike
Today, it’s John Alvin.
LikeLike
John Alvin in The Beast with Five Fingers.
LikeLike
David Hoffman and John Alvin, ‘The Beast with Five Fingers’.
LikeLike
Robert Alda and J.Carrol Naish.
LikeLike
BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS. Joseph Marievsky Monday, Franco Corsaro Tuesday, John Alvin Wednesday, Robert Alda and J. Carrol Naish today.
LikeLike
Robert Alda and J. Carroll Naish take a little smoke break.
LikeLike
The Beast With Five Fingers
Mon – Antonio Filauri
Tues – Not a clue, but he looks like a combination of John Abbott, Arnold Moss, and Frank Lackteen
Wed – John Alvin and
Thurs – Robert Alda and J. Carrol Naish
LikeLike
Robert Alda and J. Carrol Naish
LikeLike
J Carrol Naish is the man on the right from Thursday.
LikeLike
Thursday’s “non mystery chaps” are Robert Alda and J. Carroll Naish.
LikeLike
This was fun. The movie is The Beast With Five Fingers.
Weds – John Alvin
Thur – Robert Alda and J. Carrol Nash
(I have a guess that Peter Lorre is the Tuesday guy “cropped out for lack of mysteriousness shoulder only” seen behind behind the foreground guy.) Looking forward to finding out if I’m right.
LikeLike
My update re: the Tuesday guy. It is Victor Francen. I still think that Peter Lorre is the “cropped out” mystery guy.
LikeLike
Ya-a-ay! I was right about the Tuesday mystery guy “cropped out for lack of mysteriousness!” Friday is the wonderfully talented Peter Lorre and the hand is “The Beast with Five Fingers”. Did the hand get a credit?
This was such fun. Thank you!
LikeLike
The Beast with Five Fingers with Robert Alda and J. Carrol Naish for today, and John Alvin for Wednesday.
LikeLike
Good old Peter Lorre and the mysterious hand of the Beast today. The film played this morning at 3:30 on TCM.
LikeLike
David Hoffman Tuesday.
LikeLike
Peter Lorre dies hard.
LikeLike
Peter Lorre (and the hand of the pianist played by Victor Francen).
LikeLike
Peter Lorre.
LikeLike
Good ol’ Peter Lorre and the Creepy Crawling Hand today.
LikeLike
The only reason I can identify the movie is that it was on TCM very early this morning. It’s “The Beast With Five Fingers.”
LikeLike
The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) w/Peter Lorre, Robert Alda, J. Carrol Naish, Andrea King, …
LikeLike
Avaliable on tcm on demand via sling tv
LikeLike