This week’s mystery movie was the 1941 Columbia picture “Texas,” with William Holden, Glenn Ford, Claire Trevor, George Bancroft, Edgar Buchanan, Don Beddoe and Willard Robertson. Screenplay by Horace McCoy, Lewis Meltzer and Michael Blankfort, from a story by Michael Blankfort and Lewis Meltzer, photography by George Meehan, editing by William Lyon, art direction by Lionel Banks, musical direction by M.W. Stoloff, produced by Samuel Bischoff, directed by George Marshall.
“Texas” is available on DVD from Amazon.
Writing in the New York Times (Oct. 17, 1941), T.S. said:
Columbia, which built a cinematic monument in “Arizona” so heavy it wouldn’t budge, has taken a wiser course in “Texas,” which galloped into Lowe’s State yesterday in a large cloud of dust. For the producers have been content to forget pompous eulogies of the pioneer spirit and such similar nonsense, and make quite simply a carefree piece of hokum. Wild hokum it is, too, shuttling between unabashed slapstick and the most implausible sort of derring-do. Some of the sequences in fact might have been copied straight out of a 1922 Western. But call it what you will, “Texas” is for most of its length a fast and entertaining chase.
For Monday, we have a mystery gent. He is curious about such goings-on.
Update: This is Raymond Hatton.
For Tuesday, we have two mysterious gents.
Update: This is James Flavin, left, and Lyle Latell.
Brain Trust roll call: Mike Hawks (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery gent), Floyd Thursby (Monday’s mystery gent) and Don Danard (Monday’s mystery gent).
For Wednesday, we have another mystery gent with a mustache.
Update: This is Addison Richards.
Brain Trust roll call: Mike Hawks (Tuesday’s Mystery Guest No. 1), Mary Mallory (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery guest and Tuesday’s Mystery Guest No. 1), and Thom and Megan (Monday’s mystery guest).
For Thursday, we have a somewhat mysterious gent. If you could hear his voice, you would recognize him immediately…
Update: This is Edgar Buchanan.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Tuesday’s mystery pugilist and Wednesday’s mystery gent), Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mystery gent), B.J. Merholz (Tuesday’s Mystery Gent No. 1), Don Danard (Wednesday’s mystery gent) and Thom and Megan (mystery movie, Tuesday’s mystery pugilist and Wednesday’s mystery guest).
And for Friday, three very young and unmysterious guests.
Update: This is Claire Trevor, William Holden and Glenn Ford.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mystery gent), Sue Slutzky (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery gent, Tuesday’s mystery pugilist, Wednesday’s mystery gent and Thursday’s mystery guest), Charles Kjelland (Thursday’s mystery guest), Thom and Megan (Thursday’s mystery guest), Sheila (Thursday’s mystery guest), B.J. Merholz (That’s Uncle Joe), Dan Nather (he’s moving kind of slow), Floyd Thursby (mystery movie, at the junction), Mike Hawks (Petticoat Junction), Chrisbo (Thursday’s mystery guest), David Inman (Thursday’s mystery guest), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Sylvia (mystery movie and all mystery guests except for Tuesday’s ringmaster) and Tucson Barbara (Thursday’s mystery guest).
ladailymirror.com 
Richard Hale.
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A great guess. But alas, I’m afraid not.
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Sam Jaffe?
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Good guess, but alas, I’m afraid not.
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Leonard Mudie
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An excellent guess, but alas I’m afraid not.
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Raymond Hatton.
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And for good measure the movie is TEXAS 1941.
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Tom Fadden.
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A good guess, but alas….
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Raymond Hatton.
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He sorta looks like a ‘beat up’ Ian Keith.
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Monday’s Mystery Man is Raymond Hatton.
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James Flavin and Oscar Hendrian.
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A barechested Frank Faylen?
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Interesting guess, but alas, I’m afraid that’s not Mr. Faylen behind the mustache.
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TEXAS. Raymond Hatton MOnday and James Falvin and Oscar “Dutch” Hendrian today.
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Speaking of mustaches, does everyone in this movie have one?
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Whoever had the contract for fake mustaches on this mystery movie made a fortune.
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I think I noticed a few women without one.
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Monday’s guest is Raymond Hatton in, we think, Laughing Irish Eyes.
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Addison Richards today and Lyle Latell yesterday.
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Addison Richards.
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A wild guess that the fancy shirt and vest are worn by gentleman James Flavin.
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It’s Addison Richards…the man with the moustache. An excellent performer.
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Today’s guest is Addison Richards in Texas.Yesterday’s guests are Lyle Latell and possibly Ethan Laidlaw.
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Edgar Buchanan.
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The movie is “Texas.” Monday: Raymond Hatton, Tuesday: Lyle Latell (the fighter), not sure about the other guy, Wednesday: Addison Richards, Thursday: Edgar Buchanan.
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Edgar Buchanan today.
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Today’s actor is Edgar Buchanan.
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Edgar Buchanan for Thursday.
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I”ll have to wait till Friday to determine which Burl Ives movie this is.
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Big Daddy says, alas, it’s not me.
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Edgar Buchanan
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Okay, Edgar Buchanan today. But even though this film looks vaguely familiar to me, I still can’t place it . . .
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Thursday is Edgar Buchanan and the movie is “Texas.”
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Edgar Buchanan.
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Edgar Buchanan today?
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Edgar Buchanan today.
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TEXAS (1941)
Monday: Raymond HattonTuesday: James Flavin; Lyle Latell
Wednesday: Addison Richards
Thursday: Edgar Buchanan
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Ah-ha Thursday at last.
Texas 1941
Mon. – Raymond Hatton (what a great turn as ‘the judge’)
Tues. – our boxer I’m still working on. I think it’s Lyle Latell, but maybe it’s another actor. Off screen is a ‘baby-faced’ William Holden as his opponent.
Weds. – Addison Richards (I think)
Thurs. – Edgar Buchanan
Looking forward to the Friday ‘baby faces’ of WH, Glenn Ford and Claire Trevor as well as your Saturday breakdown.
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Edgar Buchanan
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Claire Trevor, William Holden, and Glenn Ford.
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“Texas”
Claire Trevor, William Holden, Glenn Ford
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Claire Trevor, William Holden and Glenn Ford on Friday.
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Claire Trevor, William Holden, Glenn Ford.
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Claire Trevor, William Holden and Glenn Ford.
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I am 80 years old and often when I see a face there is just a blank space where there should be a name. I stand corrected. It is Edgar Buchanan and our gal Friday is my love Claire Trevor in Texas.But you must admit both Burl and Edgar have memorable voices.
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I’m with you. One of the first movies I ever saw in a theater was “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (apparently my parents opted not to get a sitter — and no, I did not understand it whatsoever) and since then my default for all rotund, bearded Southern villains was Burl Ives. Edgar Buchanan was a more recent (if you consider the 1960s “more recent”) discovery.
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Trevor, Holden, Ford today. Buchanan yesterday. The movie is Texas from Columbia Pictures,1941.
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They don’t “make” ’em like that anymore. Claire Trevor, William Holden and Glenn Ford.
Pic is “Texas”.
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yeah, but what in heck happened to raymond hatton’s face???
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I think he was supposed to look especially frontiers-y. He also spits a lot, which doesn’t come through in a screen grab.
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