This week’s mystery movie was the 1935 Twentieth Century film “Les Miserables,” with Fredric March, Charles Laughton, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Rochelle Hudson, John Beal and Frances Drake. Directed by Richard Boleslawski, associate producers William Goetz and Raymond Griffith, screenplay by W.P. Lipscomb, photography by Gregg Toland, art direction by Richard Day, edited by Barbara McLean, musical direction by Alfred Newman, sound by Frank Maher and Roger Heman, costumes by Omar Kiam, assistant director Eric Stacey. A Darryl Zanuck production, presented by Joseph M. Schenck.
“Les Miserables” is available on DVD and streaming from Amazon.
Laughton made three films on this trip to Hollywood: “Ruggles of Red Gap,” “The Barretts of Wimpole Street” and “Les Miserables.” Elsa Lanchester, meanwhile, made “Bride of Frankenstein.” Laughton’s next picture, after a trip to London, was “Mutiny on the Bounty.” Laughton refused to tell a reporter which role he preferred, but Lanchester said he preferred comedies.
Director Richard Boleslawski died of a heart attack in 1937 while making “The Last of Mrs. Cheyney” at MGM. He was 47. The picture was completed by Dorothy Arzner.
Writing in the New York Times (April 22, 1935), Andre Sennwald said:
It is an affirmation of the timeless quality of “Les Miserables” that the magnificent film edition of Victor Hugo’s nineteenth century classic bears the hallmark of Twentieth Century Pictures. Despite its costumed surfaces, this odyssey of the greatest manhunt in literature possesses a topical significance in 1935 as real and moving as it did in 1862, and it is as undated as man’s inhumanity to man. The underground reports from Hollywood are often capricious, but they have not deceived us this time. The photoplay at the Rivoli Theatre is unbelievably thrilling in all the departments of its manufacture, and it makes for a memorable experience in the cinema. you will surely be hearing about it for a long time.
For Monday, we have a mystery chap. He doesn’t entirely approve of such goings-on.
Update: After much consideration and debate, I believe this is Keith Hitchcock. I may have to dig out some of his other pictures (“Man Hunt” and “Raffles”) to be sure. Monday folks are quite obscure.
And for Tuesday, we have a mystery gent who is accused of unapproved goings-on.
Update: I got tricked on the use of Freddy to portray Champmathieu, falsely accused of being Valjean
For comparison, here is Freddy as Valjean
For Wednesday, we have a somewhat mysterious girl.
Update: This is Marilyn Knowlden.
Important note: In a crucial plot point in our mystery film, Tuesday’s mystery gent is falsely accused of being our mysterious leading man. Our mysterious leading man, in fact, appears in the scene quite well groomed and dapper, in a completely different costume. This is all movie fakery, however, and our scruffy mystery gent is our mysterious leading man in lots of makeup. That I was duped by this scene is a tribute to the skill of the mysterious studio’s makeup artists.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery gent and Tuesday’s mysterious leading man in heavy makeup), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mysterious leading man in heavy makeup), Don Danard (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mysterious leading man in heavy makeup), Anne Papineau (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mysterious leading man in heavy makeup), David Inman (Tuesday’s mysterious leading man in heavy makeup), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mysterious leading man in heavy makeup), Thom and Megan (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mysterious leading man in heavy makeup) and Sylvia E. (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mysterious leading man in heavy makeup).
For Thursday, we have a somewhat mysterious woman.
Update: This is Rochelle Hudson.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Tuesday’s unkempt mystery leading man in heavy makeup and Wednesday’s mystery girl), Tucson Barbara (mystery movie, Tuesday’s unkempt leading man in heavy makeup and Wednesday’s mystery girl), Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mystery girl), Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery girl), Anne Papineau (Wednesday’s mystery girl), Dan Nather (mystery movie, thumbnail history of mystery studio, Tuesday’s mysterious unkempt leading man in heavy makeup and Wednesday’s mystery girl), Thom and Megan (Wednesday’s mystery girl), L.C. (mystery movie and mystery cast) and Sylvia E. (Wednesday’s mystery girl).
For Friday, we have our non-mysterious leading man, sans long hair and scruffy makeup….
Update: Fredric March.
… and also one of the least mysterious actors on the planet.
Update: Charles Laughton.
Brain Trust roll call: Tucson Barbara (Thursday’s mystery woman), Benito (Thursday’s mystery woman), Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mystery woman), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery woman), David Inman (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery woman), B.J. Merholz (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery woman), Sylvia E. (Monday’s mystery gent and Thursday’s mystery woman) and Anne Papineau (Thursday’s mystery woman).
ladailymirror.com 
Seems very unlikely so early but looks like Peter Ustinov.
LikeLike
Only if he were time-traveling. 🙂
LikeLike
Melville Cooper
LikeLike
An excellent guess. But alas, I’m afraid not.
LikeLike
Montagu Love
LikeLike
A good guess. But alas, I’m afraid not.
LikeLike
LES MISERABLES, Fredric March today.
LikeLike
Keith Hitchcock for Monday.
LikeLike
Fredric March in LES MISERABLES (1935)
LikeLike
Monday: Robert St. Angelo
LikeLike
Fredric March this a.m. and I think the shot is from “Les Miserables”.
LikeLike
Looks like Frederic March in “Les Miserables”.
LikeLike
Fredric March in Les Misérables
LikeLike
I’d swear Tuesday was Fredric March, but he isn’t a Tuesday guy.
LikeLike
Fredric March in LES MISERABLES.
LikeLike
Today’s guest is Fredric March In Les Miserables (1935).
LikeLike
I scrolled thru every dang George Washington and Napoleon picture there is. I never knew that so many styles of epaulets were possible. Anyway, I then went back to have another look at Tuesday’s prisoner because he looked so familiar, though very hairy.
The movie is Les Miserables 1935 (the epaulets look right)
I’m working on Monday’s guy
Tuesday’s prisoner I’m pretty sure is a bedraggled Frederick March
LikeLike
Marilyn Knowlden.
LikeLike
Les Miserables
Tuesday – Fredric March
Wednesday – Marilyn Knowlden
LikeLike
Marilyn Knowlden.
LikeLike
Marilyn Knowlden.
LikeLike
On Wednesday, Marilynne Knowlden
LikeLike
Wasn’t completely sure yesterday, but I am now: LES MISERABLES (1935}, with Frederic March and Charles Laughton. That’s March as Champmathieu, the peasant who is mistaken for Jean Valjean (also played by March). Also, Marilyn Knowlden as the young Cosette today. This was the 19th and final production by Daryl Zanuck’s 20th Century Pictures, Inc. before it merged with the Fox Film Corporation to form 20th Century-Fox in 1935. (They officially dropped the hyphen from the studio’s name in 1996.)
LikeLike
Marilyn Knowlden for today.
LikeLike
Les Miserables (1935) w/ Fredric March, Rochelle Hudson, Cedric Hardwicke, Charles Laughton…
LikeLike
Monday’s guy is Vernon Downing (I think.)
Wednesday is Marilyn Knowlden (who will grow up to be Rochelle Hudson)
LikeLike
Could Tuesday’s unkempt gentleman be Victor Jory?
LikeLike
An interesting guess. But alas, I’m afraid not.
LikeLike
Rochelle Hudson
LikeLike
Lovely Rochelle Hudson today.
LikeLike
Guessing its SECRETS OF THE FRENCH POLICE 1932, an early Princess Anastasia fraud drama
LikeLike
A fascinating guess. Fascinating! But alas, I’m afraid not.
LikeLike
Rochelle Hudson.
LikeLike
Rochelle Hudson.
LikeLike
Rochelle Hudson today, making this “Les Miserables.”
LikeLike
Rochelle Hudson in Les Miserables.
LikeLike
Monday…hmmmm – a final guess is Keith Hitchcock
Thursday is Rochelle Hudson, the grown up version of Wednesday’s Little Cosette.
LikeLike
Rochelle Hudson!
LikeLike
Fredric March and Charles Laughton.
LikeLike
Fredric March and Charles Laughton
LikeLike
Fredric March; Charles Laughton.
LikeLike
Charles and Fredric in Les Miserables.Prior to seeing Friday’s guests I recognized no one.
LikeLike
One of the least mysterious actors but at the same time, one of the best! Charles Laughton.
LikeLike
Woo-hoo…on finally getting it right on Monday’s mystery guy. That was quite a challenge.
Friday – Frederic March and Charles Laughton.
This was a lot of fun. Thanks. Saturday’s roundup will be an enjoyable read.
LikeLike
Catching up: Rochelle Hudson yesterday, and Fredric March and Charles Laughton today.
LikeLike
These images inspired me to rent the film. Those Friday leading men were phenomenal, and the telling of “Les Miserables” varied from the new PBS/BBC version.
LikeLike