This week’s mystery movie was the 1959 Allied Artists picture “The Big Circus,” with Victor Mature, Red Buttons, Rhonda Fleming, Kathryn Grant, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, David Nelson, Adele Mara, Howard McNear, Charles Watts and the World’s Greatest Circus Acts. Guest star Steve Allen, and co-starring Gilbert Roland.
Screenplay by Irwin Allen, Charles Bennett and Irving Wallace, from a story by Irwin Allen. Photography by Winton Hoch. In Cinemascope and Technicolor. Music composed and conducted by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter. Title song “The Big Circus” by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster. Production manager Lowell J. Farrell. Art director Albert D’Agostino, costume designer Paul Zastupnevich, choreography by Barbette, production illustrator Maurice Zuberano, construction supervisor Burt Dreyer, edited by Adrienne Fazan, assistant director William McGarry, script supervisor Irva Ross, makeup by William Tuttle, hairdressing by Sydney Guilaroff, sound effects by Finn Ulback and Bert Schoenfeld, Technicolor consultant Morgan Padelford, optical effects by Robert R. Hoag, set decoration by Robert Priestley, recording supervisor Franklin Milton, sound by Conrad Kahn, music editor Audray Granville, technical advisor Jimmie Wood. Lenses by Panavision.
Produced by Irwin Allen. Directed by Joseph M. Newman.
Lyrics from the theme song: “There’s nothing as gay as a day at the circus with you.”
“The Big Circus” is available on DVD from Warner Archive.
Writing in the New York Times (July 18, 1959), Bosley Crowther said:
There is nothing very subtle about a circus. If you will keep this fact in mind — and also the fact that the world’s record in spectacular circus films is held by a most unsubtle champion, “The Greatest Show on Earth” of the late Cecil B. De Mille — then you can better be prepared for the beating you are going to have to endure when you take the kids to see Irwin Allen’s “The Big Circus,” which opened at the Roxy yesterday.
One hour and forty-nine minutes of riotous cliches — that’s what you’re in for, ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages, as they say, with the tiresome assurance of old showmen who persist in thinking you can’t insult the intelligence of a kid.
I thought I had exhausted my collection of mystery circus pictures with “The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao,” but I found another one in the vault. For Monday, we have a mystery clown and two mystery companions.
Update: Yes, this is Peter Lorre in clown makeup. With Marion Ross of “Happy Days” and either Eden Hartford or Anne Dorre.
And for Tuesday, we have a mystery clown. He does not approve of such goings-on.
Update: This is Red Buttons in clown makeup, filling in for Peter Lorre’s character.
Update: Monday’s mystery woman No. 2, either Eden Hartford or Anne Dorre.
Note: The identity of Monday’s mystery woman No. 2 is causing me problems. There are two actresses in the mystery film who look very much alike, and, frankly, I’m can’t decide which one is our mystery woman. So I’ll give credit for both until I can find something more definitive.
Brain Trust roll call: Bob Hansen (Monday’s mystery clown), Stacia (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery clown and mystery woman No. 1), Thom and Megan (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery clown), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Mary Mallory (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery clown and mystery woman No. 2), Robert Morrissey (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery clown), Dan Nather (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery clown), Suzanne Stone (Monday’s mystery clown), Anne Papineau (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery clown), Benito (Monday’s mystery clown), Tucson Barbara (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery clown), Sheila (Monday’s mystery clown), David Inman (Monday’s mystery clown), Don Danard (Monday’s mystery clown), McDee (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery clown), Chrisbo (Monday’s mystery clown), Jenny M. (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery clown), Sue Slutzky (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery clown and mystery woman No. 2), Sylvia E. (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery clown), E. Yarber (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery clown and mystery woman No. 2) and L.C. (mystery movie and mystery cast). And via email: James Curtis (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery clown).
Wednesday’s mystery woman is having a lovely cup of coffee.
Update: This is Kathryn Grant
Hi-Ho! He’s more of a Friday, but why not?
Update: This is Hi-Ho Steverino Steve Allen.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Tuesday’s mystery clown), Eve (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery clown), Chrisbo (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery clown), Tucson Barbara (Tuesday’s mystery clown), Lorenzo (mystery movie and both mystery clowns), E. Yarber (Tuesday’s mystery clown), Howard Mandelbaum (Tuesday’s mystery clown), Jenny M. (Tuesday’s mystery clown), Anne Papineau (Tuesday’s mystery clown) and Sue Slutzky (Tuesday’s mystery clown).
For Thursday, we have a somewhat mysterious gent and a mystery companion.
Update: This is the amazingly fit Gilbert Roland (in his early 50s) and Adele Mara.
We also have this mystery guest and Back of the Head Guy. The actor to the left has been cropped out due to his utter lack of mysteriousness. He will appear Friday.
Update: This is Dick Rich, who has 213 credits on IMDB.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Wednesday’s mystery guests), Tucson Barbara (Wednesday’s mystery guests), Earl Boebert (Wednesday’s Hi-Ho guest), Suzanne Stone (Wednesday’s mystery woman), Lorenzo (Wednesday’s mystery woman), Stevo 3 (Wednesday’s Hi-Ho guest), Jenny M. (Wednesday’s mystery guests), B.J. Merholz (mystery movie), Charles Kjelland (Wednesday’s Hi-Ho guest), Anne Papineau (Wednesday’s mystery guests), E. Yarber (Wednesday’s mystery guests), Beach Bum Bill (Wednesday’s Hi-Ho guest), Sylvia E. (Tuesday’s clown and Wednesday’s mystery guests), Sue Slutzky (Wednesday’s Hi-Ho guest), Dan (Monday’s and Tuesday’s mystery clowns) and Patricia Van Hartesveldt (mystery movie, mystery clowns and Wednesday’s mystery guests).
For Friday, we have a somewhat mysterious gent – and yes, he does not approve of such goings-on.
Update: This is Howard McNear.
Also this very unmysterious ringmaster….
Vincent Price delivers the “ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages” speech. And he’s a complete pro about it.
Is it possible to make a movie with Vincent Price and Peter Lorre (with Red Buttons) and NOT have it be a horror picture? Well, it’s kind of like making a movie with Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin and having it be a musical.
Then again, those checked jackets are the real horror show.
And look who we have here! David Nelson! From the same year he appeared in the immortal newspaper film “ – 30 – ”
Our mystery leading lady…
Update: This is Rhonda Fleming.
And finally our utterly unmysterious leading man.
Update: Victor Mature, about to enter some very lean years in his acting career.
Brain Trust roll call: Tucson Barbara (Thursday’s mystery trapeze artists), Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery guests and Thursday’s mystery trapeze artists and Back of the Head Guy), Richard Wegescheide (mystery movie, Monday’s and Tuesday’s mystery clowns and Wednesday’s Hi-Ho guest), Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mystery trapeze artists, Cropped-Out Guy and Back of the Head Guy), Sheila (Tuesday’s mystery clown, Wednesday’s mystery woman and Thursday’s mystery trapeze artist), E. Yarber (Thursday’s mystery trapeze artists), Sue Slutzky (Wednesday’s mystery woman, Thursday’s mystery trapeze artists), Sylvia E. (Thursday’s mystery trapeze artists, mystery circus saboteur, Cropped-Out Guy and Back of the Head Guy) and Anne Papineau (Thursday’s mystery trapeze artist).
A special thanks to Richard Wegescheide for sharing memories of the soundtrack for our mystery movie and E. Yarber for some behind-the-scenes information.
ladailymirror.com 
This is Peter Lorre, but I don’t know the movie.
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That’s Peter Lorre in The Big Circus! I think that’s Anne Dore on the right, and I’d say that was Marion Ross on the left but I’ve never seen her blonde.
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Today’s star is Peter Lorre in ‘The Big Circus’.
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Anne Dore, Peter Lorre, Marion Ross in THE BIG CIRCUS (1959).
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Peter Lorre in THE BIG CIRCUS?
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Anne Dore and Eden Hartford.
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I think it’s Peter Lorre, and looking at his c.v., I would guess that it’s from The Big Circus, a movie I’ve never seen. I don’t recognize either of the lovely ladies.
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The clown looks like Peter Lorre, but it’s probably too early in the week for somebody like him . . .
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Peter Lorre
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. . . but if it is Lorre, the movie must be THE BIG CIRCUS.
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Peter Lorre portraying “Skeeter” in “The Big Circus”
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Late career Peter Lorre? A most curious clown. Me too.
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Peter Lorre in “The Big Circus”
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Peter Lorre?
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Peter Lorre?
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Peter Lorre today but can’t come up with the films title. Not a lot of help this a.m.!!
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For Monday I think that underneath that clown white is Peter Lorre in The Big Circus from 1959.
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Mystery clown looks like Peter Lorre, but he seems rather tall.
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Peter Lorre in The Big Circus.
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Peter Lorre in The Big Circus. I’m not sure who the ladies are. I’ll have to do some research.
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The woman on the right looks a bit like Eden Hartford.
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Wow. On a Monday! That never happens for moi. (hmmm, unless this is just a movie within a movie and a character within the film is watching ‘The Big Circus’ because he – or she, loves clowns.) Anyway, assuming that this is a straightforward puzzle, here I go…
The Big Circus 1959
Our clown is Peter Lorre. Still working on his companions.
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Surely Peter Lorre is too well-known to be a Monday figure, even in heavy clown makeup. If he somehow managed to break into the quiz so early, then this week must be The Big Circus.
Would that be Eden Hartford, then Mrs. Groucho Marx, with him? She’s lovely, but much more in line with a Monday puzzler.
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The Big Circus w/Peter Lorre, Victor Mature, Red Buttons, Rhonda Fleming, Vincent Price,…
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Red buttons
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The Big Circus–with Peter Lorre, looking scarier than he did in M!
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Tuesday: Red Buttons in The Big Circus?
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Red Buttons
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Monday – Peter Lorre
Tuesday’s clown – Red Buttons
Movie – The Big Circus
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Either Peter Lorre got on an accelerated Atkins Diet or Tuesday is Red Buttons.
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I claim first prize in The Inverted Mystery Movie Contest: I am the only regular player who does not recognize any of the actors, does not know the whole cast, and does not know the name of the mystery film. I affirm that I did not withhold my answer in order to win this prize.
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Red Buttons.
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Red Buttons
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On Tuesday, Red Buttons
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Tuesday’s mystery clown looks like Red Buttons.
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Kathryn Grant and Steve Allen. You have too many Thursday and Friday people in this film.
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Kathryn Grant and Steve Allen
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Steverino on Wednesday, but isn’t that clip from “The Sunshine Boys?”
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Miss Wednesday is Mrs. Bing Crosby, Kathryn Grant….
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Wednesday’s mystery guest….Mrs Bing Crosby.
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John Cameron Swayze.
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Close! But alas, it is not Timex watch time.
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how about steve allen on tv
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Kathryn Grant and Steve Allen
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I was thinking that the clues were too easy. If it is The Big Circus, I was right.
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Steve Allen on the TV, but can’t relate him to a circus movie!
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On Wednesday, Kathryn Grant Crosby and Steverino
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I think Wednesday is Kathryn Grant. On the other hand, it may be Eden Marx. I’ve been getting so blurry about all this that I thought I saw Eden Marx on the street three times yesterday, once with Erin Fleming.
At least the second player can be positively identified as Mr. Jayne Meadows, Steve Allen himself, no doubt writing a song on camera.
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He’s more of a Friday (but on a Wednesday) is it Steve Allen?
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I have a guess at Monday’s dark haired ‘clown supporter’ – Eden Hartford (one of Groucho Marx’s wives and the sister of actress Dee Hartford) but I’m really not sure at all if it’s her.
There are a lot of folks in this picture who are relatives (by blood or marriage) to other celebs. Instead of writing up the cast, I’m going to take it one day at a time and guess-as-you-go, because I’m curious which actors you’ll decide to showcase tomorrow and who will be your Friday choices. This is a fun one.
Tuesday – substitute clown is Red Buttons
Wednesday – Kathryn Grant (later Crosby) and Steve Allen
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Adele Mara and Steve Allen
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As usual, I am either stumped or fooled. But I’m struck by the fact that the first picture of the clown has to be Peter Lorre, but the second photo of presumably the same clown looks like Red Buttons.
Oh well.
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The Big Circus. Wednesday: Steve Allen, Kathryn Grant. Monday’s clown is maybe Peter Lorre? and Tuesday’s clown could be Red Buttons. Clowns are so tricky.
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Gilbert Roland, Adele Mara, and maybe Steve Carruthers
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Wednesday: Kathryn Grant, Steve Allen.
Thursday: Gilbert Roland, Adele Mara, Nesdon Booth, Victor Mature.
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I believe it is the ‘The Big Circus’ with Victor Mature. Peter Lorre is Monday, Red Buttons is Tuesday and Steve Allen is Wednesday. I have to confess that I’ve never seen this movie. On my 7th birthday, my aunt gave me the soundtrack record album for this movie since I had gone to see Ringling Bros in the spring and enjoyed it. The album cover is in brilliant color with all the cast members in circus posses on the set. In the days of black and white tv, the color photo was something to stare at.
That album cover might also help with your actress identification.
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Gilbert Roland and Adele Mara, Vincent Price must be cut out, Nesdon Booth, and Victor Mature as back of the head guy.
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Red Buttons, Kathryn Grant, Gilbert Roland?
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A somewhat trimmed George “Gabby” Hayes.
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The happy high-flying couple is Gilbert Roland and Adele Mara. I assume the unshaven character is Charles Watts, but when I tried to look up a clear view of him online I wound up with a heck of a lot of pictures of the Rolling Stones.
I don’t know enough about this picture to go into a long discussion of it as I sometimes do, but you can always find a lot of interesting connections when you look into the cinematographer. Winton Hoch began in documentaries, worked for Disney in live action, shot The Searchers and The Quiet Man for John Ford, then began a long association with The Big Circus’s producer Irwin Allen in Movies and TV. Future best-selling author Irving Wallace paid his dues writing the script.
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Correction to Wednesday’s guess: Kathryn Grant. Today’s guests: Gilbert Roland and Adele Mara. I don’t recognize the man in the hat.
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Thurs. – Our mystery happy couple: Gilbert Roland and Adele Mara
Our ‘face front’ mystery guy is Dick Rich. Cropped out, screen left, plaid jacket guy I think is Vincent Price (found a photo with him in said jacket) and the reddish-brown jacketed, B-O-T-H guy I think is Victor Mature (lots of photos with him in a similarly colored jacket.)
Looking forward to Friday’s extravaganza with its 50s movie and TV stars (sans les clown make-up, avec les trapeze outfits and sporting 50s hair-dos.)
I so hope you include Howard McNear with your choices for the Friday group. Floyd the Barber may not have been a huge star in this movie, but what a treasure.
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Gilbert “Amigo” Roland
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Howard McNear, Vincent Price, Rhonda Fleming, and Victor Mature.
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Dick Rich as the saboteur Wednesday and is Marion Ross Mystery Lady #1 on Monday?
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Howard McNear, Vincent Price, Rhonda Fleming, and Victor Mature
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Friday: Howard McNear, Vincent Price, Rhonda Fleming and Victor Mature.
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I give up. It must be The Big Circus with Vincent and Rhonda and Victor. I hereby relinquish the earlier prize.
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Howard McNear; Vincent Price; Rhonda Fleming; Victor Mature.
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Considering that I am usually at a total loss for the Mystery Film, I’ll leave the unshaven guy alone and stick to what I know: Howard McNear behind bars, Vincent Price in the center ring, Rhonda Fleming preparing a press release, and Victor Mature hoping today’s filming will end in time for him to catch a few holes of golf.
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Ha-ha! There he is as part of Friday’s ‘reveals’, the wonderful Howard McNear (locked in a cage, but still – it’s Howard McNear and I adore him.) Thank you!
Vincent Price is our ring master. Rhonda Fleming, our leading lady and Victor Mature our leading man.
I’m guessing that David Nelson will be part of Saturday’s breakdown.
Really enjoyed looking into this one. Thanks.
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