This week’s mystery movie was the 1950 Paramount film “The File on Thelma Jordon,” with Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey, Paul Kelly, Joan Tetzel, Stanley Ridges, Richard Rober, Minor Watson, Barry Kelley and Laura Elliot.
Screenplay by Ketti Frings from a story by Marty Holland.
Photography by George Barnes, art direction by Hans Dreier and Earl Hedrick, special effects by Gordon Jennings. Process photography by Farciot Edouart. Set decoration by Sam Comer and Bertram Granger.
Editorial supervision by Warren Low. Costumes by Edith Head. Makeup by Wally Westmore. Sound by Harry Lindgren and Walter Oberst. Assistant director Francisco Day.
Music by Victor Young.
Produced by Hal B. Wallis.
Directed by Robert Siodmak.
“The File on Thelma Jordon” is available on DVD from TCM. It’s also available from Amazon on Blu-ray and streaming.
“Thelma Jordon” makes two Siodmak films back to back after “The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry,” which is my quota for this year, also exhausting my quota for George Sanders and Barbara Stanwyck pictures. I picked it at random from the Film Noir section of my local video store. I would rate it as OK but no more than that. There are the usual flawed individuals and double-crosses, but all rather typical for the noir genre.
Wendell Corey plays a prosecutor who drinks too much and avoids going home because his father-in-law, who visits regularly, is annoying. He kinda/sorta loves his wife (Joan Tetzel) and kids but meets the troublesome woman of the picture (Barbara Stanwyck) and the plot is off and if not running at least jogging. There is a murder because the plot demands it. There is the troublesome woman’s playboy amour (Richard Rober) because the plot needs a double-cross. Everybody pays the price and roll credits.
Bonus trivia: Photoplay magazine offered the pattern for one of Stanwyck’s dresses.
The New York Times, of course, did not like it. Writing Jan. 19, 1950, A.W. said:
The perplexing aspects of sacred and profane love, which have troubled both the loved and unloved as well as scenarists, are tough hurdles apparently. For in “Thelma Jordon,” which came to the Paramount yesterday, these amours, which involve a basically fine family man and the designing dame he can’t resist, seem to have stumped the experts who made the picture. “Thelma Jordon” is, for all of its production polish, adult dialogue and intelligent acting, a strangely halting and sometimes confusing work. And, though it is concerned with emotions, great emotional impact is not one of its shining attributes.
For Monday, we have another mystery doggo. His mystery companion has been cropped out due to insufficient mysteriousness and will appear Friday.
Update: For Friday, we have the mystery owner of the mysterious doggo.
Update: This is an unidentified shaggy dog and Barbara Stanwyck.
We also have this mystery woman. She does not approve of such goings-on by our leading man.
Update: This is perennial cleaning woman Mary Gordon.
For Tuesday, we have a mystery woman. Her companion has been cropped out due to insufficient mysteriousness and will appear Friday.
Update: For Friday, our mystery leading lady is revealed.
Update: This is Barbara Stanwyck and Geraldine Wall.
And we have this mystery gent.
Update: This is Stanley Ridges.
Brain Trust roll call: Jenny M. (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery leading lady who has been cropped out and mystery cleaning woman), Noir Allie (Monday’s mystery cleaning woman) and Megan and Thom (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery cleaning woman).
For “Aha Wednesday,” we have this mystery gentleman.
Update: This is Barry Kelley.
We also have this mystery woman. And she’s armed.
Update: This is Gertrude Hoffman.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Gary (Monday’s mystery cleaning woman), Sheila (mystery movie and all mystery guests) and Megan and Thom (Tuesday’s mystery guests).
Later update: For some reason, a few comments ended up in the spam filter. Adding Mike Hawks (mystery movie and all mystery guests) and Earl Boebert (mystery movie, mystery car, Monday’s mystery cleaning woman and Tuesday’s mystery jail matron).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have a mystery gent with some serious lapels.
Update: This is Richard Rober.
We also have this mystery gentleman, with more subdued lapels.
Update: This is Paul Kelly.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery movie and all mystery guests), B.J. Merholz (mystery movie), Tucson Barbara (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery guests) and Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mystery guests).
Note: I have been tinkering with my spam settings due to a recent increase and several responses inadvertently ended up marked as spam. If you think I have overlooked your answers, drop me an email
For Friday, we have this mystery woman. She does not approve of such goings-on.
Update: This is Joan Tetzel.
Also for Friday, our mysterious leading man has issues with drinking. He has issues in a number of areas in our mystery movie, liquor being one of them.
Update: This is Wendell Corey.
Our mystery leading lady being one of our mysterious leading man’s other issues.
Update: This is Barbara Stanwyck and Wendell Corey.
Brain Trust roll call: Tucson Barbara (Thursday’s mystery guests), Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery guests), L.C. (mystery movie and mystery cast), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery guests), Noir Allie (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery gent No. 2), and Benito (Thursday’s mystery gent No. 2).
ladailymirror.com 
I would say that it’s the dog who played “The Shaggy Dog” in the Disney movie, but that’s too easy.
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Tommy Kirk will not be appearing in this week’s mystery film.
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Shaggy dog is being driven by unseen Barbara Stanwyck. The cleaning woman is Mary Gordon. All appear in the movie The File on Thelma Jordon.
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Mary Gordon?
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Our mystery movie is The File on Thelma Jordon, with Mary Gordon as our human guest.
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“bombshell” 1933
totally a shot in the dark because of the pooch. I’m sure the movie is later than the 30’s
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You’re right. It’s another decade. 🙂
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PIerre Watkin.
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An excellent guess! But alas, I’m afraid not.
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“The File on Thelma Jordon” (1950)
Monday: Mary Gordon
Tuesday: Geraldine Wall; Stanley Ridges
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Sure but its Mary Gordon.
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A shot in the dark — “You Never Can Tell.”
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An interesting guess! But alas, our mystery doggo doesn’t inherit anything.
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Mary Gordon, Geraldine Wall and Stanley Ridges in THE FILE ON THELMA JORDAN.
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Mary Gordon, Geraldine Wall and Stanley Ridges in THE FILE ON THELMA JORDAN.
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Big Town Scandal?
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Good guess, but alas….
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Mary Gordon, Geraldine Wall, Stanley Ridges, ‘The File on Thelma Jordon’
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Monday’s car is a 1946 Chrysler Town and Country sedan, and the International Movie Car Data Base leads me to 1949’s “The File on Thelma Jordan,” which makes today’s matron Geraldine Wall, and Monday’s charwoman Mary Gordon. I presume we’ll see Barbara Stanwyck on Friday.
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The Judge Steps Out?
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Right decade, but alas, wrong studio.
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Our guests for today are Stanley Ridges and Geraldine Wall.
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THE FILE ON THELMA JORDON. Barbara Stanwyck unseen Monday, Mary Gordon, Ethel Bryant and Bert Stevens Tuesday, Barry Kelley and Gertrude Hoffman today.
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The File on Thelma Jordan
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“The File on Thelma Jordan”
Mon – La Stanwyck, Mary Gordon
Tues – Geraldine Wall
Wed – Barry Kelley, Gertrude Hoffman
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“The File on Thelma Jordan”
Mon – La Stanwyck, Mary Gordon
Tues – Geraldine Wall
Wed – Barry Kelley, Gertrude Hoffman
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Barry Kelley; Gertrude Hoffman
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Barry Kelley and Gertrude Hoffman.
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“The File on Thelma Jordan”
Mon – La Stanwyck, Mary Gordon
Tues -Geraldine Wall
Wed – Barry Kelley, Gertrude Hoffman
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Richard Rober, Paul Kelly
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No idea what the movie is, but Isn’t Mr. Thursday 2 wearing the same jacket Harry Von Zell wore last week?
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Harry Von Zell seems to have preferred tweeds over pinstripes.
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Richard Rober and Paul Kelly. The extra + is not showing up, I just scrolled down to the see the Thursday photos there.
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Richard Rober; Paul Kelly.
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The File of Thelma Jordan (1948) Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey, Paul Kelly, Geraldine Wall, Mary Gordon, Richard Rober…
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Richard Rober and Paul Kelly.
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I see Paul Kelly. Is it The File on Thelma Jordan?
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Paul Kelly today
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Barbsra Stanwyck appearing all over the lace, then Joan Tetzel, Stanwyck, and Wendell Corey. Poor thing, he had a drinking problem in real life.
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Barbara Stanwyck and Wendell Corey
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Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Tetzel and Wendell Corey.
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The File on Thelma Jordan 1949
Barbara Stanwyck and Wendell Corey
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Fri. Joan Tetzel Wendell Corey, Barbara Stanwyck & Wendell Corey – The File on Thelma Jordan
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Monday charwoman Mary Gordon
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Tues matron Geraldine Wall
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Thurs gent #2 Paul Kelly
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Wed Gertrude Hoffman
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Wed gent is Barry Kelley
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Tues gent is Stanley Ridges
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Thurs gent #1 Richard Rober
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Joan Tetzel; Wendel Corey; Barbara Stanwyck.
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THE FILE ON THELMA JORDON 1949. PS Stanwyck and Corey also paired up in THE FURIES
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