This week’s mystery movie was the 1949 film “Cover Up,” with William Bendix, Dennis O’Keefe, Barbara Britton, Art Baker, Ann E. Todd, Doro Merande, Virginia Christine, Helen Spring, Ruth Lee and Henry Hall.
Original screenplay by Jerome Odlum and Jonathan Rix. Additional dialogue by Francis Swann and Lawrence Kimble.
Music by Hans J. Salter. Photography by Ernest Laszlo, art direction by Jerome Pycha Jr.
Production manager Lewis J. Rachmil, edited by Fred W. Berger. Assistant director Harold Godsoe. Set decoration by Robert Priestley, makeup by Mel Berns, sound by William Lynch, wardrobe by Earl Moser, orchestrations by Harold Byrns.
Produced by Ted Nasser. Directed by Alfred E. Green.
“Cover Up” is available on DVD from TCM.
“Cover Up” was a last-minute replacement. In previewing my first choice for a mystery film, I quickly discovered the print was so atrocious that it was unwatchable and that frame grabs would be impossible. It just aired on TCM for Christmas (it has a holiday theme) and the disc was on my DVD player. So we are.
It’s an OK B movie with the usual detective yarn resolution about “the killer had to be LEFT-HANDED!”
I’m betting the New York Times didn’t bother to review it. Let’s see.
Nope. Didn’t review it.
Harrison’s Reports (Feb. 26, 1949) said:
Although it lacks a strong melodramatic punch, this is a well produced and directed murder mystery; it holds one’s interest throughout. What makes it different from most pictures of its type is the fact that a charming romance takes place while the hero attempts to prove that the dead man had not committed suicide but had been murdered. The romance is so charming, in fact, that when the picture ends it leaves the spectator with a pleasant feeling. In the melodramatic scenes, one’s interest is whetted by a desire to know how Dennis O’Keefe will prove his contention that the dead man had been murdered. There is considerable comedy throughout. O’Keefe is very good in the role of an insurance investigator, as is William Bendix as the sheriff. The photography is fine.
Motion Picture Daily (March 8, 1949) said: “Easily meets the demands of its classification.”
For Monday, we have a mystery lad. I adjusted the photo for clarity, because this scene of our mystery movie is set in a movie theater and is quite dark.
Update: This is George McDonald, whom you may remember from “Fighting Father Dunne.”
For Tuesday, we have a mysterious gent with sleeve protectors and an eyeshade.
Update: Yes, I have a soft spot for newspaper editors in old movies, especially ones with a visor and sleeve protectors. This is Jamesson Shade.
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have this mystery woman.
Update: This is Ann E. Todd.
Also for “Hm Wednesday,” we have this mystery woman with Back of the Head Guy, who will appear Friday.
Update: Yes, this is Virginia Christine, Mrs. Olson from the Folger’s coffee commercials.
For “Aha Thursday,” we have this mystery woman.
Update: This is Doro Merande.
We also have this mystery gent.
Update: This is Art Baker.
Brain Trust roll call: L.C. (mystery movie and mystery cast), Sylvia E. (Wednesday’s mystery woman No. 2), Tucson Barbara (Wednesday’s mystery woman No. 2), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and all mystery guests), David Inman (Wednesday’s mystery woman No. 2), Jenny M. (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery lad and Wednesday’s mystery women), Anne Papineau (mystery movie, Tuesday’s mysterious newspaper editor and Wednesday’s mystery woman No. 2), Michael Ryerson (Wednesday’s mystery woman No. 2 — welcome back. We missed you!), Mary Mallory (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery lad and Wednesday’s mystery women, plus Back of the Head Guy), Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mystery woman No. 2), Sheila (Wednesday’s mystery woman No. 2), Tucson Barbara (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery lad and Wednesday’s mystery women), Alexa (mystery movie), Blackwing Jenny (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery lad and Wednesday’s mystery women), Beach Gal (Wednesday’s mystery woman No. 2) and Thom and Megan (Wednesday’s astonished mystery woman No. 2).
For Friday, we have this mysterious sheriff.
Update: This is William Bendix.
We also have this astonished man with a gun.
Update: This is Dennis O’Keefe in the “Aha! The killer was LEFT-HANDED!” moment.
And our astonished mystery gent has a mysterious companion. Yes, that is a Christmas tree.
Update: This is Barbara Britton and Dennis O’Keefe.
Brain Trust roll call: Beach Gal (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery lad, Wednesday’s mystery woman No. 1 and Back of the Head Guy and Thursday’s mystery gent), Tucson Barbara (Thursday’s mystery woman), Mary Mallory (Tuesday’s mysterious newspaper editor and Thursday’s mystery guests), Floyd Thursby (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery woman), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery guests), Mike Hawks (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery lad, Wednesday’s mystery woman No. 1 and Thursday’s mystery guests), Patrick (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Blackwing Jenny (Thursday’s mystery guests), Sylvia E. (mystery movie and all mystery guests), B.J. Merholz (Thursday’s mystery gent) and Gary (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Is that Dickie Moore? I don’t know the movie though.
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Alas, Dickie Moore would have been too old for this role.
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Dean Stockwell?
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A good guess, but alas, I’m afraid not.
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Aha! Wednesday brings ‘Mrs. Olson’ before her days of carrying around cans of coffee. The hunt is on, for her actual name and the BOTH guy!
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Cover Up (1949) w/William Bendix, Dennis O’Keefe, Barbara Britton, Virginia Christine, George McDonald, Ann E. Todd …
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Fingers crossed that it is ‘Mrs Olson’, she of Folgers coffee fame, Virginia Christine.
My first movie guess is “Incident in an Alley” (1962) but that’s only because of what I’ve read in the summary of that picture and the images so far look like that era.
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Virginia Christine.
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COVER UP (1949)
Monday: George McDonald
Tuesday: Jamesson Shade
Wednesday: Helen Spring, Ann E. Todd; Virginia Christine with Dennis O’Keefe
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Virginia Christine today.
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Movie – Cover Up (1949)
Monday – George MacDonald
Tuesday – Ben Hall
Wednesday – Ann E. Todd and Virginia Christine
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On Wednesday, Virginia Christine?
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Wednesday’s pretty woman looks very much like Virginia Christine. Sorry for my absence lately, real life intrudes.
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Virginia Christine. ow I can work on everyone else.
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Virginia Christine.
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Virginia Christine for Wednesday?
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COVER UP. Dennis O’Keefe as BOTH guy today. George MacDonald Monday, Ben Hall Tuesday and Ann. E. Todd today. It has a nice Christmas setting for a noir title.
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“Cover Up”
Mon – George McDonald
Tues – Ben Hall
Wed – Ann E. Todd, Virginia Christine
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Hoping the film is “Cover Up,” 1949, with Jamesson Shade as the newspaper editor and Helen Spring as the young girl.
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Cover Up 1949
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Is the kid Gary Gray?
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Today’s blonde is Virginia Christine.
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The brunette is Ann [E.] Todd. Boy is George MacDonald…movie is “Cover Up”!
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Is mystery woman #2/Wed Virginia Christine?
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Virginia Christine is slightly astonished, but not as appalled as the other mystery woman.
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Thurs mystery woman is Doro Merande. Tues gent with visor is Jamesson Shade. Monday boy is George McDonald. Wed teen/woman is Ann E Todd. I think Thurs gent is Art Baker. Our movie is Cover-Up.
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Wed bothg is Dennis O’Keefe.
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Doro Merande
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Jamesson Shade as the newspaper editor, Doro Merande and Art Baker today.
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For Thursday we have Doro Merande. The movie is “Cover Up.”
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Doro Merande; Art Baker.
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George Mcdonald, Ann Todd, Art Baker and Doro Merando in COVER UP.
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George McDonald, Jamesson Shade, Ann E. Todd, Virginia Christine with BOHG Dennis O’Keefe, Doro Merande and Art Baker in Cover Up from 1949.
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Doro Merande and Art Baker at the microphone.
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“Cover Up” 1949 (I was waaaaayyyy off on the era)
Monday’s kid – George McDonald
Tuesday – assuming that this is the Editor in the IMDb list: Jamesson Shade (great name)
Wednesday – Image 1 is Ann E. Todd, sitting at the feet of ‘cropped out Mom’ Helen Spring
image 2; Virginia Christine’s BOTHG is Dennis O’Keefe
Thursday – Image 1 – Doro Merande and Image 2 is Art Baker
So, Friday will bring a full shot of Mr. O’Keefe, Barbara Britton and William Bendix
Looking forward to hearing more about this one. Interesting to see that O’Keefe had a hand in writing the screenplay as ‘Jonathan Rix’ – I found some others with that credit, too.
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Art Baker talking into a tripod?
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how about Cover Up 1949 with art baker and Doro Merande.
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William Bendix, Dennis O’Keefe, and Barbara Britton.
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William Bendix, Dennis O’Keefe, Barbara Britton
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William Bendix is Friday’s mysterious sheriff. Virginia Christine (Mrs. Olson in the Folgers commercials) is Wednesday’s mysterious woman, which makes this movie Cover Up.
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William Bendix; Dennis O’Keefe; Barbara Britton.
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William Bendix, Dennis O’Keefe and Barbara Britton.
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Friday – William Bendix, Barbara Britton and Dennis O’Keefe.
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You missed my listing yesterday of 2 of our characters, behind the mic is Art Baker. Our maid is character actress Doro Merande
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Oops. You got Art Baker. The one I had listed on Thurs was our newspaper editor Sam places the ad with, Jamesson Shade.
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William Bendix, Dennis O’Keefe and “Mrs. Olsen” in COVER UP 1949
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Cover up (1949). William Bendix and Dennis O’Keefe on Friday?
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