This week’s mystery movie was the 1956 film Patterns, with Van Heflin, Everett Sloane, Ed Begley, Beatrice Straight, Elizabeth Wilson, Joanna Roos, Valerie Cossart, Eleni Kiamos, Ronnie Welsh, Shirley Standlee, Andrew Duggan, Jack Livesy, John Seymour, James Kelly, John Shelly, Victor Harrison, Sally Gracie, Sally Chamberlin and Edward Binns.
Edited by David Kummins and Carl Lerner. Assistant editor James Barclay, production manager Max Glandbard, unit manager James Di Gangi.
Assistant director Charles Maguire, continuity Marie Kenney, sound by Richard Gramaglia, camera operator Morris Hartzband, costumes by Mary Merrill, makeup by Herman Buchman.
Production design by Duane McKinny. Art direction by Richard Sylbert.
Photographed by Boris Kaufman.
Story and screenplay by Rod Serling.
Produced by Michael Myerberg.
Directed by Fielder Cook.
Patterns is available on DVD from TCM. It also streams on Film Detective, which specializes in lousy prints of public domain movies, often cut up with commercials.
More on the history of the film and its origins as a teleplay is available from the AFI catalog.
I picked Patterns because of two names: Rod Serling and Richard Sylbert. I have been a huge Serling fan since Twilight Zone and a Sylbert fan since Chinatown. I generally check to see if a mystery movie has aired recently on TCM, but I missed the broadcast of Patterns during its Van Heflin Summer Under the Stars tribute. I like to include films shot in New York every so often because they generally feature New York/Broadway actors.
Unfortunately, Lantern has vapor lock this morning, so I’m unable to research the trades’ coverage of the film.
Let’s see which New York Times critic hated it.
I suspect this is too small-fry for ol’ Bosley. But I could be wrong.
Indeed, Patterns was handed off to second-string reviewer A.H. Weiler, possibly the mysterious A.W. who reviewed Breakfast in Hollywood in 1946. Abe H. “Doc” Weiler (1908-2002) was motion picture editor of the New York Times, where he spent more than 50 years as writer, editor and critic. His last byline was the obituary, probably written in advance, of Col. Tim McCoy in 1978.
March 28, 1956:
There has been much speaking of minds, pro and con, anent differences between the movies and TV. Patterns, Rod Serling’s powerful video drama about life in the upper echelons of big business, was first televised in January 1955, and, without demeaning the phrase, brought back by popular demand a month later. It arrived on the Mayfair Theatre’s screen yesterday to prove strikingly that fine drama is universal. The sterling values of Patterns remain unchanged. Mr. Sterling has given us a creative, frightening and often moving portrait of familiar and rare executives caught in mahogany-paneled “jungles” with their teeth, hearts and minds bared.
For Monday, we have a mystery gent. Our mysterious leading man has just ducked into the elevator and is obscured by an extra passing in front of the camera.
Note: Our mystery movie is not especially well known, but someone likes it very much and has posted nearly every frame on IMDB. I may have to engage in subterfuge, if not actual chicanery, to foil image search engines.
Update: This is Edward Binns.
For Tuesday, we have a mystery woman.
Update: This is Joanna Roos.
Brain Trust roll call: David Inman (Monday’s mysterious elevator starter), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and Monday’s mysterious elevator starter), Michael Ryerson (mystery movie and Monday’s mysterious elevator starter), Robert Morrisey (Monday’s mysterious elevator starter), B.J. Merholz (mystery movie and Monday’s mysterious elevator starter), Jenny M. (mystery movie, mysterious elevator starter and blocked mystery leading man), Mike Hawks (mystery movie, Monday’s mysterious elevator starter and blocked mystery leading man), Sheila (mystery movie and Monday’s mysterious elevator starter), L.C. (mystery movie and mystery cast), Tucson Barbara (mystery movie and Monday’s mysterious elevator starter), Dan (mystery movie, Monday’s mysterious elevator starter and a nice rundown on the mystery film), Patrick (Monday’s mysterious elevator starter) and Roget-L.A. (mystery movie and Monday’s mysterious elevator starter).
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have a mystery woman.
Update: This is Elizabeth Wilson.
Brain Trust roll call: Tucson Barbara (Tuesday’s mystery woman), Howard Mandelbaum (Monday’s mysterious leading man, temporarily blocked by an extra), Michael Ryerson (Tuesday’s mystery woman), Mike Hawks (Tuesday’s mystery woman), Patrick (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery woman), Roget-L.A. (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery woman) and Mary Mallory (mystery movie and all mystery guests).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have this mysterious business meeting with various mysterious executives.
Update: This, from left, is Andrew Duggan, Ed Begley and Everett Sloane as Back of the Head Guy. We just had Sloane in The Big Knife and earlier this year in The Enforcer, so I put him in mystery movie jail with Van Johnson until next year. I think my favorite role for him, outside of Mr. Bernstein, is Franklin Gibbs in The Fever, a Twilight Zone episode about a compulsive gambler being chased by a slot machine. If you recognize Andrew Duggan from Bourbon Street Beat you get a gold star.
We also have this mysterious executive and his mystery son.
Update: This is Ed Begley and Ronnie Welsh.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Wednesday’s mystery woman), Floyd Thursby (mystery movie, Monday’s mysterious elevator starter and Wednesday’s mystery woman), Tucson Barbara (Wednesday’s mystery woman), Sarah (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery elevator starter), Howard Mandelbaum (Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s mystery women), Michael Ryerson (Wednesday’s mystery woman), Alexa (mystery movie, Monday’s mysterious elevator starter and Wednesday’s mystery woman), David Inman (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mystery woman), B.J. Merholz (Wednesday’s mystery woman), Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mystery woman), Patrick (Wednesday’s mystery woman), Sylvia E. (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Roget-L.A. (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mystery woman) and Funky PhD (mystery movie, Monday’s mysterious elevator starter and mysterious screenwriter).
For Friday, we have our mysterious leading man and mystery leading lady. Yes, she is wearing gloves.
Update: This is Van Heflin and Beatrice Straight.
Brain Trust roll call: Tucson Barbara (Thursday’s mystery guests), Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mystery guests), Chrisbo (Thursday’s mysterious executive), Michael Ryerson (Thursday’s mystery guests), Anne Papineau (mystery movie, Thursday’s mysterious executive and Back of the Head Guy), Beach Gal (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Charles Kjelland (Thursday’s mysterious executive), Gary (mystery movie, Wednesday’s mystery secretary and Thursday’s mystery guests, plus story about mystery director), Richard Wegescheide (mystery movie, Thursday’s mystery guests and Friday’s leading man), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery guests), Benito (Thursday’s mystery guests), Brutii (mystery movie, mystery TV show on which mystery movie was based, and Thursday’s mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery guests), Bruce (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery elevator starter and Thursday’s mystery executive) and Sylvia E. (Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Edward Binns today.
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Edward Binns in PATTERNS (1956)
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Looks like Edward Binns. Patterns (1956)
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The elevator man is Edward Binns, but I don’t know the movie this still is from.
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You mean Ed Binns is not the leading man in Patterns?
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Edward Binns in Patterns, with a hidden Van Heflin.
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Edward Binns and the ducking into man is Van Heflin from PATTERNS 1956.
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Elevator man Ed Binns in ‘Patterns’?
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Patterns (1956) w/Van Heflin, Everett Sloane, Ed Begley, Beatrice Straight, Edward Binns
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“Patterns”
Edward Binns
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I’ll guess Charles Aidman.
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Interestingly, I used to confuse him with our Monday mystery gent.
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A good guess, but alas, I’m afraid not.
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Oops — It’s Edward Bins in Patterns.
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One of your few easily identifiable Monday subjects. Edward Binns in “Patterns.” Like “Twelve Angry Men,” the movie followed the TV play. Rod Serling writing, Fielder Cook directing.
A great cast, same ensemble-type as Twelve Angry Men. This one had some fine performances by women–Beatrice Straight, Elizabeth Wilson, and others.
I think this was one of Binns’ earliest film roles–he was already almost forty. He went on to over 30 years of good film work.
And Van Heflin (stalwart), Everett Sloane (chilling), and Ed Begley (heartbreaking). Hard to beat.
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Edward Binns as the Chief Starter.
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Edward Binns in Patterns (1956)
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Tues – Joanna Roos
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Monday: Van Heflin
Tuesday: Valerie Cossart
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Tuesday may be Joanna Roos. Just spitballin’ here.
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Joanna Roos.
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Joanna Roos in Patterns from 1956.
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Sherlock Holmes in Washington?
John Archer in elevator?
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A good guess, but alas, I’m afraid not….
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Joanna Roos in Patterns (1956)
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PATTERNS. Edward Binns on Monday with Van Heflin entering the elevator and Joanna Roos today. Took me forever to get his name. TCM played this on Van Heflin Day a week or two ago, but I really only paid attention to the scenes of the two main men stars together.
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Elizabeth Wilson.
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Edward Binns for Monday and Elizabeth Wilson for Wednesday. The movie is “Patterns.”
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Elizabeth Wilson for Wednesday
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Monday: Joanna Roos
Tuesday: Elizabeth Wilson
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Elizabeth Wilson.
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Patterns!
Edward Binns
Elizabeth Wilson
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Elizabeth Wilson today, making this “Patterns.”
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Playing the game is fun, but the real pleasure of checking out the Mystery Photo is seeing the great faces and being reminded of the great performers like Elizabeth Wilson.
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Elizabeth Wilson.
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Elizabeth Wilson on Wednesday.
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Wednesday’s woman looks like Elizabeth Wilson.
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Wednesday’s mystery woman is Elizabeth Wilson in Patterns (1956)
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It was Elizabeth Wilson!
“Patterns” 1956 (screenplay by Rod Serling)
Monday – Edward Binns and (obscured by the extra) Van Heflin
Tuesday – Joanna Roos
Wednesday – Ms. Wilson (yay!)
Guessing that the future will reveal Mr. Heflin, Everett Sloane, Ed Begley, Beatrice Straight and Andrew Duggan
The screen-grabs in IMDb that you mentioned, reminded me very much of Serling’s TZ episode, “Last Stop Willoughby”, also set in that corporate world.
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Edward Binns is the elevator starter in Patterns, with a script by Rod Serling!
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John Shelly, Andrew Duggan, Ed Begley, Everett Sloane, Mr. Begley, Ronnie Welsh
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Andrew Duggan, Ed Begley, and Everett Sloane, this Begley with Ronnie Welsch.
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I think that executive is Ed Begley
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For Thursday we have John Shelly, Andrew Duggan, Ed Begley, and Everett Sloane. And then Ed Begley and Ronnie Welsh.
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On Thursday, Ed Begley and Everett Sloane in Rod Serling’s “Patterns”
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Our film is Patterns (1956)
Monday elevator starter is Edward Binns. Lead actor hidden is Van Heflin
Tues is Joanna Roos
Wed is Elizabeth Wilson
Thurs Ed Beagley, Andrew Dugan, man at head of table seen in profile I think is Everett Sloan. Last frame on Thurs is Ed Beagley and Ronnie Welsh
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Ed Begley today
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This movie is not especially well known…except to members of the brain trust all of whom got It on Monday. Here I am with my usual Thursday Guess…Ed Begley, Everret Sloan ad Eliz. Wilson in Patterns. In the 80’s and 90’s the director was a very good friend of my best friend but somehow I never met him.Hmmm.
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You have Andrew Duggan, Ed Begley, Sr. and Everett Sloan on Thursday. If Van Heflin shows up on Friday, then the movie is ‘Patterns’. BTW, Cinemoi channel plays this movie a lot.
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Andrew Duggan, Ed Begley, Everett Sloane and Ronnie Welsh.
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Andrew Duggan, Ed Begley and Everett Sloane today, looking grim
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Aha! The film is Patterns, which is the feature film version of the Live Television play of Patterns from a couple years earlier. All the same cast except the lead I believe. I have seen this film (and the tv version) a few times, really good!
And that’s Ed Begley Sr on Thursday. And the fellow in the board meeting at the right is Ev Sloane – so mean and so good in the picture.
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Jack Livesey, Andrew Duggan, Ed Begley, Everett Sloane
Ed Begley, Ronnie Welch
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I’ll guess “Patterns”, with Ed Begley on Thursday. Confession: googled “Ed Begley” and “elevator starter” and figured out from the reult that Monday was Edward Binns.
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Ronnie Welsh is Ed Begley’s son. Edward Sloane with his back to us with Begley and Andrew Duggan at the conference table.
Boy that guy next to Duggan looks familiar. Not sure though. So many members of the “I know that guy, or that gal” club in this movie.
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Beatrice Straight and Van Heflin.
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Fri we have Van Heflin and Beatrice Straight
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Friday – Beatrice Straight and Van Heflin in (as you often say) “the before times”, feeling happy and excited about Van’s new gig.
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Beatrice Straight and Van Heflin
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And for Friday we have Van Heflin and Beatrice Straight and what appears to be a 50-51 Ford Woody. Nice.
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Beatrice Straight, Van Heflin.
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Beatrice Straight and Van Heflin.
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Thanks to all who loved Patterns. My dad was David Kummins, the film editor. He died in 1955 but left behind a legacy of great film making!
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