This week’s mystery movie was the 1929 First National picture Weary River, with Richard Barthelmess, Betty Compson, William Holden, Louis Natheaux, George Stone, Raymond Turner and Gladden James.
Story by Courtney Riley Cooper. Screen version by Bradley King.
Photographed by Ernie Haller. Art direction by John J. Hughes. Costumes by Max Ree. Edited by Edward Schroeder and James Gibbon.
Titles by Paul Perez. Special photography by Alvin Knechtel.
Directed by Frank Lloyd.
Musical score and Vitaphone Symphony Orchestra conducted by Louis Silvers.
Restored by the Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division, UCLA Film and Television Archive and Warner Bros. / Turner Entertainment Co.
Weary River is available on DVD in a Warner Archive (RIP) edition from TCM. It aired early this year on TCM.
More on the history of the film is available from the AFI catalog.
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I picked “Weary River” by going through the trades for 1931, looking for a movie that had gotten favorable reviews. Weary River is an odd transitional movie, partly silent and partly talkie, with a musical score throughout. The silent portions of the film seem oddly as though they were shot with dialogue, which was stripped out and replaced with just a few titles.
This is a proto-Warner Bros. prison movie with lots of implausibilities: A dapper racketeer with a gift for music goes to prison and reforms, becoming a popular bandleader. With, of course, setbacks along the way.
This is 1929, too early for Bosley Crowther to hate. So I’m guessing we’ll have something from Mordaunt Hall. Or possibly Andre Sennwald.
Yes it’s Mordaunt Hall!
And he hated it!!! Jan. 25, 1929:
Richard Barthlemess was heard as well as seen last night from the screen of the Central Theatre in a First National Vitaphone picture called Weary River. The chief attribute of this banal jailbird tale is that it has some interesting prison sequences, and perhaps there are those who may enthuse over Mr. Barthelmess’s rendition of a song, also known as Weary River. He does sing it quite well, but it would take a far better singer and a much better song to atone for the lack of imagination and suspense in this photoplay, which is one of those that slip from silence to sound every now and again.
For Monday, we have a mystery gent.
Update: This is Ray Turner.
For Tuesday, we have a mystery gent.
Update: This is William Holden. (No, not that William Holden).
Brain Trust roll call: Mike Hawks (Monday’s mystery gent).
Dan Nather: You’re half-right.
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have two mystery gents.
Update: This is
Robert Emmett O’Connor (Henderson – plain clothes man in A Night at the Opera) and Jim Farley.
Brain Trust roll call: Jenny M. (Monday’s mystery guest), Mike Hawks (mystery movie, Tuesday’s mysterious prison warden) and Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and both mystery guests).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have a mystery gent. His companion has been cropped out due to insufficient mysteriousness and will appear Friday.
Update: For Friday, adding our mysterious leading lady.
Update: This is Betty Compson and George E. Stone (Toothpick Charlie in Some Like It Hot).
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery movie and all mystery guests), David Inman (Wednesday’s mysterious detective No. 1, who looks like an old clothes man), Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mysterious detective No. 1), Sheila (mystery movie and Monday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests), Anne Papineau (Wednesday’s mysterious detective No. 1) and Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mysterious detectives).
For Friday, we have our mysterious leading lady….
Update: This is Betty Compson.
And mysterious leading man.
Update: This is Richard Barthlemess.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mystery gent, without his trademark toothpick), Floyd Thursby (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery guest, Wednesday’s mysterious detective No. 1 and Thursday’s mysterious gent without his trademark toothpick), David Inman (Thursday’s mysterious gent), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery guest), B.J. Merholz (Thursday’s mystery gent, sans toothpick), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery gent), Anne Papineau (Thursday’s mystery gent) and Dan Nather (mystery movie and all mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Willie Best.
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An excellent guess, but alas, I’m afraid not.
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Following, but I haven’t a clue!
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Looks like Willie Best to me.
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That’s two votes for Willie. Alas, I’m afraid not.
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Ray Turner.
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Just a wild guess…Dinner at Eight.
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Alas, I’m afraid not. Probably too well known to be a mystery movie. 🙂
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I think this may be Willie Best, who portrayed many elevator operators.
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That is three votes for Willie. But alas, I’m afraid not.
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Whoever this is, I think he’s in a silent movie . . .
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Stepin Fetchit
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Another good guess. But alas, I’m afraid not.
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Nick Stewart.
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An excellent guess, but alas, I’m afraid not.
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Charles R. Moore and Emile Chautard in BLONDE VENUS.
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An interesting guess, but alas, I’m afraid not.
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Monday’s guest is Ray Turner.
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William Holden in WEARY RIVER 1929.
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Ray Turner on Monday.
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William Holden in WEARY RIVER (1929).
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I’m guessing a young Eddie Anderson on Monday.
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Blue Washington Monday.
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WEARY RIVER. Ray Turner Monday, William Holden Tuesday, Robert Emmett O’Connor and Jim Farley today.
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Wednesday’s gent without the hat is Robert Emmett O’Connor, probably playing a cop. That’s all I got.
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At right Robert Emmett O’Connor.
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I meant man on left side. PARDON ME.
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Ray Turner for Monday, Robert Emmett O’Connor and Jim Farley for Wednesday, ‘Weary River’?
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On Wednesday, might that be Jones, I mean, Robert Emmett O’Connor
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Robert Emmett O’Connor, Jim Farley.
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Yay! George E. Stone.
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Mischa Auer
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You have good company on Mischa Auer. But alas….
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For Monday we have Ray Turner; for Wednesday we have Robert Emmett O’Connor; for Thursday we have George E. Stone. The movie is “Weary River.”
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George E. Stone today.
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George E. Stone.
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George E. Stone
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Richard Barthelmass, George E, Stone.
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Osgood Perkins, aka Anthony’s daddy?
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George E. Stone?
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Ah! That’s why I’m half-right — it’s only half-silent!
WEARY RIVER (1929)
Monday: Raymond Turner
Tuesday: William Holden (the elder)
Wednesday: Robert Emmett O’Connor, Jim Farley
Thursday: George E. Stone
Waiting for Richard Barthelmess and Betty Compson tomorrow . . .
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Thursay…Mischa Auer?
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Two votes for Mischa Auer! But alas….
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Betty Compson and Richard Barthelmess, two wonderful silent performers,
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Richard Barthelmess at the keyboard — “Weary River”?
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Betty Compson and Richard Barthelmess.
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Richard Barthelmess today
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Betty Compson; Richard Barthelmass.
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