This week’s mystery movie was the 1942 Twentieth Century-Fox picture Moontide, with Jean Gabin, Ida Lupino, Thomas Mitchell, Claude Rains, Jerome Cowan, Helene Reynolds, Ralph Byrd, William Halligan, Sen Yung, Chester Gan, Robin Raymond, Arthur Aylesworth, Arthur Hohl, John Kelly, Ralph Dunn, Tully Marshall and Tom Dugan.
Screenplay by John O’Hara from the novel by Willard Robertson.
Photography by Charles Clarke.
Art direction by Richard Day and James Basevi. Set decoration by Thomas Little.
Edited by William Reynolds. Costumes by Gwen Wakeling.
Makeup by Guy Pearce. Sound by Eugene Grossman and Roger Heman.
Music by Cyril J. Mockridge and David Buttolph.
Produced by Mark Hellinger.
Directed by Archie Mayo.
Moontide is available on DVD from Critics’ Choice Videos.
More on the complicated history of Moontide is available from the AFI catalog.
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I picked Moontide at random, partly because of Jean Gabin (his Hollywood debut), because Claude Rains is a bit hard to recognize (always good for a mystery movie), because of Ida Lupino, who is always wonderful. And because of the wild plot. The photography is excellent and the “drinking” montage is quite remarkable as is the sequence where Robin Raymond vanishes so only her dress remains. As Howard pointed out in an email, there’s a pronounced gay subtext. It’s a wild movie.
I would expect Bosley Crowther to hate Moontide, so let’s see….
He doesn’t exactly hate it (April 30, 1942), but he quibbles. A lot:
The strapping masculine charm of tough Jean Gabin, oft-time called “the Spencer Tracy of French pictures,” which heretofore has been limited to his native Gallic films, is now being wholesaled to American audiences by Twentieth Century-Fox in the actor’s first Hollywood venture, Moontide, which came last night to the Rivoli. And “wholesaled” is just the participle, for seldom has an actor’s frank allure been quite as deliberately and as obviously dished up in amplitude as is Mr. Gabin’s strange enchantment in this ponderously moody film.
You might almost think the lights and camera were working on a glamorous female star from the way they are concentrated on Mr. Gabin’s roughly handsome phiz. You might suspect his drowsy eyes, his tight lips and his thatch of grizzled hair were more important to the picture than the usual conventions of a plot. Indeed, you might even get the impression that the film was made mainly to show him off. And, at that you might not be so far wrong. Mr. Gabin supersedes all else in it.
For Monday, we have a mystery guest.
Update: This is Chester Gan.
For Tuesday, we have a mystery woman. Her companion has been cropped out due to insufficient mysteriousness and will appear later.
Update: For Friday, adding mysterious Back of the Head Guy.
Update: This is Jean Gabin as Back of the Head Guy and Robin Raymond. Also the dress.
Brain Trust roll call: The Starlight Studio (Monday’s mystery guest) and Jenny M. (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery guest).
For Wednesday, we have three mysterious gents.
Update: This is Claude Rains, left, Tommy Mack, center, and William Halligan.
Brain Trust roll call: Jenny M. (Tuesday’s mystery woman), Beach Gal (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Pat in Michigan (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery woman) and L.C. (mystery movie and mystery cast).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have this mysterious boater and his mysterious companion.
Update: This is Helene Reynolds and Jerome Cowan.
And we have a mystery fellow in a splendid newsboy cap with Back of the Head Guy.
Update: This is Jean Gabin as Back of the Head Guy and Thomas Mitchell in a fine newsboy cap. Mitchell is cast quite against his type here.
Brain Trust roll call: Beach Gal (Monday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests Nos. 1 and 3), Mary Mallory (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery guest, Back of the Head Guy and Wednesday’s mystery guests Nos. 1 and 3), Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery guests), Mike Hawks (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery guest and Wednesday’s mystery guest No. 1), Blackwing Jenny (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mystery guest No. 1), Sheila (mystery movie, Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests), Sylvia E. (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Roget-L.A. (mystery movie, Monday’s and Tuesday’s mystery guests, Back of the Head Guy and Wednesday’s mystery guests Nos. 1 and 3) and Benito (Wednesday’s mystery guest No. 1. Yee-haaaa!)
For Friday, we have a mystery woman.
Update: This is Ida Lupino.
And this mysterious fellow.
Update: This is Jean Gabin.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mystery guests and Back of the Head Guy), Beach Gal (Wednesday’s mystery waiter, Thursday’s mystery guests, Back of the Head Guy), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mystery guests and Back of the Head Guy), Anne Papineau (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery guests), Gary (mystery movie, Thursday’s mystery man in newsboy cap and Back of the Head Guy), Benito (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery gents), Sylvia E. (Thursday’s mystery guests and Back of the Head Guy), Suzanne Stone (mystery movie, Wednesday’s mystery fellow No. 1, Thursday’s mystery gents and Back of the Head Guy), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery guests and Back of the Head Guy) and Megan and Thom (mystery movie, all mystery guests and Back of the Head Guy).
ladailymirror.com 
Chester Gan
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Willie Fung today?
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Looks like a flashback scene w/a Korean soldier. I’m going to guess “The Rack” 1956.
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Chester Gan in Moontide.
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Robin Raymond
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Is Monday Philip Ahn? … With Tues possibly being Betty Bryant possibly?
If so, then my guess is Saigon 1947/48.
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Chester Gan in MOON TIDE.
Today: Robin Raymond with Jean Gabin.
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A sliver of William Hopper on Tuesday?
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I just happened to watch a bad copy of this weird little movie last week on YouTube. “Moontide”. Tuesday’s guest is Robin Raymond.
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Moontide (1942) w/Ida Lupino, Jean Gabin, Claude Raines, Thomas Mitchell, Victor Sen Yung, Robin Raymond…
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Danny Kaye as the cropped out mystery companion and one of many Goldwyn Girls and/or dancers in “Up in Arms” (1944)?
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New guess. I think our film is the ’42 noir Moontide.
Monday – Victor Sen Yung
Tues – Robin Raymond in “that” dress!
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Tues – that is Jean Gabin on the left cropped out
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MOONTIDE. Chester Gan on Monday, Poppy Wilde on Tuesday with BOTH Jean Gabin, Claude Rains, and William Harrigan.
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Wed – barkeep is William Halligan. In hat on left is Claude Rains. In striped shirt, Tom Dugan.
Monday must be Chester Gan
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Claude Rains, Tommy Mack, William Halligan.
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Chester Gan and Claude Rains in MOONTIDE.
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My man Claude Rains in “Moontide”. I’m buying!
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Robin Raymond, Claude Rains, Tommy Mack, William Halligan in ‘Moontide’?
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Moontide 1942
Mon – Chester Gan
Tues – Robin Raymond and BOTHG Jean Gabin
Wed – Claude Rains. William Halligan is the bartender and I think the guy with the “glare” is Arthur Hohl (still checking on that one.)
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Monday: Chester Gan
Tuesday: Jean Gabin with Robin Raymond
Wednesday: Claude Rains, Ralph Dunn, and William Halligan in Moontide (1942)
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Hmmm??? I now DO NOT think that the guy next to Mr. Rains is Arthur Hohl (nose seems different to me) but looked up a couple of ‘maybes’. Constantine Romanoff comes close in looks, but still feel “hmmmm…” more than positive that it’s him. Found a different view of the scene that is a more ‘looking from the behind the bar’ peek. I’m hoping that he’s not one of the “not yet identified” folks that surface sometimes.
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You’re very kind. One last guess on the striped shirt guy. I think he’s Tommy Mack.
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Claude Rains today, looking cowboy-ish
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How is that not Chester Gan Monday? It’s not Victor Sen Yeng, Helene Reynolds and Jerome Cowan, Jean Gabin BOTH and Thomas Mitchell.
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Thurs #1 photo – Jerome Cowan and Helene Reynolds
Thurs #2 is Thomas Mitchell with bothg Jean Gabin
Wed middle guy at bar is Tommy Mack
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Helene Reynolds, Jerome Cowan, Jean Gabin and Thomas Mitchell.
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Jerome Cowan, Thomas Mitchell and Jean Gabin in “Moontide”
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This would be Moontide with Thomas Michell and Jean Gabin as BOHG
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Miles Archer, er Jerome Cowan and Thomas Mitchell in MOONTIDE 1942
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Helene Reynolds (I think) and Jerome Cowan. Thomas Mitchell looking at BOTHG Jean Gabin.
I’m hoping that your Saturday breakdown has info on how the director adjustment occurred on this film.
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Moontide with Claude Rains, Thomas Mitchell, Jerome Cowan, Jean Gabin.
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Helene Reynolds, Jerome Cowan; Jean Gabin, Thomas Mitchell.
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Our movie is Moontide, with Thomas Mitchell, Jean Gabin (as Back of the Head Guy), Helene Reynolds, and Jerome Cowan today. Yesterday’s guests were Claude Rains, William Halligan, and Arthur Aylesworth. Tuesday’s guest was Robin Raymond, and Monday’s was Chester Gan.
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Ida Lupino and Jean Gabin.
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Friday – Ida Lupino and Jean Gabin
Another hope for Saturday is that you have info on Salvador Dali’s involvement. It seems that only some of his input survived. That weird image where Ms Raymond’s head is missing must be one of his ideas.
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Ida Lupino, Jean Gabin.
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Fri – Ida Lupino and in Fri #2 – Jean Gabin
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Tues on Fri – Jean Cabin as bothg
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Ida Lupino and Jean Gabin.
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