This week’s mystery movie was the 1944 Twentieth Century-Fox film Greenwich Village, with Carmen Miranda, Don Ameche, William Bendix, and introducing in her first featured role, Vivian Blaine. And Felix Bressart, Tony and Sally De Marco, The Revuers, B.S. Pully, Four Step Brothers and Emil Rameau.
Screenplay by Earl Baldwin and Walter Bullock. Adaptation by Michael Fessier and Ernest S. Pagano. Suggested by a story by Frederick Hazlitt Brennan.
Lyrics and music by Leo Robin and Nacio Herb Brown It Goes to Your Toes, Give Me a Band and a Bandana, It’s All for Art’s Sake.
Dances staged by Seymour Felix.
Photographed in Technicolor. Photography by Leon Shamroy and Harry Jackson. Technicolor director Natalie Kalmus. Associate Richard Mueller.
Musical direction Emil Newman and Charles Henderson.
Art direction by James Basevi and Joseph C. Wright. Set decorations by Thomas Little and Walter M. Scott.
Edited by Robert Simpson. Costumes by Yvonne Wood. Makeup by Guy Pearce. Photographic effects by Fred Sersen. Sound by E. Clayton Ward and Roger Heman.
Produced by William Le Baron.
Directed by Walter Lang.
The DVD of Greenwich Village is available for streaming from Amazon.
More on the history of the film is available from the AFI catalog.
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I picked Greenwich Village because it hasn’t aired on TCM recently. It was a nice little surprise with a great musical dance number, It Goes to Your Toes, featuring the Four Step Brothers. And lots of Carmen Miranda, who has quite a few sequences.
I’m guessing Bosley Crowther didn’t hate it….
Nope, he hated it. Bosley never disappoints (Sept. 28, 1944):
There have been some diverting musical pictures made from good material without stars and there have been other popular productions in which those elements were reversed. But the chance of successful achievement without stars or material is practically nil. And that is why Greenwich Village, at the Roxy, is battling against the odds. The most meager sort of material, neither bright not original, is used to fill out the wide-open spaces in this Twentieth Century-Fox musical. And the only “name” players of any consequence employed to lug it around are Don Ameche, William Bendix and Carmen Miranda — a far from formidable cast. True, an ambitious newcomer, Vivian Blaine, is given a chance to show her “cherry blondness” and sing in a major role. But Miss Blaine is not a sensation. Technicolor is the picture’s chief asset.
For Monday, we have some mysterious dancers.
Update: This is a terrific dance number, It Goes to Your Toes, with “Sunshine Sammy” Morrison, right and other members of the Step Brothers, plus Les Hite on piano.
For “Tricky Tuesday,” we have a mystery guest.
Update: This is Frank Orth.
Brain Trust roll call: Tim Doherty (mystery dancer No. 2), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie, mystery dance group and mysterious dancer No. 2), Patrick (mystery dancer No. 2), Sylvia E. (mystery movie, mystery dance group, mysterious dancer and other performers, and musical number!) and Gary (mystery movie, mysterious pianist, mystery dance group and YouTube dance remix).
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have this mystery guest. His companion has been cropped out due to insufficient mysteriousness.
Update: For Friday, adding a mystery companion cropped out for insufficient mysteriousness.
Update: This is William Bendix and B.S. Pully.
We also have this distinguished gentleman. And Back of the Head Guy.
Update: This is Emil Rameau with Torben Meyer as Back of the Head Guy.
Brain Trust roll call: Howard Mandelbaum (Tuesday’s mysterious person in drag), Sylvia E. (Tuesday’s mysterious person in drag), Blackwing Jenny (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery dancer No. 2 and Tuesday’s mysterious person in drag), Jenny M. (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mysterious person in drag), Mary Mallory (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery dancers and musicians, mysterious musical selection and Tuesday’s mystery person in drag), Patrick (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mysterious person in drag), Mike Hawks (mystery movie, Monday’s mysterious dancers and Tuesday’s mystery person in drag), Megan and Thom (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery dancers and Tuesday’s mystery person in drag) and Incredible Inman (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery dancers and Tuesday’s mystery person in drag).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have a mystery gent. And Back of the Head Guy.
Update: This is Felix Bressart with Emil Rameau as Back of the Head Guy.
We also have this mystery woman.
Update: This is Carmen Miranda.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Wednesday’s mystery guests), Sylvia E. (Wednesday’s mystery guests, mystery guest cropped out due to lack of mysteriousness and Back of the Head Guy) and Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery guests).
For Friday, we have the dashing leading man in a straw hat.
Update: This is Don Ameche.
We also have a mystery woman with Back of the Head Guy.
Update: This is Vivian Blaine with Don Ameche as Back of the Head Guy.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery composer bust and Thursday’s mystery guests), Beach Gal (mystery movie and all mystery guests except Wednesday’s gent in curls), Benito (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery guests), Earl Boebert (mystery movie, Thursday’s mystery dancer) and Sylvia E. (Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Sammy Morrison on the right?
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The Nicholas Brothers?
Respectfully submitted,
Steve Zautke
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Good guess, but not this week!
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Porgy and Bess?
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Mysterious, indeed!
🙂
From: Robert Morrissey r.morrissey@att.net
>
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I should know this…..so I will learn something new!
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You’re My Everything and the Berry Brothers.
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An excellent, guess, but alas, I’m afraid not.
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Sunshine Sammy Morrison (top right) and other members of The Four Step Brothers in GREENWICH VILLAGE (1944).
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Guessing Sunshine Sammy Morrison on the right in first photo.
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I watched a youtube clip of this sequence. These guys were/are amazing. The image seemed so contemporary at first glance.
“Greenwich Village” 1944
Monday – The Four Step Brothers (with several additions) I think this movie includes Maceo Anderson, Al Williams, Red Gordon, Sherman Robinson, Freddie James, Rufus “Flash” McDonald, Sylvester “Happy” Johnson and I think Ernest “Sammy” Morrison (a Dead-End Kid) had joined by this time. Not sure on Prince Spencer.
Will add names as you go thru the week
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And the very energetic musical number is “It Goes to Your Toes”
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This is Les Hite at the piano and the Four Step Brothers in Greenwich Village 1944…as seen in I’m So Excitted on you tube. …What! Me! A monday win!
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Did my other comment post? Les Hite at he piano and The Four Step Brothers in Greenwich Villaje 1944.
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Frank Orth.
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Tuesday – Frank Orth, a vision of loveliness.
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Ernie Morrison in “Greenwich Village”. Frank Orth in drag.
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Frank Orth in Greenwich Village (1944).
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GREENWICH VILLAGE by Fox in 1944. “It Goes to Your Toes,” with Al Williams and ernest “Sunshine Sammy” Morrison (I should have recognized him yesterday) dancing as part of the Four Step Brothers, Teddy Buckner on Trumpet, Buddy Banks on clarinet, Tiny “Bam” Brown on double bass, Les Hite piano player, Alton Redd on drums, and Frank orth today.
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Other two Step brothers are Maceo Anderson, Freddy James, and Sylvester Johnson.
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For Tricky Tuesday we have Frank Orth in drag in Greenwich Village from 1944.
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The four Step Brothers including Ernie Morrison and today Frank Orth in GREENWICH VILLAGE.
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Our mystery movie is Greenwich Village with Frank Orth for today, and the Four Step Brothers for Monday.
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Frank Orth today, with the Step Brothers yesterday, making this “Greenwich Village.”
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B. S. Pully, emil Rameau, and Don Ameche as BOTH guy.
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Wednesday – B.S. Pully and “cropped for lack of mysteriousness” William Bendix. Emil Rameau. I think the BOTHG is Torben Meyer, since he looks “butler-ish” to me.
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B.S. Pully; Emil Rameau
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Don Ameche facing Emil rRameau
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Beethoven is in the back of the shot Wednesday, then Felix Bressart with Emil Rameau and Carmen Miranda.
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Tues – guy in drag is Frank Orth
Monday – piano player is Les Hite. On clarinet is Buddy Banks. Drummer is Alton Redd. On trumpet is Teddy Buckner. Double bass is played by Tiny ‘Bam’ Brown. Monday dancers are 2 of the Four Step Brothers. Have to get my vision in control (darn diabetes) so I can study the photos and put names to those faces on our great dancers.
Our movie is Greenwich Village (1944)
Wed shot #2 white hair gent is Emil Rameau Probably bothg is Don Amchie.
Thurs #1 shot is Felix Bressart. Bothg might be William Bendix. Thurs #2 shot is Carmen Miranda.
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Update. Bothg on Wed, shot #1 is the butler played by Torben Meyer.
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And . . . Bothg for Thurs of course can’t be Wm. Bendix. He was still a 30 something guy. No, Bothg here is once again, Emil Rameau
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Wed actor in the long curls, might be Alvin Hammer as one of the Revuers. He sings a song with Vivian Blaine and Wm. Bendix. Of course that song is wrongly credited. as to who performs it in IMDB.
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Carmen Miranda and Felix Bressart? in GREENWICH VILLAGE 1944
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Felix Bressart; Carmen Miranda.
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Carmen Miranda on Thursday, movie is “Greenwich Village.”
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Thursday – Felix Bressart, our “klepto” guy, speaking with Mr Rameau, our BOTHG. Image 2 brings Ms Carmen Miranda!!
So we’ll see a full shot of Mr Bendix, Don Ameche and Vivian Blaine tomorrow.
Interesting to read how hard the studio pushed for Ms Blaine to become a “huge star” and it just wouldn’t take. That mysterious and unpredictable “connection” that happens with the audience wasn’t there, though she was a really talented person. Who knows why.
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Continuing… wouldn’t happen with movie audiences. On the stage she had a solid fan base.
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William Bendix on Wednesday, Don Ameche full face and as BOTH guy, and Vivian Blaine.
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Fri addition on Wed photo – William Bendix
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Wed man with curls is B.S. Pully
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For Fri we have Don Ameche, Vivian Blaine and bothg with Vivian is Don Ameche
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