This week’s mystery movie was the 1930 MGM short The Devil’s Cabaret, with Eddie Buzzell.
Ballet staged by Albertina Rasch. Dances staged by Arthur Appell. Ballet music by Dimitri Tiomkin. Lyrics and music by Herbert Stothart and Howard Johnson. Directed by Nick Grinde.
The Devil’s Cabaret has apparently never been commercially released. It last aired on TCM in 2020.
More on the history of the film is available from the AFI catalog.
I thought it was time to run a short subject and as Ann Dvorak’s birthday was Aug. 2, The Devil’s Cabaret seemed like a good choice.
Alas, the print is fuzzy and I’m not sure Dvorak is in the film. IMDB credits her, but the AFI catalog, which I consider more authoritative, does not.
For Monday, we have a mystery woman.
Update: This is Mary Carlisle.
For Tuesday, we have a mysterious gentleman. He does not approve of such goings-on.
Update: This is Nelson McDowell.
Brain Trust roll call: Mike Hawks (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery woman), Sarah (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery woman), Sheila (Monday’s mystery woman) and Mary Mallory (mystery movie and Monday’s mystery woman).
Note: WordPress’ spam filters seem to be increasingly aggressive these days.
For “Hm Wednesday,” we have a mystery woman. Her companion has been cropped out and will appear Friday.
Update: For Friday, we add our mystery star.
Update: This is Vera Marshe and Eddie Buzzell.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Tuesday’s mysterious preacher), Mike Hawks (Tuesday’s mystery preacher), Sheila (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery preacher) and Lawrence Platt (Monday’s mystery woman).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have an especially menacing, merciless mystery guest.
Update: This is Charles Middleton, hence my clue of “merciless,” as he played Ming the Merciless in the Flash Gordon serial.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Wednesday’s mystery woman and cropped-out guy) and Mike Hawks (Wednesday’s mystery woman).
For Friday, our leading man.
Update: This is Eddie Buzzell. And yes, as Edward Buzzell he was the director of the bizarre film Confidentially Connie, in which Van Johnson is trying to get impossibly expensive steak for a pregnant Janet Leigh.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Thursday’s merciless devil), Sylvia E. (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Benito (Thursday’s merciless devil), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s merciless devil), Anne Papineau (mystery movie and Thursday’s merciless devil) and Megan and Thom (mystery movie and all mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
Total shot in the dark: “Show Girl in Hollywood.”
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Mary Carlisle in THE DEVIL’S CABARET.
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It’s “The Devil’s Cabaret” (1930 short). Mary Carlisle as Impy.
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Mary Carlisle?
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Una Merkel?
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THE SHOW OF SHOWS.
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DEVIL’S CABARET and Mary Carlisle.
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Thelma Todd?
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Mary Carlisle in THE DEVIL’S CABARET.
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Nelson McDowell.
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Nelson McDowell.
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Nelson McDowell, ‘The Devil’s Cabaret’?
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Mary Carlisle
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Vera Marshe. Is that Edward Buzzell out of frame?
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Vera Marshe.
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Is our mystery movie The Hollywood Revue of 1929?
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A very good guess! But alas….
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Charles Middleton.
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Ha! Aha Thursday is so helpful. Amazing what pops up when one searches the words “satan on the phone”
The Devil’s Cabaret – 1930
Monday – Mary Carlisle (you included her recently in a previous mystery with Lionel Barrymore.)
Tuesday – Nelson McDowell
Wednesday -Vera Marshe
Thursday – “Mr Satan on the phone” is Charles Middleton
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Gotta be nasty old Charles Middleton
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Charles Middleton.
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Late to the party but is that Charles Middleton in “The Devil’s Cabaret”?
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Our mystery movie is The Devil’s Cabaret with Charles Middleton for today. Monday’s mystery guest is Mary Carlisle, Tuesday’s is Nelson McDowell, and Wednesday’s is Vera Marshe,
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Edward Buzzell.
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Eddie Buzzell.
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Friday – Edward Buzzell
Too bad about Ann Dvorak. I found a screen grab from the movie, of a whirling dancer in black but impossible to tell if it’s her, though that’s how her character is described in IMDb.
Looking forward to the Saturday breakdown.
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THE DEVIL’S CABARET has been commercially released not once, but twice — as an extra on the WHV disc of CIMARRON (1931), and as part of the Warner Archive collection [i]Classic Musical Shorts from the Dream Factory[/i].
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Thanks!!!
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